Ecomuseo Casilino “Ad Duas Lauros”

The Casilino Ecomuseum was established in 2012 to fight against building speculation and to enhance the territory of Rome's Fifth Municipality.

In 2016, the participatory research and emergency census activity was completed, and the results are presented in front of more than 200 citizens. In the summer of 2019, the museum project was handed over to the Urban Planning Department of the Municipality of Rome and officially recognised in October as an Ecomuseum of regional importance. In the same year, it received a special mention at the National Landscape Award.

The territory of the Ecomuseum includes the Archaeological District Ad Duas Lauros, but also areas such as the Ex Snia Viscosa, the Prenestina Station, and the Old Quadraro, as well as including the entire Centocelle District and the entire Prenestino Labicano district. It therefore preserves a remarkable cultural heritage: five archaeological parks, two stretches of the Via Francigena, several medieval towers, as well as green areas of environmental interest. During the war, it then hosted the 8th Roman Resistance zone.

After the war, the area became a destination for emigration, first from the south and then from abroad. Today it is home to six Catholic churches, four 'mosques', seven Pentecostal churches, two Hindu temples, a Buddhist temple, as well as a dense network of ethnic restaurants promoting an international food and wine culture. It has recently stood out as a centre of national significance for street art, hosting four open-air museums.

Therefore, six heritage contexts were identified in the area; and seven utilisation routes were constructed, which refer to three different interpretation centres. On the historical side, there are several plaques, such as the one in the former police station in Piazza della Marranella or the one to the fallen soldiers of the Bandiera Rossa band; and a dozen memorial stones dedicated to partisans have been placed. Routes on the First World War and the 1970s are also marked.