Ecomuseo Casilino Ad Duas Lauros
2012
Via Casilina 634 00177 Roma, Lazio
+39 347 077 7788
The Ecomuseo Casilino Ad Duad Lauros started from a conflict, at the center of Casilino district ex SDO, which is a trace of the agricultural-medieval memory, and an archaeological area located the heart of the ecomuseum. In 2012, the municipality wanted to carry out a building redevelopment, and a network of eight consortium associations was formed for fighting the threat. Professor Padiglione and professor Broccolini, who are anthropologists and inhabitants, proposed the creation of an ecomuseum. Then, five years of research started, to develop the ecomuseum’s own double-track methodological approach. The research identifies elements of the heritage and submits them to the population, which enhances them; or it is the population that proposes the assets that are then analyzed by the scientific committee, that proposes them to the local community to verify that the heritage is shared by all the inhabitants.
The ecomuseum is a patrimonial practice, and was acknowledged by Municipality V as one of its programmatic priorities of government, approved unanimously by resolution of the Municipal Council on 25 July 2013, confirmed in 2015 and finally recognized by the Lazio Region in 2019 with the qualification of Ecomuseum of regional interest. The project had already received recognition from the MIBAC – Archaeological Superintendence of Rome (note 13.1.2012 Prot. 1012) and the Municipal Superintendency (note 29.12.2011 Prot. CF83009) who gave their willingness to participate in technical discussions for the concrete realization. Negotiations are underway to build new memoranda of understanding with the entities described above for the enhancement of the archaeological heritage, while the protocol with the Central Institute for Intangible Heritage is operational, for the enhancement of intangible cultural heritage. Therefore, the association for the ecomuseum, was recognised as the management authority, and it is a volunteer’s organization which pursue the objective of safeguarding, enhancement and promotion of environmental, landscape and cultural heritage of the archeological district Ad Duas Lauros, and of the neighbouring, with the constitution of the Urban ecomuseum.
The proposal to create an urban Ecomuseum is therefore generally aimed at identifying, taking a census, interpreting, reconnecting the complex of material and intangible cultural resources present in the area of interest, including the intangible cultural productions of the resident communities of foreign origin who contribute daily to the implementation of the cultural heritage complex of the area.
The ecomuseum intends to re-enhance the agricultural, natural and archaeological areas against the progressive increase in construction, providing proactive alternatives to land consumption also through the recovery of traces of the historical-architectural and archaeological heritage and the mending of the existing connections between city and countryside. This will contribute in rediscovering the Roman countryside in the Casilino district, hidden and surrounded by a city that has grown dramatically over time.
The project rediscovers the connections between the systems of greenery, archeology and living by outlining the vision of a “new city”, structured on the network of natural spaces. In this perspective, the initiatives are inspired by the principles of environmental sustainability: any form of land consumption and practice aimed at building from scratch is denied, focusing attention on the recovery of the existing and in particular of historic farmhouses and nineteenth-century villas. The Ecomuseum is the first step in the recovery of the Agro Romano accompanied by a process of sustainable development of local agro-economies, as an alternative to the disorderly advance of urbanization that affects the agricultural territory.
The Ecomuseum aims to improve the quality of life of local communities through actions with a high rate of sustainability:
Claudio Gnessi
The ecomuseum’s organization is formed by three different levels: management, the scientific committee, and the assembly. The management is divided in six different topics of expertise – the historic and art area, city planning, spirituality, archeology -. Each director has his operation autonomy, with an objective, a budget, and a result.
The scientific committee will be integrated with the management team, as they already have some common members. The assembly started with 12 people, and now there are 36, it is composed of people of the territory and associations. The membership is free. As follows it is analyzed by the management team trainee.
The the scientific committee is formed by:
Working groups:
Ecomuseum’s staff needs training in management, administration, and events organization.
Local community is actively involved in the ecomuseum’s activities and training, from the identification of heritage resources, to the safeguarding of them. The continuous dialogue between ecomuseum and population is enough for identifying training needs.
The ecomuseum has a wide training offer, which can be divided in three main activities:
Ecomuseum’s courses are aimed at reinforcing skills in the areas of research, storytelling and enhancement of cultural heritage. The ecomuseum trains new ecomuseum facilitators, service technicians, and territorial researchers. After each period of training, the ecomuseum, with the courses participants organize the Days of Restitution to the Territory for presenting the results of the work.
Claudio, ecomuseum president, which is also an art director, manages communication and next year it will take on a dedicated employee for managing this sector. It is important to communicate online as well, and online training is advantageous in a large city like Rome, because it bypasses the problem of distances. It is also convenient for the elderly, who can go to the senior center and follow the directives, helped by the operators. The ecomuseum experimented, during the Pandemic, different online activities, which were successful and allowed increase the ecomuseum public; those activities are still proposed by the ecomuseum.
| COURSE | DESCRIPTION | TARGET | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECOMUSEUM MEMBERS (TECHNICAL TEAM) | LOCAL COMMUNITY | ||
| School of heritage | It has the objective of training ecomuseum professionals. Here there is also the proposal of research projects. | X | |
| Seminary activities | About monuments, public art and history. | X | |
| About monuments, public art and history. | Auto-narration of the territory, community maps written by youths, visits organized by kids. | X | |
| The ecomuseum of baby-girls and baby-boys | The proposed path is functional to bring out a new significant relationship between the recipients of the project (children in the age range 5-11) and the territory in which they reside and / or practice as pupils of a school. This practice proceeds from the recognition of a specific meaning of places which, starting from the settled cultural value, becomes a personal, emotional and imaginary cultural value. In this way an emotional geography is built and the space, to be crossed, will be increasingly inhabited, thus increasing the sense of belonging, but also the ability to be able to reinvent it. | X | |
| Language courses (Casa Scalabrini) | In Casa Scalabrini are organized different courses, both for hosted people, and for the local community. | X | |
| Tailors’ courses (Casa Scalabrini) | In Casa Scalabrini are organized different courses, both for hosted people, and for the local community. | X | |
| Driving school (Casa Scalabrini) | In Casa Scalabrini different courses are organized, both for hosted people, and for the local community. | X | |
| AREA / FIELD | DESCRIPTION | WAY OF TRAINING (VIRTUAL / ON-SITE / WORKSHOPS / ETC.) | TARGET | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ECOMUSEUM MEMBERS (TECHNICAL TEAM) | LOCAL COMMUNITY | |||
| Management | Management is useful for carrying out all the activities of the ecomuseum, optimizing funds and resources. | Both | X | |
| Administration | It is necessary to find new ways of financing for having a continuous cash-flow for managing ecomuseum projects and activities. | Both | X | |
| Event organization | Learning how to organize events in a professional way can help the ecomuseum in having more visitors, and to use the resources in a better way. | Both | X | |
The ecomuseum has three main ways for financing, distributed in this way:
Concerning innovatives ways of financing, the ecomuseums tested fundraising and crowdfunding; those methods weren’t useful because the ecomuseum doesn’t have enough human resources for managing this kind of financing. From this year the ecomuseum is inscribed in the 2×1000 program – a solidaristic financing that taxpayers can allocate to a cultural association when the individual income tax return is written. Anybody who pays IRPEF (personal income tax) can donate part of the tax to associations that carry out cultural activities -. This kind of financing will be useful for having a continuing cash flow; however, it is not still possible to evaluate the impact.
The ecomuseum has a complicated management. All the projects are in debt, without having resources. Call for bids, and started projects have to be accounted for – there is an anticipation of financing by the ecomuseum or there is a waiting for non-repayable grants -. Normally is the ecomuseum, which anticipates funds with bank loans or personal financing. There are 20 people working for the ecomuseum and they have to be paid, and the coordinators of planning are the last to be paid; other collaborators are paid in reasonable time, but is not always possible. With a continued cash flow the planning could be managed in a better way. All the people working in the ecomuseum are paid, because the ecomuseum avoids job insecurity and believes that each contribution has to be paid; University interns with curricular internships are rewarded with European Credit Transfer System Credits (ECTS).
The ecomuseum organizes 12 activities each month with adults, schools and researchers. (250-300 visitors). The main activities are:
Claudio Gnessi, ecomuseum’s president narrate:
“The local community is involved in the activities at two levels: as an audience, and in all the heritage-paths: when a patrimonial asset is identified, the community participates in urban explorations to verify that they also consider what is identified. This involvement is characterized by a specific methodology and actions. Concerning methodology, the scientific committee carries out patrimonial research and produces results, resource sheets and fruition courses that are screened by the community for verification. Specific actions are explorations (normally three urban explorations), and seminars. This relationship is twofold virtuous, because the local community can evaluate the proposal or report the inclusion of an element of heritage (social practice, local dialect, work of art, monument) to the scientific committee which analyzes it and subsequently organizes explorations for it to be evaluated by the rest of the community.
The territory is large, so there is an agreed community that is expanding in each territory. There is the creation of many Community of Care, which have a registered office, carry on pilot projects, and contribute to the word of mouth with other members of the community to expand the catchment area. Ecomuseum’s participants are monitored after booking an activity.”
The Ecomuseum Casilino means “inclusion”, and concerning ecomuseum’s location, Claudio adds:
“The ecomuseum has decided to not have an headquarters, because we reject the museum model, and the offices are spread throughout the territory. Each Community of Care has a registered office, which is also the thematic interpretation center of the ecomuseum. In Torpignattara district there is the secretariat; Casa Scalabrini hosts training activities, it’s the research pole of migratory phenomenon, and will also be the location of the future Museum of Migration; Villa Gordiani has the theme of memory, both with the local trade union, and with the elders of the neighborhood. The community manages the headquarters in autonomy. The largest interpretation center is the territory that represents interpretation and conservation. It contains the exhibition space, research space, and didactic space. The aim is embedding heritage in the physicality of the territory, with the delocalization of interpretation centers. Agreement protocol with local and cultural institutions, with the creation of networks of cultural spaces; in this way local population is involved. In this way local identity is reinforced.”
The ecomuseum has different points of reference in each district, and they are also useful for local community references. Claudio explain:
“As the ecomuseum does not have a fixed headquarters, the location for activities is chosen from time to time in a suitable place. It is an ecomuseum that contains many museums.
For example, we organized a widespread gallery of photographs in various commercial establishments. We also have cultural signs (with QR Code) in various places in the neighborhoods, which are useful both for the local community, and for visitors. Ecomuseum Casilino believes that the street is the best exposition center; for example, in memory of Nazi-Fascism we choose the stumbling blocks.
Ecomuseum encourages and promotes public art, such as murals. Murals curated by the ecomuseum are artistic restorations, which are linked to local culture and are restitution of memory. Local community is actively involved in this process. In fact, the community chooses: the place, the theme, and the artist, who interprets the theme with his style, his aesthetics. The artist is also part of the Care Community, or the ecomuseum asks if there is any local artist interested in participating in the mural activities. The ecomuseum works with both artists who sign themselves (contemporary muralism), and with writers. Ecomuseum is pushing free walls for unknown writers, where they can make jams while graffiti is created. The municipality has not yet accepted writing, even if free walls are needed around the neighborhood, and writers could express themselves in a collective contest.
Each activity that is done is a speech on the territory (which returns the research results), an example are Murals on memory in Centocelle district.”
The ecomuseum organized different kinds of projects: enhancement projects, public art projects with local community, a project for the foundation of a Scholastic Museum in collaboration with the third sector, and a musealization of s district in Bari.
The ecomuseum methodology has a fixed a twofold model for involving people in its activities.
The activities organized by the ecomuseum are promoted on the website, and on ecomuseum’s social media page. The ecomuseum organize two tours each week, ten tours each month.
Activities are promoted through different channels:
When there is an inscription in a tour, the ecomuseum takes all the participants’ data; in this way, the ecomuseum collects a wide number of emails and has a mailing list with 1500 registered.
The ecomuseum organize different types of tours, always guided by local population:
Each month 15 tours are organized, with 30 participants in each one, and 450 visits each month.
Tours are free for participants to guarantee an accessible culture. Participants can make an offer or a donation at the end of the tour (or even online). Institutions that collaborate with the ecomuseum pay the operators that organize tours (with private and public financing). Participants do not pay for lowering the bend of access to culture, as the ecomuseum is located in a not so rich neighbourhood.
| Only information | Chance to suggest actions | Complaints or Compliments | Purchase of tickets | Open access or under registration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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X |
X |
X |
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X |
| Proposing museum objectives | On funding issues | About museum planning | On accessibility |
|---|---|---|---|
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Ecomuseum objectives are well described in the website page, and on social media pages. |
A crowfunding or donation section can be useful for website users that would like to contribute in financing the ecomuseum. |
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The website is well organized and divided in different topics. |
| Receipt message is sent | The proposal is discussed at the museum management level | Results of the discussion are sent |
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The ecomuseum website is user-friendly and is well divided in different sections: itineraries, neighbourhoods, and participation. The website is divided by topics in a clear way, so the user can navigate and find the information needed in a quick way. Users have the possibility to register in the website and make contributions on the online community map, geo-referenced, adding heritage elements on the ecomuseum territory; the element can be described and once registered, there is a backend where the user can write an article with photos. A useful video-tutorial for registration is next to registration form, it is well explained for helping users in registration.
User- engagement is also encouraged, as you can see in the image below. Visitors with different interests can choose how to contact the ecomuseum, so the audience is already divided into topics when writing to the ecomuseum. The website is full of interactive material, such as: photos, videos, and interactive maps.
The website has a clear section for participation, a box (as shown in Image 4) that has a call to action for leaving a comment – if the user is a citizen, an organization, a researcher, an institution or a school -.
The Ecomuseo Casilino ad Duas Lauros interprets the ecomuseum dictation in a very rigorous way and therefore does not set up an exhibition center for the heritage, but intends to enhance the latter in the place where it occurs. For this reason, guided tours, urban explorations and trekking activities are available to be booked by email. Alternatively, the visit to the local heritage (monuments, street art museums, parks and villas) is free and possibly can be explored online, thanks to the path platform made available by the Ecomuseum, and accessible via smartphone. In the area of Tor Pignattara and Centocelle there are also plaques illustrating the local heritage created by the Business Network of the two districts. The contents of the tables of the Tor Pignattara district have been edited by the Casilino Ecomuseum in Duas Lauros and allow you to connect to the path platform via QR code.
The ecomuseum has different ways of innovation. First, the ecomuseum works with QR code technology, both with explaining panels around the neighborhood, and during the organized tours. In this way, people can have a deep information of the visited places. After the Pandemic, the ecomuseum implemented different online activities, which enlarged the ecomuseum public.
Another innovative project is the ecomuseum App, an extra tool to access the knowledge of the cultural heritage of the territory. In the App history, stories, monuments, roads, memories, cultures and much more can be discovered. A narration of the territory built together with citizens, protection bodies, researchers, schools. The cards and paths are those present on the participatory census site (ecomuseum’s paths) and therefore the resources and paths proposed by citizens through the collective collection system will also be available on the App. A project in progress that needs the contribution of everyone, and can be downloaded in an easy way from the official website, AppStore or GooglePlay.
The ecomuseum has relationships with the academic world; some members of the ecomuseum staff are researchers with expertise in different fields and topics. Papers and articles are written in collaboration with professors and ecomuseum staff.
One of the last projects of the ecomuseum was the Sustainability Report, written with the collaboration of an external researcher.
The ecomuseum is organized at a territorial level with the Care Communities, which are involved in the projects proposed by the ecomuseum. In each district, there are ambassadors (points of reference active in the area and have contacts), who collaborate with the ecomuseum to develop different activities. The ecomuseum contacts the district ambassador and ask if they are interested in a project, and then they start to collaborate.
The ecomuseum does not have a headquarter, but it has different points of reference in each district. It currently has two interpretation centers:
Both centers can be visited according to the timetables available on the Ecomuseum website.
The ecomuseum collaborates with many local associations. One of them is the Centrocelle Association, which aims to promote territorial heritage in the Centocelle neighborhood, enhancing local identity. The association published a book, “Centocelle melting pot” which collects different perspective of the district, where immigrants give their point of view. The book is in english and italian and gives a different glance of Centocelle district.
| PROJECTS / ACTIONS | SHORT DESCRIPTION | SDG | IMPACTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Management team composition | The management team is formed by 4 women and 2 men, with different sexual orientations, respecting all the genders. | 5 | The team is well balanced between women and men |
| Inclusion of second generation members in the research team | Involve second generation members in the research team for having different cultures and religions, and other perspectives in the ecomuseum’s team. | 10 | Inclusivity and cultural exchanges |
| Carbon free ecomuseum | The ecomuseum promotes activities with alternative mobility (bicycles, electric train, walking tours). | 7, 13 | People are encouraged to use slow mobility |
| Paperless | The ecomuseum doesn’t use paper material, except for some paper publications volumes. Digital scientific magazines are preferred. The communication is online. | 9 | Waste material is reduced |
| Increasing green areas for population through city planning | Increasing green areas for the population through city planning. In particular, safeguarding and promotion of the archeological district As Duas Lauros. The same area is connected with bicycle and pedestrian mobility. No pollution thanks to slow mobility. | 11, 3, 13 | More green areas available for residents; open-air activities are promoted. |
| Green areas restoration for urban agriculture implementation; tree plantation | The ecomuseum promotes green areas restoration for urban agriculture implementation. These areas had agricultural vocation, and this is also a way for safeguarding territorial identity and memory. Social vegetable gardens planning in the archeological district As Duas Lauros area. More than 1000 tree plantation in the neighborhood, supporting local committees with communication and actions. | 15, 2, 12, 11 | People are encouraged to use public spaces in a healthier way (gardening, bicycling...) |
| Educational actions with schools | Fighting education poverty in schools. Add value in education where there is early abandonment of school, and no quality education, because the territory is intercultural and needy. Heritage promotion lessons for integrated ministerial programs. Agreement records with the principal schools of the territory. | 4 | Scholars have more opportunities in education, and start to develop sense of belonging |
| Sustainable planning | The ecomuseum works with Cultural enhancement and territorial sustainability planning. The ecomuseum includes sustainability in all projects carried out. | 3 | Sustainability is a value and a goal in all the activities |
| Cultural sustainability and promotion; alternative economy promotion | Recover and identify heritage. | 1 | Strength people sense of belonging to the territory |
| Free activities for all the community | The heritage is for everyone, it is a common good and the ecomuseum promotes free activities for the local community. | 10 | Culture accessibility |
The sustainability is monitored with an integrated report, compiled each 2 years. The 11 SDG is the most important and it is a synthesis of all the ecomuseum actions. The report was written with professor Nadia Cipullo, an external researcher. The first steps of the report, where defined different capitals of the ecomuseum. Each of those capitals was analysed in relation to the SDGs impacts, according to the International Integrated Reporting Framework – (IIRC, 2013).
Cultural contributions on SDGs:
Natural capital has a positive impact on 13, 15, 12 and 11 SDGs. Indeed, the ecomuseum sustains urban forestation, it is paperless, it promotes sustainable mobility (such as the yellow train), and has a green General set up Plan.
Financial Capital has contributed to the 1, 8, 9 SDG, thanks to different actions of the ecomuseum. For example, compensation for each job, digital communication, investments on the territory (panels, stepping blocks, apps, local operators training, donations).
Human Capital has positive impacts on SDGs 5, as ecomuseum operators and staff are formed by 80% of women, and 20% by men.
Intellectual and Organizational Capital have positive impacts on SDGs 4,9, 11, thanks to the research, lessons in schools, the creation of Care Communities, publications.
Social and relational capital have a positive impact on SDG 5. The ecomuseum creates jobs on the territory, it is included in the National network of ecomuseum, and it has many online and offline followers.
The Pandemic was an opportunity for evaluating ecomuseum actions and directions.
Thanks to the capillary structure that has been able to adapt and modify the activities to be carried out during the construction phase, during the Pandemic, the activities and the turnover were doubled.
The ecomuseum was prepared in some ways, because all dissemination and cataloging activities were already paperless.
During the lockdown, six virtual tours were organized by Zoom and via Facebook direct.
Some tours were organized with Google Art, and were structured as geo-referenced presentations: in each place of the map, a presentation was exploded to tell the place.
During these activities some data: 600 subscribers, 2 thousand people live and 400 people per tour. The Pandemic also increased the services provided, thanks to the donations, and all the calls won.
Thanks to online activities, the audience and the donations doubled.
The ecomuseum also organized seminars and online training for adults and children. Online activities were useful for most frail people. For example, the elderly, who have difficulty leaving the house, and are precious for the memory of the area, were able to follow online activities at the elderly association for following the activity. Another frail category, that had benefits, were Islamic women, which can overcome cultural barriers, following online activities without exposing themselves, and also enhancing their language skills and cultural heritage knowledge. Adult immigrants were not much involved before the Pandemic, unless when activities were at their symbolic places, such as mosques. Only second generations were involved, thanks to educational activities with schools, but now thanks to online activities it has conquered a new audience of adult’s immigrants.
Online activities were a success and it is continuing after the lockdown; for the ecomuseum was a great opportunity to expand the audience of the local community.
Lisa Pigozzi, Nunzia Borrelli, Raul dal Santo, Silvia Dossena, Lucia Vignati
Leandro França, Barbara Kazior, Óscar Navajas, Manuel Parodi-Álvarez, Lisa Pigozzi, Raul dal Santo, Julio Seoane, Maristela Simão
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. The content of this website reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
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