-
- Andrea with his daughter Valeria and his dog Pongo
What is nearly one kilometer long, up to ten stories high, and is inhabited by about 8,000 people?
The Palazzo Corviale, also called il serpentone (the giant snake), the longest high-rise building in Europe on the outskirts of Rome.
Built in the seventies - the Palazzo was originally planned as a social housing project - ie a city within a city - with cultural facilities, stores and workshops.
However after the completion of the building little of the social concept was completed, instead as many people as possible were housed in the building. Some of the apartments are occupied illegally.
Especially in the beginning, the Palazzo Corviale was associated with violence and crime and up to now the inhabitants of Corviale have to live with this stigma.
I spoke with two residents of Corviale.
»So far, I haven't lived in Corviale for long and I come from an area which is very similar.
I got to know new people here and but I also already knew some residents of Corviale. It's not particularly difficult to meet people here.
The building looks definitely very repellent and sealed off, but in fact it is not so hard. I don't like the color of the building, it's all so gray and looks closed. From the outside Corviale looks very bad, but in reality it is not so.
It's definitely much better and not as rough as in Tor Bella Monaco, where I lived before. In Tor Bella Monaco the children grow up very early, they act slyly and there are some 10 year old children, who are dealing with drugs.
Here are also various cultural events, such as a school, courses and a church. Besides the Italians many foreigners from Romania, South Africa and Eastern Europe also live here.«
— Andrea (resident of Corviale)
<< >>
