Student Movements' Commons Practices Across Time and Space: A Historical Analysis of Hotel Squatting in Milan and Florence

Abstract

The paper contributes to the understanding of the Italian student movement of the 1960s and 1970s by examining a specific practice: the occupation of abandoned, centrally located hotels. The authors focus on two case studies: the occupation of the former Hotel del Commercio in Piazza Fontana, Milan (1968-69), and the squat of abandoned hotels in Via dei Calzaioli, Florence (1977). Drawing on archival research and in-depth interviews, the study reconstructs the origins and characteristics of these two experiences. Despite notable similarities—both squats were driven by comparable material grievances and occurred in the frame of student movements —each developed along different trajectories in key aspects: the relationship between occupations and territories, the social and biographical profile of the squatters, internal organization, interaction with broader mobilizations, and relationship with institutions. We argue that these experiences can be analyzed as examples of early forms of "urban commons", with their differences shaped by changes, both within the social movement landscape and in institutional politics. The paper contributes to a deeper understanding of the urban practices enacted by student movements across different waves of mobilization; and to a more nuanced conceptualization of "urban commons" in light of their historical, political, and spatial specificities.