AUDITORIUM - rome's concert hall

made of bricks, wood and covered in lead, rome’s auditorium is more than just a concert hall.

 

 

 

 

central plaza, auditorium, rome

 

 

 

 

 

lead plates cover the three concert halls, auditorium, rome

 

 

 

 

 

lead plates and odd shapes, auditorium, rome

 

 

 

 

 

 

red brick with travertine accents, auditorium, rome

 

 

 

 

 

brick, stone, lead, auditorium, rome

 

 

 

 

 

lush grass, auditorium, rome

 

 

 

 

 

 

small trees, auditorium, rome

 

 

 

 

 

 

olive trees and a skylight for the restaurant below, auditorium, rome

 

 

 

 

 

the central plaza, auditorium, rome

 

 

 

 

 

staff member, auditorium, rome

 

 

 

 

 

 

calling the auditorium a concert hall is to understate reality. also named “parco della musica” it is a complex of three huge concert halls arranged around a bright and airy central plaza. trees of several different kinds adorn the many open spaces.

not yet ten years old, it was designed by renzo piano, and he certainly put a very good effort into the complex. after all, not a lot of new things get built in rome. not near the center, anyway. the buildings are made largely of wood, have supreme acoustics, and are completely shrouded in lead, some say to enable superior-quality recordings and broadcasts due to lead’s shielding capacities against electromagnetic radiation. the original plan had to be modified when some roman ruins were uncovered. these have been preserved and can be visited as well.

on this particular spring afternoon, there were young children racing bicycles, teenage couples making out in the grass, high school students pretending to study and an artist looking at the the whole thing and drawing in his sketchbook.

if and when you are in rome, it is well worth a visit. especially if it’s a lovely sunny day

alessandro ciapanna

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