Closed to the public for over a decade, then the ribbon cutting ceremony in the presence of the mayor Roberto Gualtieri and the councilor for Agriculture, Environment and Waste Cycle Sabrina Alfonsi: the Belvedere Antonio Cederna has reopened its doors. The panoramic terrace with walkway overlooking the Imperial Forums and the Colosseum, located at the height of the Clivus of Acilio, had remained closed to citizens due to the work of the nearby Metro C construction site. Now, with new furnishings and redeveloped green areas, it is back to doing what it does best: offering one of the most evocative views of the Capital.
View this post on Instagram
A place, a name, a story
The Belvedere bears the name of Antonio Cederna, an intellectual and journalist who passed away in 1996 and was the protagonist of many environmental and cultural battles that marked the history of Rome in the second half of the twentieth century. Present at the inauguration were her children Camilla, Giulio and Giuseppe, together with the director of the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum Simone Quilici, the superintendent of Rome Capital Claudio Parisi Presicce and the journalist Francesco Erbani, winner of the award named after Cederna. The cellist Valentina Verzola accompanied the ceremony with a musical performance.
Mediterranean greenery and new furnishings
The reopening did not limit itself to removing the gates. The slope that runs along the upper area of the viewpoint has received a botanical intervention with drought-resistant species, coming from the Capitoline nursery of San Sisto: laurel, oleander, pomegranate and mulberry have been made safe and pruned. Six new benches, large pots with five olive trees and ten lemon trees have been installed along the panoramic route.
The Carme Project and the New Archaeological Walk
The Belvedere Cederna is part of the route of the CarME Project launched in 2023, the New Archaeological Walk which aims to connect the entire ancient area of the Capital. The project, coordinated by Walter Tocci and developed by the winning group of the first international architecture competition – Labics, Orizzontale and Openfabric – is in an advanced stage of implementation. The reopening of the viewpoint is the first concrete return to the city.
“It is an important event for Rome because it offers a suggestive view of one of the most fascinating panoramas in the world, in front of the Colosseum, the Basilica of Maxentius and the Forum,” declared Gualtieri. Councilor Alfonsi underlined how the right to greenery and the right to culture, in Cederna’s vision, had never been separate concepts.
