The Villini of Pigneto

Once a nameless patch between Via Prenestina and Via Casilina, Pigneto only began appearing on maps in the early 2000s, following a wave of street art, pedestrian renewal, and urban transformation. But its roots go back much further. Born in the late 19th century as housing for railway workers and artisans employed in nearby factories, tram depots, and waste facilities, the neighborhood soon became a backdrop for Italian neorealist cinema. Walking through its early workers’ blocks and the charming “villini” district—small villas built by a railway cooperative between 1921 and 1924—you’ll uncover traces of a layered past. Gardens and Art Nouveau façades tell a different story from the one often associated with Pigneto today. Now a hub of nightlife and alternative culture, the neighborhood blends its working-class origins with a bohemian spirit. Along the way, a cappuccino and cornetto in a local café will offer a moment to take in the neighborhood’s everyday rhythm.

What sets this experience apart is the chance to explore Pigneto with Irene, a Phd Urban sociologist and researcher who has spent years studying the evolution of Rome’s urban fabric, with a special focus on the city’s first industrial settlements from the late 19th century. Her deep knowledge offers a sharp lens through which to read the transformations of a neighborhood that, over the past decade, has become a symbol of regeneration and contradiction. Once a working-class district, Pigneto is now a hotspot for creativity, street art, and nightlife, but also a place where friction sometimes arises between long-time residents and new arrivals or short-term visitors. As you walk together, you’ll uncover the underlying layers of these dynamics and reflect on how local policies—or their absence—shape everyday life.

Irene Ranaldi is an urban sociologist and independent researcher based in Rome. She was the first in Italy to publish a study on gentrification comparing her own neighborhood, Testaccio, with Astoria in New York. Her work draws from historical archives and years of field research, focusing on the social transformations of urban districts and the shifting boundaries between city centers and peripheries.

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