Rome, 14 January 2025
Piazza dei Cinquecento was handed back to the city of Rome, after a major redevelopment by the FS Italiane Group. The area, owned by FS Sistemi Urbani, grants access to the Roma Termini station, and extends over a length equal to eight football fields.
The redevelopment works were carried out by Anas (FS Group), as the implementing party, and are included in the essential and undeferrable interventions carried out on behalf of the Government's Extraordinary Commissioner for the Jubilee, the Mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri.
Together with the Mayor, the Undersecretary of State to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Alfredo Mantovano, and FS Group’s CEO and General Manager, Stefano Antonio Donnarumma, attended the opening ceremony.
Renovation works in Piazza dei Cinquecento involved the complete redevelopment of 80,000 square metres of surface area, with the finest materials. Thirty thousand square metres of marble and stone, 20 thousand square metres of cobblestones, 10 thousand square metres of architectural concrete, 10 thousand square metres of new garden areas and flower beds, and 6 thousand square metres of asphalt paving were laid.
The project included a rearrangement of green areas and the removal of kiosks, to promote a more rational urban layout, improve safety, and encourage pedestrian traffic. In addition, the bus terminal was redesigned within a 12 thousand square meter area, including 6 thousand with marble and 6 thousand with architectural concrete. A new 8 thousand square metre cobblestone taxi dock was added, along with a new bicycle lane system, and a 5 thousand square metre marble pedestrian area, to make the space more accessible.
The entrance to the station was gradually cleared, to better integrate it with the architectural, archaeological and cultural surroundings, and creating spatial continuity with the Baths of Diocletian, the Servian Wall, and the Museum in Palazzo Massimo, all the way to Piazza della Repubblica. Purpose of the project was enhancing and increasing the integration between monuments and surrounding archaeological areas, as well as improving the architectural and environmental quality of the entire setting.
At present, 91% of the works have been completed, with the remaining 9% concerning the central part of the square, which until this morning was involved in maintenance works to public transport services and pedestrian flows to/from the Termini station. Interventions in this area will be carried out throughout the Jubilee year, and will be completed before the summer - ahead of the initial scheduled, which foresaw completion of the second functional lot in 2026.
The redevelopment project has made the Roma Termini station area - the most important railway station in Rome, the largest in Italy in terms of traffic, and one of the main stations in Europe - more beautiful, greener and liveable.
The project will certainly benefit visitors in the Jubilee year, but also all the passengers who pass through the railway station for business or tourism purposes.
The widespread construction site involved the redevelopment and surface re-arrangement of three areas, for a total investment of EUR 45 million, and 540 days of work. Works on Piazza dei Cinquecento alone - a 45,000 square metre surface - began on 9 October 2023, with approximately EUR 21 million invested.