When visiting Rome and researching events to attend while on vacation, you may notice that some festivals or concerts, especially in large cities, are held in a “Centro sociale”, often abbreviated as “CSOA”. “Centro sociale” means “social center”, but the ones you know and are familiar with from home have nothing to do with these places. More importantly, don’t confuse them with “centro sociale anziani”, centers for the elderly that are common in every Roman district. Before you sign up for an event and end up feeling disappointed, out of place, or worse, unsafe, read on to learn more about this unique cultural experience in Italy.

Without delving too deeply into Italy’s political history, suffice it to say that during the country’s first major recession in the early ’70s, political movements were born to protest against housing costs, inadequate wages, and the disappearance of social spaces. Extra-parliamentary groups (i.e. without political representation in the government) from the far left began to occupy dilapidated spaces, which they simultaneously transformed into living quarters, meeting places, live venues, and even conference halls. These are the “centri sociali”, self-organized, self-financed and, of course, illegally created.

The short answer is: absolutely not! Despite the way they were founded, over time these places have managed to legalize their status, at least the majority of them, often because it was the government itself (or the city council, or some other such political body) that recognized their importance for the social and cultural life of the territory, when alternatives are scarce. Sometimes the Centro Sociale is allocated funds, a suitable location, and even organizes events with the municipality in which it is located.

 

Each centro sociale is a different “creature”. Some organize musical events on a regular basis because it’s the easiest way to finance themselves and to have money for other activities with the center itself. Some, on the other hand, will be more interested in the political and social conversation and will work in a less “entertainment-oriented” way. Most of them have a bar and a kitchen and they can serve very simple meals or sandwiches when events are happening.

Because of the way they were built (and some of them have been around for 40 years or more), most of them will be on the outskirts of the city you’re visiting, and will look nothing more than an abandoned, heavily graffitied building – hence the feeling of insecurity for some first-time visitors from abroad. But know that this is just an appearance – the organizers of the centri sociali don’t want any problems with the police, exactly because the centro sociale itself occupies a gray area, if you will, so they often have people in charge of security to make sure that no troublemakers are allowed on the premises.

We have mentioned self-financing as a means for the centri sociali to continue their activities. This means that events organized in one of them are rarely free, but they are considerably cheaper than those in any other commercial venue, in the same city or elsewhere. At the same time, centri sociali can be visited for free, sometimes with guided tours, sometimes on your own, but you can’t just drop in unannounced – people often live there permanently and you would basically be entering someone else’s house. If you’re really interested, you can contact someone who volunteers at a centro sociale (they all have a huge social presence) and they’ll let you know if and how a visit is possible.

Rome is one of the cities with the highest number of centri sociali. There are not always events taking place there, though, so it’s always best to check events websites like Zero.eu (in Italian) which list festivals at centri sociali regularly. You can expect to find book festivals, zine festivals, punk or other underground genres happenings or even organic wines- and food-related events there.