Mattatoio

The architectural complex known as the Mattatoio di Testaccio, built by Gioacchino Ersoch between 1888 and 1891, is considered one of the most important surviving examples of industrial archaeology in the city on account of the modernity and originality of its structure.

The restoration project, based on an idea by Zoneattive, kicked off in the early 2000s. The construction site was opened in 2006 and completed in 2010, the renovation work involving the conversion of the pavilions used for water storage, pig-meat processing and as slaughterhouses.

Over the years, the management – run by the Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali's Musei in Comune until 2017 – developed  a pathway devoted to contemporary art which also benefited from the presence in the Mattatoio complex both of Roma Tre University's Faculty of Architecture and of some of the Accademia di Belle Arti's lecture theatres. Rome the Capital City assigned the management of a considerable portion of the Mattatoio to the Azienda Speciale Palaexpo in 2018. The areas in question form part of a complex lying at the heart of a renovation project for the creation of an artistic and cultural research and production cluster capable of promoting a powerful contemporary image of the city, recording its developments and stimulating its evolution.