Once Upon a Time in Rome: discovering the Past to understand the Present

Starting Wednesday, 18 November 2026, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., the Aula Musmeci at the Department of Architecture, Ex Mattatoio, Rome, will host the public lecture series “Once Upon a Time in Rome: discovering the Past to understand the Present”, moderated by Francesca Mattei and organized in collaboration with the “Il Piacere di Sapere” association.
The meetings will take place every Wednesday, from 18 November to 16 December 2026, and will focus on the history of architecture, the city,
and its urban spaces. Rome will serve as a starting point for addressing key issues in contemporary debate, including sustainability, inclusion, human mobility and heritage enhancement, highlighting their historical roots.
The series will feature five lectures exploring different aspects of urban history: Rome as a cosmopolitan city through the story of the foreign communities that settled there over the centuries; Rome as an ecosystem through the design of fountains and water infrastructure; Rome as an evolving urban organism shaped by artists, patrons and architects and Rome as a place of enclosure through the history of female monasteries and communal living practices.
The aim of the series is to show how knowledge of Rome’s history can contribute to a deeper understanding of the present and of the relationships
between heritage, urban space and society.
Programme
18 November 2026 | Francesca Mattei
Cosmopolitan Rome: Foreign Communities and Architectural Patronage in the Early Modern Period
25 November 2026 | Maddalena Scimemi
The Esquiline: Notes on Architecture and Urban Structure
2 December 2026 | Saverio Sturm
Jews, Neophytes and Converts in Early Modern Rome: Monasteries and Houses of Conversion
9 December 2026 | Paola Carla Verde
Making Water Flow: The Enterprise of the Acqua Felice in the Rome of Sixtus V
16 December 2026 | Mauro Mussolin
Michelangelo in Rome, Michelangelo and Rome
Information
Every Wednesday, from 18 November to 16 December 2026
6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Department of Architecture, Aula Musmeci
Ex Mattatoio, Rome
Entrances
From Lungotevere: Largo Giovanni Battista Marzi 10
From Testaccio: Piazza Orazio Giustiniani 4

Locandina