Talking City: Voices of Hidden History in the Architecture and Urban Places of Rome

  • Giulia Flenghi Department of History, Representation and Restoration of Architecture, Sapienza University of Rome, 00186 Rome, Italy
  • Elena Ippoliti Department of History, Representation and Restoration of Architecture, Sapienza University of Rome, 00186 Rome, Italy
  • Alessandra Meschini Department of History, Representation and Restoration of Architecture, Sapienza University of Rome, 00186 Rome, Italy
  • Michele Russo Department of History, Representation and Restoration of Architecture, Sapienza University of Rome, 00186 Rome, Italy
  • Noemi Tomasella Department of History, Representation and Restoration of Architecture, Sapienza University of Rome, 00186 Rome, Italy
Keywords: Graffiti, Image acquisition, Invisible traces, ‘Minor’ Epigraphs, Past voices, Storytelling

Abstract

Our cities today represent a complex intersection of material and immaterial culture, which can be described and promoted through possible heritage itineraries. Among the various topics of these itineraries, a topic of great interest for us is the writings traced throughout history on the wall surfaces of the city’s buildings to convey messages and opinions for the most diverse purposes. Their value is not only in the quality of the single artefact but also because they can serve as unique keys to understanding the society that produced them in depth, i.e., to comprehend the culture, customs, and ways of communication of a specific historical period. From this point of view, the inscriptions produced by the ruling classes, the secular and religious power are less exciting than those traced by single or common people. Therefore, these traces of the past are a fundamental historical resource since the people’s voice resides in them; they are an intangible heritage transmitted through the materiality of the supports and architectures on which they were traced or placed. Unfortunately, many of these inscriptions are hidden or barely visible within cities. Besides, their decoding is related to the type of handwriting, the engraving technique, and the content conveyed. Finally, in today’s society, there is a prevalent dominance of the image with clearly conveyed content, relegating these kinds of cultural products to an omitting background. The study presented in this paper, at an early stage of development, is developed within Rome, a city characterised by a complex and deep cultural stratification. The research aims to map some graffiti and ‘minor’ epigraphs (i.e., non-monumental or particularly solemn) and build narrative itineraries throughout the city, starting from a study of these particular traces within the architecture. By enhancing these historical sources through these routes, the architecture will become a narrative system capable of telling stories, giving voice to real-life stories and the immaterial culture condensed in those places, and rediscovering a stratified and hidden intangible heritage in the city.

Author Biographies

Giulia Flenghi, Department of History, Representation and Restoration of Architecture, Sapienza University of Rome, 00186 Rome, Italy

Giulia Flenghi (°1988) is a PhD student in the Department of History, Representation, and Restoration of Architecture at Sapienza University of Rome. Giulia graduated in History of Art at Roma Tre University in 2017 with a thesis exploring Medieval urban and architectural depiction in Rome. She obtained a second Master’s in Cultural Heritage Communication in 2021. Between 2021 and 2023, she was an adjunct professor in the Design, Multimedia, and Visual Communication master’s program. Her research focuses on the hybridisation of AR and AI systems applied to the Cultural Heritage study. Her academic profile can be found at https://research.uniroma1.it/persone?search=giulia+flenghi.

Elena Ippoliti, Department of History, Representation and Restoration of Architecture, Sapienza University of Rome, 00186 Rome, Italy

Elena Ippoliti (°1962), Architect (1989), PhD (1995), is a Full Professor at Sapienza University of Rome, Vice Dean of Architecture Faculty and Director of the Master’s in Communication of Cultural Heritage. She teaches Architecture and Design courses and in the PhD of History, Representation and Restoration of Architecture. In recent years, Elena has oriented her research towards critical reflection and experimental investigation of digital technologies to enhance cultural heritage. In particular, she has dealt with defining visual languages for the knowledge, communication and use of cultural heritage values. Her academic profile can be found at https://research.uniroma1.it/persone?search=elena+ippoliti.

Alessandra Meschini, Department of History, Representation and Restoration of Architecture, Sapienza University of Rome, 00186 Rome, Italy

Alessandra Meschini (°1966), Architect (1993), PhD (1998), is an Associate Professor at Sapienza University of Rome. She currently teaches Architecture courses, but she has also taught Design courses. She has been working on many representation, survey and documentation topics consistent with the development of digital technologies and the main issues of architectural and urban heritage sites. In recent years, she has oriented her research towards digital media, communication and applications for promoting, enhancing and enjoying cultural heritage. Her research output can be found at https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alessandra-Meschini.

Michele Russo, Department of History, Representation and Restoration of Architecture, Sapienza University of Rome, 00186 Rome, Italy

Michele Russo (°1977) is an Associate Professor in Representation at the Sapienza University of Rome. He received his Master’s degree in architecture from Ferrara University and his PhD from Politecnico di Milano in 2002 and 2007, respectively. Since 2008, Michele has been working on many 3D acquisition, modelling, and data visualisation topics at Politecnico di Milano and Sapienza, where he moved to in 2016. He is involved in much research about 3D imaging, virtual reconstructions, Augmented Reality, and Artificial Intelligence applied to the cultural heritage, architecture, and design domains. His research output can be found at https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michele-Russo-5.

Noemi Tomasella, Department of History, Representation and Restoration of Architecture, Sapienza University of Rome, 00186 Rome, Italy

Noemi Tomasella (°1996) is a PhD student in History, Representation and Restoration of Architecture at the Sapienza University of Rome. She holds a master’s degree in architecture, received in 2021 with honours from the Sapienza University of Rome with a thesis on form-finding and optimisation of double-curved structures. Her doctoral thesis focuses on the role of visual models in the sensory-cognitive enjoyment of cultural heritage. Her research interests mainly concern the study, documentation and enhancement of cultural heritage and topics related to visual communication and visual culture. She is also interested in generative modelling across various applications. Her academic profile can be found at https://research.uniroma1.it/persone?search=noemi+tomasella.

Published
2024-09-06
How to Cite
Flenghi, G., Ippoliti, E., Meschini, A., Russo, M., & Tomasella, N. (2024). Talking City: Voices of Hidden History in the Architecture and Urban Places of Rome. GoINDIGO, 122-146. https://doi.org/10.48619/indigo.v0i0.979