Serpentone Corviale

The Corviale, also known as Il Serpentone ("the Big Snake"), is a ten-story housing complex in southwest Rome and is considered one of the longest apartment buildings in Europe. Built between 1975 and 1982 to designs by the architect Mario Fiorentino, the complex stretches 958 meters and houses around 8,000 residents in its two slightly offset blocks. The design follows the urban planning principles of the CIAM, which sought an alternative to urban sprawl and cramped city structures by offering living in the midst of green space. The architecture is marked by the banded reinforced concrete typical of its era, while the setbacks and stepped-back upper floors emphasize the monumental scale of the concrete wall, which is almost a kilometer long. Originally intended for shops, the spaces on the fourth floor were occupied by families, while two large supermarkets were built in front of the blocks. As a late and the most consistent example of CIAM principles in Europe, the Corviale is of great importance to architectural history, even though in the public eye it is often discussed critically as a social hot spot.