Rome Travel Guide

Rome Architecture, History, Art, Museums, Galleries, Fashion, Music, Photos, Walking and Hiking Itineraries, Neighborhoods, News and Social Commentary, Politics, Things to Do in Rome and Environs. Over 900 posts

Friday, April 8, 2016

The Pleasures of Tor Pignattara: A Gallery, an Acqueduct, Wall Art, Social Commentary

Tor Pignattara is one of our favorite off-the-beaten-path places.  Among its many pleasures, it's the site of Wunderkammern, among Rome's best small galleries.  One evening in mid-April, having enjoyed an opening at the gallery, we headed east, across Via Tor Pignattara, to an area of the community that we hadn't been before.


We were attracted by a powerful expanse of the Acquedotto Alessandrina, which runs more or less east and west here, and is the northern boundary of a modest park--Parco Alessandrino--which on this warm Friday was full of families watching their children play.

Turning south, and just beyond the park proper, we came upon what seemed to be a community center with a paved courtyard, populated by kids kicking soccer balls and carousing.


The courtyard was handsomely decorated with murals.  One was dedicated to Tor Pignattara, another to Quadraro, a neighborhood to the south--apparently an effort to given equal time to the two major user groups.  A third mural offered portraits of young men of some stature locally.



A bit of graffiti--of the scrawled, ugly sort we wish there were less of--nonetheless had an interesting message: "Pensare e' Gratis": Thinking is Free.

At the end of the paved playground was another piece of non-sanctioned work, a three-line effort at social commentary:

il prete non ti tocca                      the priest doesn't touch you
la guardia non uccide                   the police don't kill
io non sto scrivendo                     I'm not writing


Bill

Other RST posts on Tor Pignattara (besides the 2 linked above):
a restaurant: http://romethesecondtime.blogspot.com/2016/01/rsts-favorite-2015-rome-restaurants-ie.html
a book: http://romethesecondtime.blogspot.com/2015/04/global-rome-changing-faces-of-eternal.html
and 3 street artists:
http://romethesecondtime.blogspot.com/2013/12/c215-street-art-caravaggio-in-rome.html
http://romethesecondtime.blogspot.com/2015/05/jef-aerosol-pioneer-street-artist.html
http://romethesecondtime.blogspot.com/2015/11/with-pasolini-its-all-about-body.html


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