I like cities that have a lot of street art. Cities like Berlin and London and Amsterdam. They’re the “cool” cities aren’t they? And lots of urban art definitely gives a destination more character.
But I’d never really seen this part of Rome before.
Rome in my eyes is all food and ancient history and pretty churches. And more food, let’s face it.
But street art?
Well on my recent trip to this gorgeous city, I discovered some pretty cool stuff that changed my mind. Firstly, there’s obvs The RomeHello hostel I reviewed recently which contains urban art from street artists all over the world. Pretty neat.
But also, I went on a unique street art tour in the Rome suburb of Tor Marancia, called Big City Life.
Big City Life Tour, Rome
Tor Marancia is a social housing estate that was formally a slum in the 1930’s. But the Big City Life project, initiated in 2015, is something that has boosted the area, encouraging urban regeneration and social development.
You see, Stefano S. Antonelli the curator of 999Contemporary knew that street art could rejuvenate the suburb, bring more tourism into the area and bring the community together all at the same time. So began the project to transform the 11 buildings within the development into works of art!
21 murals to be exact.
The artwork was curated by 999Contemporary and consists of work by famous street artists as well as relatively unknown ones. It’s definitely not pretentious. And the community got a say over what was painted on their buildings.
They’ve got to live with it, after all.
And what is great is that even though the residents do not own their homes they actually have ownership of these murals. So it really gave something back to the community.
You can go and see the murals on your own, but we were given a guided tour by Stefano, the main man himself. He took us around to each of the murals, explaining the concept of the artwork, telling us about the individual street artists and giving us all the goss about each one.
Because there are a lot of stories behind these murals. Funny stories about rivals between the tenants and artists being inspired by the people who lived here. It’s actually really entertaining.
And as you’re going around, Stefano says hi to the tenants and talks about them, it’s really cute.
Oh and we were lucky enough to be also taken around the estate by Stefano’s three-legged dog Tricky! And oh boy, he is a heartbreaker. Love that dog.
I loved so many of the murals, particularly the one with the whales – “Il Ponentino” by Pantonio – and this gorgeous one inspired by Van Gogh and Michelangelo depicting man’s relationship with nature – “Distanza Uomo Natura” by Jerico.
Oh and I meant to mention, Tor Marancia flooded quite badly once so is actually known locally as Shanghai. So as you go in, there’s this really cool piece that says “Welcome to Shanghai 35” by Caratoes. I like it a lot.
Anyway, I thought it was a cool concept and an alternative way to spend a morning in Rome. It definitely breaks things up in case you’re church-ed out or had enough of ruins for a few hours. And it’s worth it just to meet Tricky tbf.
If you fancy it, head over here for info about this project.
What do you think? Would you visit Big City Life?
Let me know in the comments below, tweet me at @HeelsInBackpack or find me over on Insta at @Heels.In.My.Backpack!
Total Blogger Transparency: I enjoyed a complimentary tour of the Big City Life project but all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I wouldn’t play you like that, shorty.