The Itinerant

Case Study: The Roman “Gypsies”

Kalderasha Romani

Kurdish Festival at Campo Boario by Alessandro Serrano

The word “gypsy” literally means Egyptian, and was given because members of this ethnic group were mistakenly thought to have come from Egypt. “Gypsy” is often received as a derogatory term, and for this reason the Romani people give themselves other names, like Roma.

Following the political unrest of World War II 7,000 Roma immigrated to Italy. The majority of these immigrants formed groups of traveling handy men, each with their own distinctive worker’s trade. From 1960 through the 1980’s an Italian economic boom encouraged immigration, and as a result over 40,000 additional Roma came into the country. At this time a group of Roma specializing in metal repair and polishing formed, calling themselves Kalderasha Roma.

Campo Boario Rouleettes by Frederic Renaud

In 1986 the Kalderasha Roma of Rome began looking for a permanent place to live. Somehow, the Roma had come across the abandoned wasteland of broken concrete, graffiti and carcass hooks that was the deserted Ex-Mattorio of Testaccio beside the Tiber. Because the land was useful to no one else, the Roma decided it could be made into a home by them.

The Kalderasha Roma peacefully moved into the Campo Boario section of the Ex-Mattatoio. The group quietly arranged their campers (roulettes), herded their livestock, and otherwise inhabited the nine-acre lot semi-permanently for the next several years. In the early nineties the Roma began to establish a more permanent presence, only because they were confident of the site’s security.

Grazng Carriage Horse by Rita Carero

A small group of Kurdish immigrants joined the Roma at the Ex-Mattorio in 1999, but other this influx life remained stable. The Roma raised families and continued metalworking. Children attended nearby schools in Testaccio, and the group had friendly relationships with the surrounding community network. The group was elated when, in 2004, the city of Rome agreed to allow them to stay at Campo Boario.

In late 2006 city of Rome authorities arrived at the Ex-Mattatoio and ordered the Kalderasha Roma and Kurdish immigrants to abandon their homes and move out. In short, the Roma were being evicted to make room for Cittá dell’Altra Economia (see On the Fringe).

Ex-Mattatoio Development.

In late 2006 city of Rome authorities arrived at the Ex-Mattatoio and ordered the Kalderasha Roma and Kurdish immigrants to abandon their homes and move out. In short, the Roma were being evicted. A new project, Cittá dell’Altra Economia, or City of Another Economy, was on the agenda (see On the Fringe). Cittá dell’Altra Economia was to be a fair trade market “aimed at reenergizing the surrounding community”. Public voices expressed fear that the revitalization project would become “regenerated to the point of institutionalization and exclusion”. The art and scholastic communities cautioned that “contemporary development and architecture too often focuses on containment and exclusions of groups” and passively chided Rome for thinking too much about the “wealth-generating impetus of our current manifestation of capitalism”. Nonetheless, the city of Rome would not back down from their ultimatum.

The Kalderasha Roma stood their ground, requesting that the city provide new land for their homes. The city of Rome offered to temporarily rent land to the group. After lengthy negotiations the city presented the camp with 2,000 euro per family, and declined responsibility to provide alternate living arrangements. The Kalderasha Roma asked the city “Where are we supposed to go?” to which they were answered “It’s okay, you are used to moving.” At this some of the Kalderasha Roma packed up what they could, and were again on the move in search of a home. In 2008 city of Rome authorities arrived at the camp still housing 140 Italian citizens, 40 of which were children, and began to dismantle it. The people were helpless against the bulldozers and other machinery the City had brought with them, and everyone knew it.

Collage by Osservatorio Nomade

Ex-Mattatoio Roma Today

An Evicted Roman Roma photographed by Jess Hurd

Following their eviction from Campo Boario the Kalderasha Roma have split into smaller groups. Accessible sites around the city do not have enough space to accommodate the entire community and they have done what they must in order to survive. A group intent on keeping their children in Testaccio schools has moved to a seldom-used strip of asphalt beside the Tiber River, just outside the walls of Ex-Mattatoio.

Another group has been on the move for the past several years. At each successive site the group has been evicted within hours or days of their arrival. During one such instance the group was bullied by military and city police despite permission to camp from the president of the local municipio.

The group left the site five days later when over 100 local residents appeared and pressed them to vacate.

Homeless Cat Capitol of the World

Any visitor to Italy notices the plethora of felines which pervade the cobble stoned streets and alleys, a characteristic from which Rome is not exempt. One possible explanation for this is that Italy’s laws forbid the use of euthanasia on wild animals. In Rome, it is more common to see cats sitting in the earth movers around preservation sites than the human workers who are supposed to operate them. One of these most popular sites is the sacred area of Torre Argentina, which has been occupied by an army of cats since it was excavated in 1929.

Interestingly, the cats of Rome have achieved great notoriety and the question of their care has influenced Roman society. Until 20 years ago they were fed by individual women condescendingly called “gattore” by their neighbors. Today the cats are part of Torre Argentina Roman Cat Sanctuary.