Sights And Attractions Of Monte Sacro In Rome

The article helps travelers explore the area of the Monte Sacro district, born as a garden city along the banks of the Aniene river and surrounded by nature reserves.

Monte Sacro

How to reach Monte Sacro

When leaving the center of Rome towards the north, the traveler will first encounter the Trieste district and then that of Monte Sacro. The two neighborhoods are separated by the Aniene river, which flows into the Tiber River not far away.

In a song where singer-songwriter Niccolò Contessa scolds an ex-girlfriend, he contrasts an apartment in Monte Sacro with a large bourgeois house. Monte Sacro is in fact an area of Rome with working-class roots which today hosts the city’s small-medium bourgeoisie.

Song “Perdona e dimentica” from album “Il sorprendente album d’esordio de I Cani” by band “I Cani”

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The liveable and charming area of Monte Sacro is connected to the richest neighborhood of Trieste via the branch of the Line B metro which proceeds in the direction of “Jonio”. In fact, immediately after the “Libia” stop, there is the “Conca d’Oro” stop, the gateway to Monte Sacro.

Tips: Line B, heading north, splits in two directions. Consequently, the traveler must pay attention to taking the train in the direction of “Jonio” and not the one in the direction of “Rebibbia”.

Parco delle Valli

From the “Conca d’Oro” station you can easily reach one of the most beautiful green areas of the capital, the Parco delle Valli. The green lung of Monte Sacro does not have the charm of the parks and historic villas of the capital, since it is a modern area located within the Aniene Valley Nature Reserve.

The Reserve is a protected area of 650 hectares which covers the entire urban course of the Aniene river, from the Grande Raccordo Anulare to the confluence with the Tiber.

Rome is a city that will always surprise us because it is a European capital with a relatively small population spread over a very large area. For this reason, within the Grande Raccordo Anulare there are blocks of densely populated buildings, large archaeological areas, countryside areas and nature reserves.

The Valle d’Aniene Nature Reserve appears wild and isolated along much of its route, making it more suitable for animals than for humans. Only in the Parco delle Valli, the Reserve is linked to the city, becoming an ideal place for free time. It contains gazebos for picnics, a play area for children, a senior center, a dog area and above all many sports facilities.

Visiting the Park

When we visited the park, in the first summer months after the 2020 lockdown, we witnessed a crowd of people who wanted to return to living outdoors after months spent at home. Many people practiced tai-chi, others crowded the small but lovely athletics track. The five-a-side football and basketball courts were populated by many kids who wanted to play team sports.

While we were wandering in the park, a group of kids ran to us to ask us to help them move a very long and huge tree trunk, which was on the ground. We smiled at them while explaining to them that the trunk was too big to be moved.

The garden city

Following the course of River Aniene in the eastward direction, travelers can easily reach the area of Monte Sacro. The area is a hilly place once dedicated to visions of birds’ flight by the augurs, the Roman priests who tried to interpret wills of the gods. 

Then, mountain became sacred. This is the place where Menenio Agrippa led the plebeians in a rebellion against the ruling patrician class. It is also the place that many centuries later, Simón Bolívar swore to liberate the peoples of South America.

Urbanization began in the early twentieth century when the architect and historian Gustavo Giovannoni created a garden city modeled after English ones. He designed areas that included agricultural land, homes, and industrial buildings.

Giovannoni was inspired by the garden cities of the English urban planner Ebenezer Howard, and dividing Monte Sacro into villas characterized by lots of approximately 1,000 m2. As in Ostia, the roman late baroque architectural style stands out.

The Aniene Garden City Consortium began work in 1920 with the help of six subsidized building cooperatives. The consortium built two-story villas, with entrances and stairs contained in a turret, tuff walls, and sloping wooden roofs. The influence of the roman baroque can be seen in the magnificent details inserted on the facades, roofs, and windows of the buildings.

The heart of Monte Sacro

You can enter the Aniene garden city from Piazza Sempione, a space where the church of the Guardian Angels is located. The church is located behind the statue of the Madonna della Misericordia, patron saint of the area.

Piazza Sempione is the heart of Monte Sacro because it is one of the largest squares and it hosts the government of the third Municipality of Rome in the building called the Public Palace.

The architecture of the Public Palace is reminiscent of the town halls in Tuscany. Thus, it is an interesting building that blends medieval elements with the roman late baroque.

In a few steps you can reach the Tazio bridge, from where you can enjoy a splendid nature view of the Aniene River and the Nomentano Bridge, one of the most important suburban bridges of antiquity.

The Barone’s Bar was located in Piazza Monte Baldo in the 1970s. Anyone who came to the bar could have a chat with one of the most beloved Italian singer-songwriters, Rino Gaetano.

The artist spent most of his days here, playing pinball or cards and drinking beer – strictly from cans and not from glasses due to the poor hygiene of the place.

At the Barone’s bar he had the idea of writing numerous songs, while spending time with his close friend Bruno Franceschelli. The bar is honored in the song “Tu, Forse Non Essenzialmente Tu”, with the verses:

Tufello and Talenti

Starting from the garden city, the traveler can reach the districts of Talenti to the north east and Tufello to the north west. The two neighborhoods, although close, are poles apart from a social point of view. Tufello is a working-class neighborhood where a left-wing youth counterculture thrives. Talenti, on the other hand, is a bourgeois neighborhood – very elegant and politically conservative.

Tufello

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Rapper Tarek Iurcich, aka Rancore, was born in Tufello in 1989. In 2006, at a very young age, he established himself on the music scene as one of the most talented rappers, with a song that spoke about the strengths and weaknesses of his neighborhood.

You can reach Tufello via the “Jonio” stop on Metro B. On the wall outside the stop, the artist Krayon has drawn two women kissing. The pixel art mural was commissioned by Gay Help Line, a national toll-free number against homotransphobia. Those who pass by the subway every day can remember the importance of giving citizenship to the LGBT+ community and having adequate protection legislation.

Murals around via delle Isole Curzolane

Traveling north along via Scarpanto, the traveler comes across via delle Isole Curzolane. The street is closely linked to the memory of Valerio Verbano, the young leftist murdered in his house during the Years of Lead. Here the internationally renowned street artist Jorit designed a large mural in memory of Valerio . In the street there is also a popular gym dedicated to Valerio Verbano. On a wall of the gym, Jorit himself portrayed Bobby Sands.

A little further on, at the crossroads between via Capraia and via Tonale, you can glimpse the not to be missed homage by street artist Lucamaleonte to Gigi Proietti, a master of Romanism. The portrait was created a few days after the death of the great actor, who died at the age of 80 on November 2, 2020.

Gigi Proietti is much loved because he was a multifaceted artist, a comic actor who knew how to play dramatic roles, both in the cinema and on the theater. Italians will never forget his numerous appearances in funny commercials, as well as the jokes he told in his various television appearances.

Talenti

The Talenti area was originally known as Monte Sacro Alto. The new name derives from the Talenti family, well-known builders who during the twentieth century, carried out important works such as the construction of the EUR district in Rome and the city of Sabaudia in southern Lazio. The Talenti family owned some lands in Monte Sacro Alto. In the 1960s, the Municipality of Rome granted them permission to build on these lands. The family thus built a neighborhood for the middle-upper class, characterized by 4-5- story buildings, with gardens on the ground floor.

The vital center of the neighborhood is via Ugo Ojetti, a wide avenue where you can walk in front of elegant shop windows. Walking along this street on a dark winter evening, my wife bought a small umbrella – sturdy and easily transportable – which was very useful in times of rain. For lovers of high fashion, a visit to the Zita Fabiani boutique is a must.

Riserva Naturale Valle d’Aniene

With the help of a car, you can drive along the Aniene river eastwards to visit the uncontaminated areas that are part of the Aniene Valley Nature Reserve.

When we visited the area, we parked in front of the small house that serves as the entrance to the park, on via Vicovaro.

Then, we walked among the urban gardens that have emerged in the valley. In fact, residents have used this large area of countryside to grow small fruit and vegetable crops.

Here, human’s manual skills interact with nature, shaping it spontaneously, and conditioning it without brutal and excessive interventions.

Unfortunately, the vegetation is very dense near the river. For this reason, every time I get close to the Aniene I struggle to admire it. I would like to be able to contemplate it, but too often a network of shrubs and trees prevents me from observing it in its entirety.

Written by Enrico, Translated by Hua and Photos from Hua