Rome's Former Slaughterhouse to Become Performing Arts Hub

The historic Mattatoio complex in Rome's Testaccio district is being transformed into a permanent center for performing arts research and training, led by newly appointed president Cesare Pietroiusti. Built between 1888 and 1891 by Gioacchino Ersoch, the site was managed by Musei in Comune until 2017, then by Azienda Speciale Palaexpo. Since July 2019, a new board including Pietroiusti, vice president Clara Tosi Pamphili, and others has tightened selection criteria for events. The Pelanda (5,000 sqm) will become a multidisciplinary lab from 2020, with a master's program in performing arts and community spaces developed with Roma Tre University. The complex currently hosts pavilions 9A and 9B (1,000 sqm each) for exhibitions, but after autumn 2019 only one will remain rentable; the other goes to youth policy. Four test workshops are underway: Luigi Presicce's L'Accademia dell'Immobilità (culminating in a performance March 31), La scena presente with nontantoprecisi (April 9-14), BAUM! I libri di oz with Fanny&Alexander (May 8-11), and La Performance-Dare vita e dare forma with Stefano Battaglia (May 14-19). Future plans include artisan workshops for performing arts crafts, free rehearsal space for music and theater groups, and a food project in the rimessini spaces. The area also hosts Roma Tre's architecture faculty, the Accademia di Belle Arti, and the Città dell'Altra Economia, but faces issues with horse-drawn carriages parking and unrenovated zones.