Roma, città di acqua e di pietra

The past constitutes a lesson for the present cities. From this point of view, the city of Rome is a fitting example of the continuity of urban facts and dynamics. There are several primary elements that have contributed to the formation of constitutive character of cities: the theme of ‘permanence’ is the key theme. The great issue about the relationship between cities and water is treated from a narrative perspective with a historical point of view on Rome, City of the Seven Hills and Eternal City. Re-reading its places and memory’s traces brings out the duplicity of City nature together with the origins and the long ‘eternal’ duration. The often forgotten relationship with the Tiber river resurfaces in the speeches of the professors invited to the Villard XX international seminar held in Rome from 13th to 15th December 2018, edited by Lorenzo Dall’Olio and Laura Pujia for the Architecture Department of Roma Tre University.