"Termini. Cornerstone of Modern Rome" by Arthur Weststeijn and Frederick Whitling (Rome: Edizioni Quasar, 2017) deals with the fate of one of the oldest and largest tangible remains of ancient Rome: the fourth century BCE city wall, incorporated in the city’s symbol of modernity, the central train station of Termini. Through a "heritageography" of the renowned station, the book tells a history of modern Italy and the classical tradition, exploring the dynamic of the interplay of ancient and modern in the Eternal City in the period 1860–1950. The authors investigate the incredible story of this public project, which still today represents one of the most controversial works in Italy’s contemporary history.
Frederick Whitling is affiliated with the Swedish institutes in Rome and Athens, and is co-founder and director of the International Interdisciplinary Institute (2016). He has recently published the book Western Ways. Foreign Schools in Rome and Athens (2019). His current projects include an investigation into the agency of king Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden as archaeologist and patron of the arts.
The conference will be held in English.
In collaboration with Svenska Rominstitutets Vänner.
