Rome Hotels near Forte Prenestino

The social centre is a concept which in the past two decades has taken Italy by storm, as many of its abandoned factories and military installations have been occupied by young locals. Using their ingenuity to transform the facilities into living quarters, these groups have turned their lodgings into gathering places for communities usually overlooked by the tourist trade, and provided them with social, cultural, and economic opportunities which otherwise might have passed them by.

The History of Forte Prenestino

Forte Prenestino, spread over eight hectares in the poverty and drug afflicted Centocelle area southeast of Rome, is the best known and most successful of these Social Centers. It was established on May Day of 1986, when a handful of the community’s younger residents decided to do something to improve their lot. In the two decades since, Forte Prenestino has evolved from a labyrinthine Papal defense to a complex with its own record label featuring the music of local talent who have the use of its practice rooms.

Forte Prenestino also houses classrooms, an art gallery; café and restaurants; health food store; tattooing and piercing parlors; several bars; a gym; and theatres. It offers film nights and sculpture classes, and is responsible for the political journal Nessuna Dipendenza.

Forte Prenestino is a tri-level, graffiti-garlanded structure with residential area on its roof, along with gardens, apiaries, and camping spaces. On its ground level are offices, music rooms, classrooms, restaurants and stores, and classrooms; and in its network of below-ground tunnels are exhibition areas.

Club Night at Forte Prenestino

The tunnels all converge on a central “Cathedral”, and on club nights the entire underground area reverberates with the DJs’ choice of techno, reggae, and drum and bass local music which can’t be heard at any of Rome’s trendier nightspots. The 5000 lire admission is in part a “donation,” which helps keep the Forte Prenestino up and running.

Where To Stay When Visiting Forte Prenestino

Located in the Colosseum District of central Rome, The Hosianum Palace is less than twenty minutes from the Forte Prenestino, and will give its guests the chance to experience life amidst the Empire-period furnishings of a sixteenth century palace.