Roma vietata

Once upon a time, Rome was entirely reachable by car, as if the city were a vast expanse, left openly accessible: You could park anywhere, and the squares were not mere scenery but spaces for everyday use, places to be crossed, occupied and lived in. Reaching the heart of the city was a right, a need, a natural and familiar matter, never a fault. It was a time when modern citizens felt most at home in the historic centre, from ancient to medieval Rome, from the Renaissance polis to that of the Baroque period, from eighteenth-century Rome to that under King Umberto and right through to the twentieth century. The book traces the history of freedom of movement prior to the advent of limited traffic zones, railway rings, pedestrian areas and the utopia of the smart city. Paradoxically, this book explores the future of Rome through what has become forbidden.