Ostia 2026: The Architecture of a Disaster Waiting to Happen.

Here, it is not just the urban boundary that is crumbling, but the relational infrastructure.

This is intended to be a visual exploration of the realm of relational breakdown, going beyond mere aesthetics.

An architectural detail of a beach resort in Ostia, the Sporting Beach. The completely deserted structure shows clear signs of neglect and decay. The cantilevered terrace has completely detached. A black bird flies across the frame


The role of aesthetics.

In this project, shot entirely with my beloved Fujifilm X100 VI and two additional 28mm and 50mm lenses, I deliberately sought to create an aesthetic and emotional dissonance between the devastation of the landscape and the inherent beauty of those colors, contrasts, shadows, and light. Through this paradox, I believe the visual impact is even more powerful. The starting point is the aesthetic of the superb, unique Kodachrome. A historic film that brought with it unique colors and contrasts.



A symmetrical, low-angle shot of the historic diving board at the Kursaal in Ostia, a masterpiece by Pierluigi Nervi. The monumental red-and-white structure, silhouetted against the sky, shows signs of neglect, rust, deterioration, and disrepair.

A sad story.

This is objectively a sad story. It’s hard to pin the blame on just one side. I think it’s up to us to try to take a step back, try to be objective rather than take sides. The fact is, seeing how the Kursaal building—with its iconic diving board designed by the renowned engineer Pierluigi Nervi—is now on the verge of complete collapse simply breaks my heart.

Or how a legal case literally tore “La Casetta” to pieces. Its former managers were fully acquitted. Can you believe the absurdity of a justice system that takes years to issue rulings?


Or wondering how the cantilevered terrace of the famous, beautiful “Sporting Beach” could have broken away so cleanly.



A conclusion.

The only conclusion we can draw is that we are facing a truly appalling situation—one that is far from over. It would be wise for all of us, as citizens, to stay vigilant. And in some way, we should demand answers from those in charge. Because this is an unacceptable mess—an architectural, relational, urban, judicial, and business mess. Ostia and Italy deserve better.

A pile of rubble from the historic Sporting Beach resort on the Ostia coastline. Shattered reinforced concrete, broken tiles, and twisted rebar stand out against the calm, placid sea. To the left, the remains of a few striped beach chairs.
Aerial view of the historic Kursaal swimming pool in Ostia. The photographer’s long shadow is cast across the tiles. In the background, a mural, and to the right, the stagnant, greenish water filled with debris clearly signal the building’s state of neglect.
A view of Sporting Beach at sunset, Ostia. A stark contrast between the beauty of the warm sunset light, the beauty of the architecture, and the decay and destruction of the structure, with piles of rubble and the broken cantilevered terrace
An open metal utility cabinet against a wall with peeling plaster reveals two old, completely rusted boilers and a tangle of exposed pipes. The bright sunlight casts sharp shadows, emphasizing the state of total neglect.
Ruins of a beach resort in Ostia, formerly Sporting Beach. Beneath the collapsed concrete, striped fabric and the black inscription "We want to live" stand out.
Old beach huts painted white and blue in Ostia. Peeling paint, open doorways, and interiors swallowed up by darkness.
Rusty white shutters open onto the darkness. A ray of light cuts through the shadows and illuminates an old red Algida sign.
An empty pool and rubble at the Kursaal in Ostia. In the foreground, under a leaden sky, a severed green electrical cable hangs down.
Ice cream freezers scattered among metal pipes and shrubs at the Kursaal in Ostia, bathed in bright sunlight.
A silhouette of the Kursaal trampoline in Ostia, backlit at sunset. In the foreground, a deserted terrace and debris.
The dilapidated facade of La Casetta in Ostia, overgrown with vegetation, with small white flowers in the foreground.
A completely white, empty advertising sign, overgrown with weeds and an agave plant in Ostia under a cloudy sky.

I Salabè, Ostia, and La Casetta

Responsibility, even when it eludes the courts, remains etched into the fabric of reality. History settles in; it does not disappear, even if the casual observer must strain to read it. Beneath this white blanket lies the sacred pain of the Salabè family. There remains the pain of Ostia, forced to watch historic architecture disintegrate under the weight of a bureaucratic and judicial debacle that never sought to hold anyone accountable. They tried to wipe everything clean, but the truth cannot be erased. It can only be buried under a patina of neglect. Just look beyond that white. Just push the development of the film a little deeper, forcing the light’s latency, to compel the past to resurface. Atrocities never disappear entirely.

I was quite taken aback when, while processing the RAW file—the digital negative—the words “La Casetta” appeared, complete with its historic logo. A piece of Ostia’s history. And yet, there it is. Historical truth always finds a way to come to light; you just have to look for it.

The same sign, manipulated through extreme editing to reveal the hidden text: the "La Casetta" logo reappears like a ghost.

The project will be updated in the coming days.

My visual exploration constantly examines the tension between architectural space and relational space, applying itself across all narratives. The roots and structure of this approach are laid out in my cultural manifesto, R.O.M.E.