Metropoliz is a former salami factory on the eastern periphery of Rome,

squatted Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...

in 2009. It is the first large squat in Rome where

Romani people The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sig ...

live alongside other ethnic groups. In 2012, a museum opened on the site which has become a recognised contemporary art gallery.

Occupation

The derelict salami factory owned by

Salini Impregilo Webuild SpA (formerly Salini Impregilo SpA) () is an Italian industrial group specialised in the construction and civil engineering business headquartered in Milan. The company was formally founded in 2014 as the result of the merger by incorporat ...

was squatted in 2009 by one hundred people from Blocchi Precari Metropolitani (BPM), a group focused on housing activism, and Popica, an association promoting the rights of

. The Romani squatters had already been living together in a squat called Casilino 700 and joined Metropoliz following its eviction. Metropoliz became the first large squat in Rome where Romani lived together with other ethnic groups, mainly Italian, Moroccan and Peruvian. The Romani lived in a space evicted by the police in 2012, whereupon most of the families moved into the main building. Fabrizio Boni and Giorgio de Finis made a film called ''Space Metropoliz'' with some of the residents and afterwards in 2012, de Finis proposed to set up an art gallery. This is called Museo dell'altro e dell'altrove metropolitano (Museum of the Other and the Elsewhere) or MAAM. It opens only on Saturdays and has become a successful, free to enter contemporary art gallery. The MAAM supports the squat politically by bringing engagement from people who would otherwise not enter it. As of 2017, around two hundred squatters of various nationalities live at the complex. After negotiations, the city council has announced that if the squat is evicted the residents will be rehoused. For the Romani this was the first time they had been offered social housing, since the usual state policy towards Romani

informal settlements Informal housing or informal settlement can include any form of housing, shelter, or settlement (or lack thereof) which is illegal, falls outside of government control or regulation, or is not afforded protection by the state. As such, the inform ...

would be relocation into official camps.

References

{{Authority control 2009 establishments in Italy Buildings and structures in Rome Squats in Italy Romani in Italy

Occupation

See also

References