Colonne d’ercole

“Agro Romano” is a topographical and geographical entity that refers to the rural areas of Rome, today located beyond the Grande Raccordo Anulare (GRA). As an administrative entity, it includes the suburbs and the suburban municipalities of Rome called “suburbi”. Up until about forty years ago, this vast area also included the territories of the current municipality of Fiumicino (over thirty kilometers from the citycentre), which was established only in 1991.

The consular roads of the Capital cross the Agro Romano in all directions. Crossing the asphalt means passing through the gates of imaginary Pillars of Hercules. The purpose of this long term project is to tell the story of a world that, to many Romans, seems “finished” and unknown. The horizon of these iconic extra-urban roads of Rome reveals, to those who access it, a rich and complex heritage that is an extension of the city itself. The city beyond the GRA is a contemporary Arcadia: despite the relentless and inevitable phenomenon of urban and building expansion, old farmhouses, abandoned hunting lodges, bucolic tuff hills, and pastures with cows and sheep have survived. The sense of decay, which is proverbial in the city enclosed within the Aurelian walls, is also palpable in these lands.

Selections and awards:
2026 digital’s contribution for Almanac 2026 edition, a column by Fotografia dell’Architettura