Neighborhood
Pigneto / San Lorenzo
in Rome, Italy
Young alternative nightlife.
Where it is
Pigneto and San Lorenzo are adjoining districts east of Termini station, between the ancient roads Via Casilina and Via Prenestina.
Address: Via del Pigneto, 00176 Rome
What it is
Today Pigneto and San Lorenzo are among Rome's most alternative and fashionable going-out districts, with street art, independent venues, live music and a young, creative scene. The bars and restaurants fill up especially in the evening; the area is open and gay-friendly and off the main tourist trail.
History
Both began as working-class neighbourhoods; San Lorenzo, next to La Sapienza University, has long been shaped by students and left-wing culture. Pigneto was heavily bombed in the Second World War and served as a backdrop for Italian neorealist cinema, such as Rossellini's 'Rome, Open City'. In the 1960s both became centres of counter-culture.