TASTEscape: Rome

Over the last ten years Rome has become a real capital of street art, and there are many famous artists as well as emerging works scattered throughout the city.

A few years ago a group of unemployed men decided to brighten up the dismal appearance of their neighbourhood of Trullo, a working class suburb in the southern area of the city. They started painting colourful murals, taking inspiration from pop art and classic iconography and named themselves Pittori Anonimi del Trullo (Trullo’s Anonymous Painters) after the Poeti del Trullo (Trullo’s Poets), whose verses usually accompany the paintings.

Despite acting unlawfully, the group received warm support from the local community, who often hire them to decorate shops and buildings. You can see many of their works around the local market (found just off via Compagnatico) including Nina, the crying girl painted by ‘Solo’.

Just a short walk away from the Pyramid of Cestius, an old trading district has been redeveloped into a cultural hub. Here, the post-industrial atmosphere of Ostiense is powerfully enhanced by the several examples of street art along via del Porto Fluviale and its surroundings. Walk through and you can’t help but be gobsmacked by the masterpiece by ‘Blu’, Italy’s most respected street artist: a whole, huge building at the corner of via delle Conce has been completely decorated with colourful hand-painted faces made up of tiny little details. At the end of the street, there is another painting by Agostino Iacurci called Il nuotatore (the swimmer) and in the parallel street via dei Magazzini Generali you can see stencil portraits from Sten&Lex and the Wall of Fame by J.B Rock.

Street art has found a home in every suburb of Rome, so always keep an eye out for tucked away works. The larger murals tend to be on tall buildings, so remember to look up every now and then. ‘People often come to see the great beauties of Rome,’ says Giorgio, a volunteer at the Museo di Urban Art di Roma (MURo), an open air museum dedicated to street art launched in 2010. ‘However, since street art is a modern and very significant form of art, it offers something new in the city by creating something both old and new in the same place. The artworks are on the streets and accessible to anyone, from little children to the elderly. Whether they want to be or not, people who walk on the street will see the art and be affected by it.’

Turkish-born Hande Leimer lived in the US, Italy and Germany before settling down for good in Rome. As a member of the Italian Sommelier Association and holding a WSET Advanced Certificate in Wines and Spirits, she is happy to share her enthusiasm for Italy, its wines and its food together with fellow sommeliers Theodor Leimer and Maurizio Di Franco.

In their beautiful wine studio in the Monti borough just minutes away from the Coliseum, they hold ‘My Italians’ tasting sessions to let people know more about the famous and lesser known regional Italian wines. ‘Wine and Cheese’ classes pair five different wines and cheeses from around the country, too. Don’t think of these as formal classes and intimidating sessions; they are enjoyable, very relaxed experiences all about sharing the pleasure of drinking Italian wine.

Escape to Rome as part of a Celebrity Cruises Mediterranean itinerary, and get there on award-winning Celebrity Reflection.