To celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Main Campus, which was designed by Marcello Piacentini and inaugurated in 1935, Sapienza held a ceremony on September 16, 2025 to mark the restoration of the monumental staircase and the redevelopment of Piazza della Minerva. The square is dominated by the Rectorate Building and Arturo Martini's statue of Minerva. The space, the monumental heart of Sapienza's Main Campus, boasts a compositional balance that evokes the concept of shared knowledge. The Grand Staircase, which leads to the Rectorate and its Aula Magna, is aligned with the monumental Propylaea that mark the entrance from Piazzale Aldo Moro. Together, they create a spectacular and symbolic visual and physical axis that bridges the exterior and interior and opens up the city to knowledge.

The evening began with a moment of collective reflection led by Rector Antonella Polimeni. "In a global scenario marked by tensions, conflicts and wars involving millions of people," she said, "our thoughts go out to the brutal massacre of innocent civilians, children and young people who, in Palestine, Ukraine and many other parts of the world, are today denied the right to live in the present and to hope for the future. With heavy hearts, given the images that have documented these wars for years, and the recent entry of Israeli tanks into Gaza City, we renew our firm appeal for respect for human dignity and for every life.'

The event was attended by the Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, the President of the Lazio Region, Francesco Rocca, the Minister of University, Annamaria Bernini, and the Superintendent of the Teatro dell'Opera, Francesco Giambrone. 

Please read the Italian version of this page for more.