Rome and Naples: differences and similarities between squatting experiences

This article analyses continuities and discontinuities in the squatting experiences of two different Italian cases: Rome and Naples. The aim is to use these two main illustrative cases to discuss meanings, structures and principles that emerge from the two selected experiences. This because these are expression of a history of squatting with a long tradition, in the case of Rome, and a squatting history that only recently began a process of consolidation in the case of Naples. The cases were approached from a comparative qualitative point of view since with this study we do not intend to frame the two experiences as final models. In fact, we want to explore the different local aspects that enable us to understand the housing struggles, the coalitions, the organisation of movements and, in general, the social, urban and housing movements in Rome and Naples. For this reason the paper aims to contribute to the current debate by providing new insights and thought-provoking elements in the general study of the squatting phenomenon.