Corviale

Corviale is a utopian social housing project built in the early 80’s in the outskirts of Rome, Italy. Being 960 meters long Corviale, referred to as “Serpentone” by locals, carries the name of one of the longest residential buildings in the world. Its construction was finished abruptly, and the project never really saw full potential, for many years it remained unattended, lacking basic social services and convenient transportation links to central Rome. Some parts of the building were occupied by squatters and drug addicts. From an urban dream Corviale turned into an urban nightmare and had its reputation ruined by crime, joblessness, drug abuse and social despair. Serpentone is located a mere 45-minute bus ride from the ancient centre of Rome, but it feels like a different country. This photo series explores the surreal concrete jungle of Corviale and its young residents, who maintain a complicated love-hate relationship with their surroundings.