It was Sunday and we’d been invited to a birthday lunch at Garbatella. It had been a long time since my last visit to the neighborhood and I was happy to walk around and indulge my eyes.

Garbatella is an urban Roman neighborhood created in 1920. What’s interesting about this area is that it was subdivided into lots with the houses constructed around a common garden. The idea probably came from the English Garden City Movement. The gardens were to serve as a common ground to create a feeling of community. However, with the arrival of fascism, modifications to the original plan were made.

Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, grew up in the Garbatella neighborhood.

In recent years, Garbatella has become known for its animated murals as seen in “The Return of Street Art in Garbatella” and in “Rome Street Art Tour Revealed: a Unique Experience in Rome”.

Garbatella is also known for its unique architecture “il barocchetto Romano”, a style created by Gustavo Giovannoni (1873-1947).

The term “barocchetto” refers to Bernini’s Baroque that dominates so much of Rome. Many buildings at Garbatella are also painted red and yellow, the colors of Rome’s soccer team.

Giovannoni also designed the Roman neighborhood, Monte Sacro. I pass by the area once a week on my way to the Nomentana hospital. It’s unique architecture is impossible not to notice.

Related: Il barocchetto romano + Il barocco a Roma nell’architettura e scultura decorativa + Casa del Guardiano +