Other visitors to the abandoned sports complex on the edge of Rome might just see muddy puddles, graffitied walls and loose cables blighting their view.
Not Matteo Gatto. Mr. Gatto, the technical director of Rome’s 10 billion-euro, or about $10.9 billion, bid to host the Expo 2030 world’s fair, envisions a grand exposition hall.
In the vast surrounding fields, he sees a winding boulevard spotted with international pavilions and solar-paneled umbrellas.
All of it, in his conjuring, is connected to Rome by an extended train line that would bring 30 million people from the Colosseum. “It will be beautiful,” he said.