For those who live between Appio Latino and Tuscolano, the Cinema Maestoso has never been just a movie theater. It’s the enormous glass facade on Via Appia Nuova, the staircase leading up to the auditoriums, and the meeting place before the movie.
Since June 2018, behind that glass, there has been nothing but darkness.
Now the lights have come back on—for now, just the construction site lights. Work has begun to breathe new life into the historic multiplex at 416–418, just a short walk from the Alberone.
And it’s the first time in eight years that efforts have gone beyond mere safety measures.
The project promises high-tech theaters, restaurants, and perhaps even an IMAX. But the most beautiful chapter of this story was written by the neighborhood, which had already managed to save it once back in 2012.
What’s really going on inside the Maestoso?
Workers are dismantling drop ceilings, drywall, and everything else that was added in the 1990s.
It’s called strip-out and is intended to bring the original structure back to light.
This was explained by the technicians overseeing the construction site, engineer Luca Buonanotte and surveyor Federico Del Monte. First comes the strip-out, then the final design: “The goal is to reopen the movie theater.”
This is the step the neighborhood has been waiting for. The construction site, which opened in January 2024, was, in fact, intended solely to prevent plaster and window frames from falling.
More screens, fewer seats, and (perhaps) an IMAX theater: what the new Maestoso will look like
The new Cinema Maestoso won’t be a replica of the one you remember. Instead of the four large auditoriums, there will likely be more screens with fewer seats, wider aisles, and next-generation audio and video systems.
Among the options being considered is an IMAX theater, if the building’s dimensions allow for it.
Shops, restaurants, and ice cream parlors will spring up around the movie theaters, while the apartments on the upper floors will remain.
One auditorium will also be able to host conferences and events.
There’s talk of a reopening in two or three years: an official date hasn’t been set yet, and much will depend on the Superintendency.
2,500 seats, homes, and shops: Morandi’s cinema that was ahead of its time
Among Rome’s historic landmarks of the 20th century, the Maestoso bears the signature of Riccardo Morandi, one of the great engineers of reinforced concrete.
Opened in 1957, it featured a single auditorium with 2,500 seats. It was supported by an extremely slender prestressed concrete frame, based on a system that Morandi himself had patented.
And even back then, it wasn’t just a movie theater. Above were apartments, on the sides were shops, and below were warehouses.
The giant glass window displayed the staircase to passersby on the Appia Nuova, like a storefront.
Over time, the large auditorium was divided, and the Maestoso became Rome’s first cinema with multiple giant screens.
When the Appio neighborhood occupied its movie theater to keep it from closing
Back in 2012, the Maestoso was already at risk of closing. According to local news reports, hundreds of residents occupied the building and convinced the management to back down.
Six years later, things turned out differently. In 2018, the closure came almost without warning, with nine employees laid off and over 13,000 signatures collected to no avail.
Former projectionist Francesco Abalsamo, along with the group “Let’s Reopen the Maestoso Cinema,” has been urging the owners to take action for years.
From Darkness to High-Tech Theaters: Why Things Might Turn Out Differently This Time
In Rome, the redevelopment of a former movie theater often ends up as a supermarket, a bingo hall, or a boutique. The Maestoso, however, is returning to its original structure to resume its original purpose.
For those who’ve actually climbed those stairs, this is great news. As for the popcorn, though, we’ll have to be patient a little longer.
