This is my favorite neighborhood in Rome. Just as the area called Village in New York has been making a difference since the ’80s, Pigneto has been making the a for Rome fifteen years now. It’s a cool underground area, full of street art, tiny and smoked night clubs, new restaurants mixing different gastronomy cultures and brand new spots opening all the time.

The quarter is related to Pasolini’s memory, surrounded by graffiti and art installations. It’s dirty and enlightened at its core. You cannot miss a night around here, but it’s worth it also during the day. It’s really authentic, contrary to some other quarters in Rome that have lost this privilege because of mass tourism.

I recommend avoiding the main street, via del Pigneto, also called Isola Pedonale, because of the pushers; there are a lot of, as Romans say, Acchiapini – people that bore you by asking you to sit in their bars or restaurants; I hate that style of marketing. I prefer staying across the bridge in the eastern part of the neighborhood. Many of the best spots in that area have been spotted by us locals already, so why not go out and explore?