Metropoliz, Squatter's house in eastern Rome, Italy.
Metropoliz is a repurposed factory on Rome's eastern edge where roughly two hundred residents live and create art in shared spaces. The site contains private homes, common areas, and a gallery where works by artists from around the world are displayed.
The former salami factory was occupied in 2009 by activists from local housing and social movements who transformed it into a home and art space. This occupation became a turning point in Rome's response to housing shortages and grassroots community organizing.
The space reflects how people of different backgrounds share daily life and create art together in a converted factory. Visitors can experience this lived diversity through the exhibitions and the residential areas they walk through.
The gallery opens on Saturdays for free visits to contemporary art shows in an unconventional setting near the Cinecittà area. Check ahead about guided tours since the spaces are lived-in and not all areas are open to casual walk-throughs.
Romani people live alongside residents from Italy, Morocco, Peru and many other places in one of Rome's largest squatter communities of its kind. This integrated living arrangement is uncommon and shows a rare form of solidarity within urban occupation movements.
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