The Other Roman Landmark: Il Gazometro

The Other Roman Landmark: Il Gazometro

Besides the Colosseum, there is another structure that can be seen from miles around, this one made of steel and known as Il Gazometro.In English the only word I can find for this skyscraper hollow metal round tower is gasometer. And it is a staple of the city’s landscape.Old Warehouses on the River, Il Gasometro9×12″oil on paper (mounted)©Kelly Medfordclick here for purchase detailsWhile I thought just painting a giant round metal tower in the sky would be silly and not very aesthetcally pleasing, this now cleaned up road just behind the tower along the Tiber river was the perfect view and peek into this neighborhood called Ostiense in Rome.I haven’t painted here much, not because I haven’t wanted to, if anything only for logistics because it is a little complicated to get to from the studio.An industrial part of Rome which housed ports and now for years abandoned warehouses, it is a gritty place with loads of painting material in terms of architecture and industrial landscapes.Many of these warehouses were squats until the city began a requalification program to clean up the area especially along the river where you can see in the painting here they have put a small pedestrian bridge making it more accessible to people not getting around by car.I plan to explore this area further next year and part of that is getting to know more about these places and their histories.You can see other recent paintings from around Rome and Italy here.