History of the Parco della Musica

The Parco della Musica, designed by Renzo Piano, is a large multi-functional public music complex. It consists of three concert halls, the Santa Cecilia Hall (2800 seats), the Sinopoli Hall (1,200 seats), and the Petrassi Hall (700 seats). There is also an open-air amphitheatre located in the centre of the three halls where up to 3,000 audience members can be seated.

The project not only gave the city of Rome a center for performing arts but also gave the neighbourhoods surrounding the concert hall a public space, giving the area everyday uses as well. Considerations like these make Parco della Musica's design contextual with the surrounding area, making it a much more successful project.

"The choice of the Auditorium’s location, with the Parioli district to the south, the Flaminio district to the west, the Olympic Village to the north and Villa Glori to the east, has provided the opportunity for important urban improvements. It was decided that the area for the Auditorium ought to have the same urban and territorial dignity as the four districts surrounding it, each one of which has its own separate identity and model of everyday life.

The Auditorium is meant to act as a sophisticated source of attraction for extra-urban use, while, at the same time, maintaining all the functions needed for everyday local use. This is guaranteed both by the way the three buildings have been designed and by the way the Auditorium’s activities have been distributed." - auditorium.com