Overview
In the heart of the Testaccio district, is the former slaughterhouse where meat was slaughtered and sold until 1975, built by Gioacchino Ersoch in 1888-91. Today it has been transformed into one of the most important buildings of industrial archaeology in the capital. The redeveloped space is notable for the modernity and originality of the facilities, which since 2010 have been actively dedicated to exhibitions and performances, whereas in the past they were used as water tanks, the pelanda and the pig slaughterhouse. Since its reopening after restoration, numerous contemporary exhibitions have been held in its halls, while some sections are assigned to the Academy of Fine Arts and to Faculty of Architecture at Roma Tre.
The Pelanda is the most significant pavilion: a space of approximately 5,000 square metres, whose renovation has preserved the structures and artefacts of the former gallery of tanks. The main body has a large central nave, a chimney and metal fittings that give the whole a particularly striking appearance, also thanks to large glass surfaces from which natural light filters in. The volumes and spaces of the Pelanda are perfect for the exhibition of various performance mediums, from dance to research theatre, from music to installation.
