INSULAE URBIS COMPETITION

THE COMPETITION

The primary purpose of the competition is to stimulate the formation of "Ward Committees", ie groups of artisans and professionals of all ages and social grade, who, agreed on the terms of design and implementation, will compose their own "District Team". The Neighborhood Teams will be the final responsible of the construction, in the main squares of each Ward, of the Insulae Urbis.

THE INSULAE URBIS

Insulae Urbis understands the faithful reconstructions of residential and / or commercial corners of ancient Rome, reproduced life-size in a square in the historic center of the city. The structures of the Insulae assembled by each Squad must occupy an area between 150 and 250 m2. The maximum size will depend on the chosen square, and on the necessary public land occupation permits. These architectural glimpses of the era can be made and embellished using any material: wood, metals, stone, fabrics, papier-mâché, raw, processed or recycled. What will be essential and indispensable, is that the result obtained unequivocally evokes a setting of Ancient Rome. It is clear that, if an Insula will have a surface area of more than 250 square meters, it will be enriched with more finishing touches and details, each extra will increase the possibility of the building team winning the Insula Optima Trophy.

BUSINESS ACTIVITIES

In each Insula must be included no less than 4 commercial establishments, of which one must be an Information Point for tourists. The commercial activities will deal almost exclusively with vintage items: one should be of clothes (togas, tunics, cloaks, uniforms, shoes, etc.), a taberna with food and drink, one of jewels and jewelry and a souvenir (wicker objects, glass, terracotta, coins, ointments, mosaics, paintings, inscriptions, Vadis gadgets etc). The exact destination of use of the built premises and the choice of the treated goods is left to the discretion of the Neighborhood Teams, which must however transmit the final plans to the competition jury before the opening of the events. In subsequent editions, however, in the light of the surprising results obtained, in order to favor the District Committees, he will make sure that he receives a regular grant to enable him to perform the best.

ENTERTAINMENT IN THE INSULAS

In the Insulae there will also be set up various street performances presented in rotation in the organized Insulae circuit. Visiting tourists can thus find themselves admiring in their proximity: artisans who blow and bend hot glass, or who model pottery, or they can witness rapid battles between Gladiators, juggling virtuosities, or suddenly find themselves alongside a poet in a toga, with the head surrounded by laurel leaves, which declaims for them the Latin Classics. The year that follows the first edition, all those who have participated in the first edition will be able to re-propose the Insulae they have already made, certainly better if perfected, enriched with other statues, stuccos, columns.

CLASSIFICATION AND AWARDS

The Vadis at the Maximo will be giving away for the best Insula classified a € 200,000 prize, the second classified will be awarded € 40,000, and the third € 20,000 (in this first edition, only the first will be awarded). The winner of the Insula Optima Trophy will also be awarded the parchment recognition of "Mastro Artigiano di Romanità". The winners will also have the opportunity to make an exciting chariot ride during the shows organized at the Circus Maximus. The title will be given by the Jury to each member of the winning local team. The Jury of the Competition will be composed of a shortlist of five prestigious writers, top experts in Roman capitalism, Superintendents, Archeologists and Professors of History of Ancient Rome.

THE RIONAL TEAMS AND THE COLLABORATION BETWEEN CITIZENS

The Neighborhood Teams will be able to include as many members as they wish, wanting to occupy them in the project even in rotation. As already highlighted, one of the aims of the competition is to encourage a form of partnership that is still practically unknown in the capital, namely the establishment of citizen cooperatives that collaborate in the preparation of a grand event by adhering to well established successful models world. The Carnival of Rio de Janeiro, the allegorical floats of Viareggio, the Palio of Siena are obvious examples, but the system is also in use in various Italian provinces, where for years Giostra, Palii and Sagre have been set up by teams of ordinary citizens. . By combining the collective work of population segments, these events have over time become real international appointments, with years of documentable behind them as well-known successes. In this first edition, the conspicuous prize in Euros will attract the interest of the Capitoline population to experience what kind of energy comes from the interaction of an entire city, when it collaborates with harmony and good coordination. It will be a synergistic action, which will provide the entire community with a form of well-being, initially of an emotional nature during the construction works, but later also under the non-negligible aspect of economic return. In fact, even for the Teams that do not win the competition, the proceeds from the commercial activities of their Insula will constitute an additional guaranteed profit. Another aim of the competition will be to have multiple scenarios of ancient Rome, already located in the most beautiful squares of the historic center. These scenarios will be essential to realize some of the premises of the Vadis al Maximo, or a large number of city locations, with which to reproduce the lost atmosphere of the Ancient Urbe. In fact, when the structures are ready and accessible, they can be frequented by masses of visitors, thus favoring the turnover of a vast public in circulation.

THE INSULAE URBIS IN THE CONTEXT OF VADIS AL MAXIMO

The Insulae will also constitute the ideal place, offered to Roman lovers, to immerse themselves in that extraordinary "Imperial" atmosphere so far experienced, exclusively, sitting still and in silence in the darkness of a cinema. It will be precisely the confidence aroused by the Insulae, and by the staff "strictly in costume" employed there, to make the visitors gather, the invitation of the Vadis to dress freely as Ancient Romans, turning the city center with togas, cloaks and uniforms. Precisely because they are managed by costumed personnel, the activities in the Insulae will become the ideal place for tourists, where to buy and wear, a tunic, a laurel wreath or a Centurion helmet, feeling cheerfully at ease and perfectly consonant with the external environment. The "antique" product shops will also be ideal for buying a copper effigy, a terracotta vase, sesterzi, drinking a traditional cup of wine with honey or eating spelled and bran soups with recipes and menus written in Latin on shards of terracotta. Aware that the 24,000 seats of the Circus Maximus will not satisfy the mass of curious and Latinists that will invade the city, next to each Insula a giant screen will be installed, from which it will be possible to follow the developments of the tournaments taking place in the cavea of the Circus Maximus . During the three days of the festival, the visitors, properly provided with maps with the exact location of all the Insulae, will be able to move as if they were sailing from one island to another, visiting them even on several occasions, perhaps alternating them with real antiquities such as: the Forum, the Colosseum and the Theater of Marcellus.

COMMUNICATION OF THE EVENT

The event will be publicized through billboards affixed to the districts of the historic center, the propagated image will be a clear link between ancient Rome and the modern. The message will be promising and able to intrigue all age groups, prompting them to read the entire report in the text in small characters. The terms of the Insulae d'Urbis Competition will be briefly explained, and will contain references to receive all useful information on the subject: from the Internet site, by telephone or by fax. A toll-free number with a dedicated line will certainly prove very useful. It will also be indicated to generate solid support from major television and radio broadcasters and city newspapers. It will be necessary to cultivate this healthy "civic" custom of working together to produce similar collective benefits in perpetuity. This will help to make the custom of the three-day celebration of the Roman Empire, as the most awaited annual event offered to the world by Caput Mundi.