- Where: old Quadraro, between Via Tuscolana and Via Casilina. Start from Via dei Lentuli.
- Getting there: Metro A from Subaugusta towards Battistini to Porta Furba-Quadraro (4 stops), Via dei Lentuli exit.
- How long: 1–2 hours on foot, at an easy pace. It is free: the murals are on the walls of the houses.
- Why go: street art by international artists and an important page in Rome’s history.
M.U.Ro. – Museo Urban di Roma
In 2010 the Roman artist David “Diavù” Vecchiato began inviting Italian and international street artists to paint the walls of the district. That was the start of M.U.Ro. – Museo Urban di Roma, an open-air museum that has since spread to other parts of the city.
Quadraro is still its heart: the greatest concentration of works is on Via dei Lentuli and the streets around it, where you walk among low houses, courtyards and workshops like in a village inside Rome.
The “wasps’ nest” and 17 April 1944
During the German occupation Quadraro sheltered partisans and people in hiding, so much so that the Nazis called it a “wasps’ nest”. At dawn on 17 April 1944 the district was surrounded and almost a thousand men were rounded up and deported to labour camps in Germany; many never came back.
The mural Nido di vespe (Wasps’ Nest) by Lucamaleonte, on Via del Monte del Grano, remembers that morning. Next to it is the garden dedicated to 17 April 1944. Stopping here for a few minutes helps you understand why the district holds on so strongly to its memory.
A possible route
- Porta Furba-Quadraro metro exit, Via dei Lentuli side: the first murals start here.
- Via dei Lentuli and the side streets: the richest stretch. Look up, and into the open courtyards.
- Via del Monte del Grano: the Nido di vespe mural and the 17 April 1944 garden.
- Porta Furba: the Acqua Felice arch over Via Tuscolana, a few steps from the metro, with its fountain.
For an up-to-date map of the works and guided tours (on foot or by bike), see the official M.U.Ro. website.
Practical tips
- It is a residential area: photograph the walls, not people or the inside of homes.
- The best light for photos is in the morning or late afternoon.
- You can combine the walk with the Parco degli Acquedotti: both are on the same metro line.
Getting back
From Porta Furba-Quadraro take Metro A towards Anagnina: in 4 stops you are back at Subaugusta, 3 minutes from Labieno 39. For more ideas, read the neighbourhood guide.
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