Rome

1. Underground Rome: Beneath the bustling streets of Rome lies a network of ancient tunnels, catacombs, and aqueducts. These underground sites, such as the Catacombs of San Callisto and the Aqua Apia, offer a glimpse into the city's rich history, including early Christian burial practices and innovative engineering. 2. The City of Seven Hills: While many are aware that Rome is known as the "Eternal City," not everyone knows that it is built on seven hills: Aventine, Palatine, Capitoline, Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline, and Caelian. Each hill has its own unique history and significance, contributing to the city's strategic and cultural development. 3. Unique Festivals: Rome hosts a variety of lesser-known festivals that showcase its rich traditions. For example, the "Festa de' Noantri" celebrated in the Trastevere neighborhood honors the Madonna of Sorrows and features a vibrant procession, food stalls, and live music, providing an authentic glimpse into local culture beyond the typical tourist attractions.

Rome’s housing market in 2025 is marked by high demand and competitive conditions, as Italy sees a trend towards homeownership. In Rome, about 75% of residents own their homes, while approximately 22% rent long-term. The rental market is highly competitive and affected by events like the 2025 Giubileo, prompting many landlords to convert long-term rentals into short-term tourist accommodations, further tightening supply. The median price to purchase an apartment in Rome is roughly €3,124 per square meter. For rentals, the median annual price is about €132 per square meter, equating to around €11 per square meter per month. Rental yields average 3–4% annually for investors, with some variability depending on location and property type. Publicly owned housing, which often overlaps with the concept of social housing, plays a modest but critical role in Rome’s overall housing market. Social housing programs are targeted at low-income residents and vulnerable groups, while publicly owned housing (ERP, Edilizia Residenziale Pubblica) refers specifically to municipally or state-owned rental units. The share of public or social housing in Rome is limited, estimated at under 5% of the total housing stock, insufficient to meet demand. While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, not all social housing is publicly owned; some is managed by non-profit or private entities under public schemes. Overall, rising prices, supply shortages, and limited social housing capacity make affordability a persistent issue in Rome.

Rome is facing an acute housing crisis in 2025, worsened by rising demand, a limited supply of affordable housing, and strong pressure from tourism. Key data indicates that over 18,000 families in Rome are on waiting lists for public housing, while there are an estimated 20,000 homeless people and around 10,000 households threatened with eviction. The number of formal evictions carried out remains high, with the inability to pay rent—often after job loss—driving 85% of cases. Rental prices are surging, having risen by 6% in 2024 and continuing to climb in 2025. Average rent in Rome stands at around €15.1 per square meter monthly, with central districts charging up to €25.3 per square meter. In contrast, only about 3,283 long-term rental units are listed for the greater Rome area, while close to 25,000 properties are advertised on Airbnb as short-term rentals. This rapid conversion of housing to short-term tourist accommodation further restricts supply available to residents. The crisis disproportionately impacts low- and middle-income earners, precarious workers, students, the homeless, and marginalized groups such as the Roma community. The Roma especially face systemic barriers: segregated settlements, forced evictions, and exclusion from public housing options, leaving many in substandard or temporary shelters. The combination of rising rents, low housing availability, and widespread discrimination means thousands of Rome’s most vulnerable residents are at continued risk.

Rome’s city administration is addressing affordable and sustainable housing mainly through urban regeneration projects and participatory development models. One notable initiative is the conversion of derelict sites—such as former military bases—into social housing that prioritizes affordability, energy efficiency, and community integration. These projects are shaped by a co-design process involving residents and stakeholders, aiming to preserve existing communities while introducing features like renewable energy (e.g., rooftop photovoltaic gardens) and sustainable mobility connections to public transport. The integration of social services, public spaces, and mixed-use facilities is designed to foster both social cohesion and resilience. A key framework supporting these efforts is the National Innovative Programme for the Quality of Living (PINQuA), funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, with a €2.8 billion national allocation. This program focuses on revitalizing urban areas, constructing new public housing, and increasing the energy efficiency of existing public residential buildings. Rome’s administration is leveraging this and similar national schemes, alongside local tenders, to boost the supply of climate-resilient, affordable homes without further land consumption. Recent targets communicated by the city emphasize maximizing the reuse of abandoned or underutilized buildings, integrating renewable energy, and ensuring that projects improve both quality of life and environmental performance. These actions are complemented by policies favoring retrofitting and decarbonization of the existing housing stock, aligning local housing initiatives with broader sustainability and social inclusion goals.

Housing cooperatives in Rome have historically played a marginal, though increasingly relevant, role compared to northern Italian cities. The majority of their activity in Rome focuses on creating affordable housing for groups who struggle in the conventional housing market, including low-income families, young adults, and the elderly. However, cooperative housing remains a minor part of the city’s housing landscape, with estimates suggesting that housing cooperatives account for a very small share of Rome’s total housing stock—far less than in Milan or northern Italy, and well below 5% of all housing units. Recent years have seen renewed interest in cooperative housing as public policy shifts from purely public housing towards mixed models involving public-private partnerships and the support of social and cooperative initiatives. Programs such as “autorecupero” (self-recovery), which enables residents organized in cooperatives to reclaim and rehabilitate abandoned public buildings, have started receiving municipal backing. The 1998 Lazio regional law pioneered the legal framework for such initiatives, and the city of Rome has shown increasing willingness to support these projects through agreements and official contracts. Overall, Rome’s city administration is trying to promote cooperative housing by facilitating these self-recovery schemes, favoring social mix in new developments, and participating in public-private partnerships. However, while the sector is gaining visibility and policy support, its actual scale and impact on Rome’s immense affordable housing needs remain limited. The cooperative housing movement continues to be seen as a promising but still niche response to the city’s housing challenges.