Rome's Hidden Gem

It is hard to find the words to describe San Clemente and the impressions it leave on you. The site is a beautiful 12th century basilica, built on top of a 4th century basilica, built on a complex of 1st century Roman mithraeum and mint. The site, in the custodianship of the Dominican Order, has witnessed more than 2,000 years of human history - from Imperial Rome to the apogee of papacy - can be read across the building's three layers.

Visitors wind their way down three layers of the site's history, weaving through a maze of underground excavations as they go back in time. Yet sadly, as it currently stands, much of the site's history is lost on visitors. Wayfinding is visually cluttered, the chronology is confusing and interpretation is patchy. Put simply, it is time to a refresh.

In 2022, we were appointed to deliver a concept study for the renewed visitor experience.

We developed a narrative structure the takes visitors back in time across three chronological chapters from the 21st to 1st century. Three narrative themes bind the chronology together - raw human emotion connecting us to people from the past, religious devotion and worship, and the Dominicans as custodians of the site.

We developed a series of interpretive modes to communicate the story - imagining the spaces as they once were, investigating their hidden stories and theorizing about what is yet to be discovered.

We were struck by some abiding principles which lay the groundwork for our design. When the space alone is so beautiful, any interpretive elements should be subtle, letting the spaces sing and the silence speak. Design is careful not to disturb or distract, keeping a sense of awe and retaining the holiness that the site impresses upon you. An almost 'un-interpreted' approach to interpretation.

Our materials are timeless and elementary, inspired by the site itself - a patchwork of fragments and layers. Media is used sparingly, with analogue elements preferred, while interventions are deigned to be reversible.

Our proposals have formed the basis for the San Clemente Dominican Order to raise funds to renew the experience.