Rome's Pecora Elettrica bookshop was destroyed by fire twice this year.

La Pecora Elettrica, a renowned anti-fascist bookshop and bistrot in Rome's Centocelle suburb, will not reopen following a second fire that gutted the premises in November.

"We do not view this choice as a defeat: the work undertaken, of which we are very proud, in our two and a half years of being open, has set in motion new energies and new projects that will not be lost", the owners Danilo Ruggeri and Alessandra Artusi posted on a GoFundMe page which has accumulated donations of more than €17,000.

The shop's owners say that funds are required for bureaucratic costs, as well as to pay off debts, related to the unexpected closure of their business which was gutted by fire - for the second time - in the early hours of 6 November. 

The owners say: "Given that the donations will not finance the reopening of La Pecora Elettrica, but will instead help us owners in this delicate phase, you will have the possibility to cancel your donation by clicking on this link and following the procedure by 12 December 2019."

La Pecora Elettrica (The Electric Sheep) had been due to reopen on 7 November after being devastated by another blaze on 25 April. Police believe that the fires were linked to the local drug trade, with the shop's late opening hours disturbing drug pushers operating in an adjacent park.

The fire triggered a wave of solidarity from cultural and political figures, leading to visits to La Pecora Elettrica from the Italian premier Giuseppe Conte and Italy's culture minister Dario Franceschini. However, a few nights after the fire, the nearby Baraka Bistrot was also burnt down in an apparent arson attack.

News of La Pecora Elettrica's closure comes several days after another well-known bookshop-bistrot, Giufà in the S. Lorenzo district, was broken into and trashed (for the third time), while a similar incident took place last week at 'Na Cosetta, a bistrot and live music venue in Pigneto.