TUSCOLANO DISTRICT (I, II & III) QUADRARO

QUARTIERE TUSCOLANO (I, II& III) QUADRARO

Via Tuscolana/Via Lucio Sestio/Via del Quadraro/Via Cartagine

It is unknown where the name QUADRARO originated from. It seems to be connected to one Guadralis who received in 1164 land in the area under license by the monks of St. Alexis

The neighborhood was developed in the early twentieth century with two or three floors houses and an irregular housing

With the development of the nearby Cinecittà the number of the inhabitants increased, many of whom worked in the film studios 

During World War II the neighborhood used to be described hornet's nest by the occupying Nazis, because it was populated by vocal opponents of Nazism and Fascism 

On April 17, 1944 following the RASTRELLAMENTO DEL QUADRARO (Quadraro raid), or Operation Whale, directed by Major Kappler, more than 700 male residents of the neighborhood were taken from their homes and deported to Germany. Only about half came back home in very serious psycho-physical condition 

The Quadraro neighborhood was awarded the gold medal for civil merit

It was built on an area of 35.5 hectares (88 acres) with 3,150 homes built since 1950 by INA Case for about 20,000 residents of low income

“The neighborhood has a large variety of types and at the same time, a remarkable unity, great homogeneity of materials and architectural elements. (...) The star-shaped towers of De Renzi propose the scheme already used in the Valco S. Paolo complex, but the architect in this case gives to his work an even more complex articulation” (Giorgio Muratore)

Recently various walls in the area of the neighborhood known as QUADRARETTO were painted with murals executed by well-known street artists like Ron English (1959), who painted in 2013 a beautiful “Baby Hulk” 

“The oil paintings of Ron English stand out in this pop surrealism genre for the impeccable technique that makes it seem like his works were digitally manipulated. The issues that went hand in hand with the economic development of America, soaked with globalization and environmental issues, militarism and loss of control have been entrusted to the pleasantness of cartoon-characters icons such as Mickey Mouse or the puppet Mac Donald, small clown children or Baby Hulk. No canister spray, but only brushes and shock colors to release the pop soul of a mutant universe” (Eleanora Santonocito - www.artsblog.it)

TUSCOLANO I

Built in 1950/56 by a throng of architects:

C. Dall'Olio, L. Favini, M. Pallottini, M. Paniconi, G. Pediconi, F. Barbaliscia, P. Barucci, M. Castellazzi, B. Di Gaddo, P. Morresi, M. Serangeli, P. Marconi, L. Ciarlini, L. Orestano, G. Nicolosi, R. Marino, F. Dinelli, O. Fasolo, G. Fioroni, A. Gatti, R. Landriscina, A. Mainardi, F. Minissi, G. Minnucci, M. Tavanti, R. Venturi

TUSCOLANO II

Built in 1950/56 by Mario De Renzi (1897/1967) and Saverio Muratori (1910/73)

Building plans: Lucio Cambellotti, Francesco Fariello (1910), Saverio Muratori, Giuseppe Perugini (1914), Giulio Roisecco, Dante Tassotti and Luigi Vagnetti (1915/80)

HOUSE IN LINE in Largo Spartaco and SQUARE TOWERS in Via Cartagine by Mario De Renzi and Saverio Muratori

HOUSE IN LINE TOWERS in Via Sagunto and STAR TOWERS in Via del Quadraro by Mario De Renzi

“The neighborhood still remains unfinished urbanistically for failure to complete the planned public facilities, the social center, cinema theater and the church (which has been built only as a crypt) so that the main square is an unresolved space” (Patrizia Capolino)

TUSCOLANO III

Built in 1950/54 by Adalberto Libera (1903/63) in the area between Via Selinunte and the railway with innovative and original HORIZONTAL HOME UNITS for about 200 large families

“It seems that Libera took inspiration from a trip to Morocco. Impressed by the Kasbah, he was struck by how they would mix private houses with social areas, including shops, meeting places, parks. And he wanted to revive this intuition in the suburban Rome of his time not yet clogged by people, even – in its own way - 'desert.' The result was the beginning of a neighborhood of apartments small and inexensive but not poor. Decent, in fact. Houses were no barracks, public areas were airy and had the same importance of the apartments. The emergence of finding accommodations to thousands of people was left behind for another urgent priority: the quality of life that was important to offer to those people. There is something revolutionary in the project for the INA Case Tuscolana. With the same spirit, later together with Libera, other architects worked and left a mark that goes beyond the construction technique and the art of design.It is a 'human' sign that speaks of community, solidarity and happiness as universal rights” (Ilaria Beltramme - www.gaiaxroma.it)

“Each house has total privacy because, with the exception of the kitchen and the dining room, the rooms overlook exclusively on the inner patio; the patio can thus be used as a real 'outdoor room'; the streets (which are also equipped as areas to hang out) and the central green space create an effective transition from the private to the public sector (...). The architectural solutions are very simple and can reach significant quality in the house with gallery with a refined expressive use of technical-structural solutions” (Piero Ostilio Rossi)