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The Flaminio Stadium in Rome: Nervi’s masterpiece gone to rack and ruin
Located in Piazzale Ankara, in Rome's Flaminio district, the Stadio Flaminio is considered both a symbol of 20th-century Italian architecture and one of its most neglected monuments. It was designed by Pier Luigi Nervi and Antonio Nervi between 1957 and 1959 for the 1960 Rome Olympic Games, replacing the Stadio Torino, which had occupied the same site since 1927.
A structure visible from the outside
The load-bearing structure consists of ninety reinforced concrete portal frames with precast tiers and a cantilevered canopy sheltering the main grandstand. Originally, it could accommodate over 40,000 spectators. The Flaminio is a prime example of structural architecture: the load-bearing frames are fully exposed both inside and out, with no cladding to conceal them. The cantilevered external walkways allowed the public to move around without crossing the stands, shaping the façade in an unmistakable way. Beneath the tiers, space was allocated for a swimming pool, a weights room, and specialist facilities for athletics, boxing, fencing, and gymnastics.
From rugby to dereliction
From 2000 to 2012, the stadium hosted the Six Nations rugby tournament. Following the Federation's decision to give up the concession, the facility fell into a state of progressive decay. It had already been declared a property of historical and artistic interest in 2004. In 2007, during expansion works, the remains of a Roman necropolis were unearthed. In 2020, the Sapienza University of Rome completed a conservation plan funded by the Getty Foundation, marking the first application of H-BIM (Heritage Building Information Modelling) for the protection of a 20th-century sports venue.
