goodbyes.

My last visit to Corviale was bittersweet. We had said goodbye to the people at the center the Sunday before. I cried. It was so sad because we had made such an impact on each other’s lives in just four weeks. We promised to write them once we returned to Berkeley.

While I was preparing for my review on Wednesday, I realized there were many unanswered questions. I went back the next day to try to tie up some of those loose ends, and made some new discoveries.

So people always talk about the ‘fourth floor’ with different opinions. Some think it is really fascinating, other talk about it with disdain. “The Fourth Floor” is really just a phrase used to describe the section of each building that was meant to be used as public space and services, but has been taken over by people who have built homes in it (It really changes from the fourth floor, to the fifth floor, even to the sixth in the first building, and back to the fourth). People talk about it with disdain because they are really stealing from the residents of Corviale who pay rent and bills. They live in this area completely free. They do not pay any form of rent, and are stealing electricity and water from the people who pay the bills. They also live in this really sectioned off area, only accessible by certain staircases and barely any elevators. One of my goals was to discover more about this “fourth floor” and try to understand the architecture that creates this space. But I ended up leaving Corviale for the last time, still very puzzled by this complex, and with a lot of unanswered questions.

stolen electricity.

On the outside of the palazzo, you can see these large spaces that take up two floors. On the plans of the building that we have from the architects, it looks like the floor of these spaces are stepped, like stadium seating in a movie theatre. We assumed that they were meant to be used as theatres, but I still have NO IDEA what the heck is inside these spaces, and what they look like.. it’s a mystery. This whole complex is a mystery!

We were talking to Eduardo about the fourth floor, and he told us that services on the fourth floor would never work, that people have tried, but they always fail. But in my last visit, I found two services! In the second building, Largo Tabacchi, there is a dentist’s office! I found the place, and was wandering around this open room, and when I turned around, there was a man there. He startled me, and I jumped. He asked what I was doing (I had my camera and sketchbook out) and I told him I was just looking, that the palazzo was really interesting. He asked if I was a student and I told him I was, but I was so nervous, I said thank you and tried to leave quick. Later, I realized how dumb I was.. he knew I was a student, studying the building, and he wasn’t upset about it! I felt I had missed out on an opportunity to learn more about the 4^th floor and the building. So I whipped out my Italian dictionary and concocted a few questions to ask him, and went back to the office. I couldn’t find him, so I went wandering through open doorways, looking for him. I think I accidentally went into someone’s home, because I saw a bed, so I turned and ran out of there. Oh well.

After I explored the third building, Largo Trentacoste, I went outside to move to the fourth. I was looking up at the façade, when I saw all of these flags and signs outside of the fourth floor, saying “Circolo Territoriale Corviale Alleanza Nationale.” I remembered that on our first visit with Federico, we had met a man, Anso, who ran a neighborhood committee on the 5^th floor of the center building, he had told us to visit if we needed any help. I never had visited, and I figured this must be the place, but why didn’t I find any entrances to it when I was wandering around? I went back in, determined to find this hidden community center. Another half hour of searching went by, I never found it. I have no idea how you get to this center. It’s a secret known only to those who live there.

After dozens of visits to Corviale, meeting with the residents, and exploring for who knows how many hours, I still don’t understand this place. No matter how much I try to understand, I guess Il Serpetone will always remain a mystery to me.