Roman street art now has a predominant role in choosing a trip to the capital. People often choose a destination based on the quantity and quality of the murals that distinguish it.
About Rome, does a trip inspired by his street art make sense? The answer is yes!
Pigneto urban area
I suggest you to take a tour in the handful of creative streets around Pigneto. If you really know Rome (if you have at least visited its most famous monuments), you can now enjoy a “radical-chic” rambling: Street Art seems to be particularly loved by intellectuals who seek contact with everything that is popular.
Pigneto has transformed over the years from a township to an urban area in which to escape - mostly in a cultured way -, among ethnic restaurants, Roman trattorias, trendy bars, cultural associations and … Street Art, obviously.
Some works in Pigneto are really valuable. Think about Alice Pasquini, a contemporary artist who is leaving his mark around the world. I particularly appreciate the two lovers kissing on a bench.
You also will come across the work of Exit / Enter.
At first you could think it’s a simple graffiti: designs of this young Tuscan are stylized. The childlike lines and the flat colors could leave you indifferent. You will soon discover there is a common thread that unites them, not only in Pigneto but also in the rest of Europe. You will recognize them, because protagonists are always “little men” and “little women” who tell stories accompanied by hearts and balloons.
Roman Street Art between Pigneto and Prenestina
Finally, go to via Luchino del Verme, colonized by the colorful work of Andrea Cardia: “The wall was empty”.
We are already beyond Pigneto, in Prenestina area, and this is a collective wall: the painter was helped by local artists and inhabitants to fill an otherwise rough and ruined surface, with symbols of Roman history in particular and Italian in general. So you could observe Pasolini, Lambretta (childhood memories …), football and much more.
Trullo urban area
Trullo is a difficult area. Do not expect anything beautiful in the classical sense, with the exception of the murals that - in my opinion - are better than those of Pigneto.
We are in the southwestern Roman suburbs, hyper populous but in a state of abandonment. Buildings on buildings follow each other along the busy streets and it is not difficult to imagine drug dealing or small acts of delinquency.
Nevertheless, I see groups of gentle men, who accompany my photographs with historical-artistic comments. I see women with children walking between one mural and another, small bars full of people matching those long since closed.
In short, Trullo is being reborn to a new life. Not yet possessed by the “radical-chic” movement (forgive my sarcasm), it still has that authentic aspect of a hamlet in need and in turmoil, poor and rich at the same time.
The walls came to life thanks to the colors, sometimes fluo, and to the Romanesque verses of the poets of the Trullo.
The beauty of the works in this neighborhood is the coexistence between the expert hands of the artists and the improvised ones of those who live there and want to see their neighborhood reborn.
One area is populated by female characters: Frida Kahlo, Samantha Cristoforetti, a child… The mural dedicated to the Mexican painter is splendid. To enrich it, the clothes hung from the inhabitants, which seem to be part of the overall design.
Finally, I was struck by a mural of a city giraffe.
This is an environmental work, edited by Moby Dick to bring nature in the city. A piece of Africa, of savannah, stands out on the Roman asphalt, famous for its anti-man holes. The giraffe makes space between the cars and it is natural to ask ourselves what we are missing in our silly lives.
Popular participation makes everything even more impactful and I am sure that, in a few months, there will be other works waiting for visitors to Trullo.
Other districts of Roman Street Art
Roman street art has spread widely throughout the city. Below is a list of places to go and admire beautiful works:
- Ostiense neighborhood. You have to go there not only because you will find typical restaurants and bars, but also because this once infamous area is now a meeting place for street-artists on the international scene. Here you can see, for example, the drawings of Blu. My favorite? The ship-city.
- Testaccio neighborhood. A mural between the others: Jumping Wolf, by Roa. The first time I saw this wolf apparently more in free fall than jumping, drawn on the side of an anonymous building, I was amazed. Nice but scary.
- Tor Marancia urba area. We are always in southern Rome. Don’t miss “Il bambino redentore”, which together with another twenty paintings animates and colors one of the many satellite zones of the city.
This is a collaborative post by #TeamItaly included in the #TeamChallenge proposed by @ermest. The post is part of the series about Italy: Italian culture between ancient and modern.
