It started as a propaganda factory, was bombed extensively during the Second World War, became a refugee camp, then the heart of Italy’s movie industry and, eventually, a popular tourist attraction. Then, to continue its curious journey, Rome’s own version of Hollywood, Cinecitta Studios, became one of Italy’s main Covid-19 vaccination centres.
After finding itself at the epicentre of Europe’s Covid outbreak, Italy rebounded strongly, with its tourism industry booming once more. This recovery was, at least initially, driven by its Covid-19 vaccine programme, which was partly carried out at Cinecitta, which for many months hosted the city’s biggest vaccination centre.
This giant movie studio in Rome’s south-eastern suburbs has had a tumultuous journey since opening in 1937. No longer a vaccination site, it is again serving as both a centre for film and TV production and as one…
