Abstract

Thanks to the most recent historical studies on the economic structure of Rome, we can definitely set aside the old prejudice about Italy's capital city as a location just for services and bureaucracy. However, it is clear that the industrialization process in the city cannot be defined just by the numbers of the enterprises active in the area. The Industrial Park of Tor Sapienza, that was founded during fascism, was the outcome of a difficult negotiation between political and economical interests. The organization of the area was at the core of an intense debate on the City Plan which was approved in 1962, but never fully implemented. Despite being the location of high-technology enterprises, e.g. electronics and pharmaceutical industries, this wide industrial park inside the city was going against the economic orientation and the regional economic planning that were emerging between the Sixties and Seventies. This article outlines the development of the Industrial Park from the end of World War II to the Seventies placing it in the national and international economic context. It is based on documents gathered in trade unions archives, local business organizations and on the minutes of the City Council debate concerning the 1962 City Plan.