Via Margutta is a narrow street in the centre of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, near

Piazza del Popolo Piazza del Popolo is a large urban square in Rome. The name in modern Italian language, Italian literally means "People's Square", but historically it derives from the Populus, poplars (''populus'' in Latin language, Latin, ''pioppo'' in Italian) ...

, accessible from

Via del Babuino Via del Babuino is a street in the historic centre of Rome (Italy), located in the rione Campo Marzio. It connects Piazza del Popolo to Piazza di Spagna and is part of the complex of streets known as Tridente. History The origins of Via del Bab ...

in the ancient

Campo Marzio Campo Marzio is the 4th ''rione'' of Rome, identified by the initials R. IV. It belongs to the Municipio I and covers a smaller section of the area of the ancient ''Campus Martius''. The logo of this rione is a silver crescent on a blue backgrou ...

neighborhood also known as ''"the foreigner's quarter"''. Mount Pincio is nearby. Via Margutta originally was home to modest craftsmen, workshops and stables, but now hosts many art galleries and fashionable restaurants. After the 1953 film ''

Roman Holiday ''Roman Holiday'' is a 1953 American romantic comedy film directed and produced by William Wyler. It stars Audrey Hepburn as a princess out to see Rome on her own and Gregory Peck as a reporter. Hepburn won an Academy Award for Best Actress f ...

'' became popular, Via Margutta developed into an exclusive neighborhood, where such celebrities as film director Federico Fellini lived. From the north the area can be reached from

Via Cassia The ''Via Cassia'' ("way of Cassius") was an important Roman road striking out of the ''Via Flaminia'' near the Milvian Bridge in the immediate vicinity of Rome and, passing not far from Veii, traversed Etruria. The ''Via Cassia'' passed through ...

or Flaminia, passing then through

Piazzale Flaminio Piazzale Flaminio is a square in Rome (Italy) and the starting point of the Via Flaminia. It divides the Flaminio (Rome), Flaminio and the Pinciano quarters. Description The square extends just outside the Aurelian Walls. Porta del Popolo, on i ...

, and through the city door in the wall that leads to

. From this point one walks several metres to the left of Flaminio

Obelisk An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by An ...

towards

, and on the left there is an alley that leads to Via Margutta. From Piazza di Spagna, one can take via del Babuino, turn right on via Albert, and via Margutta will be on the left.

Etymology and history

The name probably originates from the word ''"Marisgutta"'', meaning ''"Sea Drop"'', a gentle euphemism for a dirty stream that came down from the hill of the villa of the Pincii, used like a natural Roman Cloaca. Via Margutta was behind the palaces of Via del Babuino (Baboon road), where warehouses and stables were found. At the base of

Pincio The Pincian Hill (; it, Pincio ; la, Mons Pincius) is a hill in the northeast quadrant of the historical centre of Rome. The hill lies to the north of the Quirinal Hill, Quirinal, overlooking the Campus Martius. It was outside the original bo ...

hill, there were homes and shops of masons, marble cutters, and coachmen, who conducted their business in the areas. In the Middle Ages an unknown artist opened the first workshop where the finest Roman craftsmen painted portraits, cut marble for fountains and forged metal plates, giving birth to a flourishing industry that attracted foreign artists (including

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

and German), as well as Italians from other regions. These immigrants gradually replaced the shacks and stables with houses, workshops and gardens. During the reign of Pope Pius IX (1846–1878), a Belgian monsignor,

Saverio de Merode Saverio is a given name of Italian origin. It is a cognate of Xavier and Javier, both of which originate from ''Xabier'', the Basque name for the Spanish town Javier. ''Xabier'' is itself the romanization of ''etxe berri'' meaning "new house" or " ...

, seeing the potential of the area, purchased land, built drains, and incorporated the narrow street into the public city plan. Via Margutta today is a charming, quiet lane. Although it is fully in the city centre, it still maintains its garden atmosphere, perfumed by trees and vineyards, which has made it a perfect choice for artists, painters, sculptors, and antiquarians, even though many of former artists' studios have been converted into flats and apartments.

Yearly exposition of ''"Associazione Cento Pittori via Margutta"''

Mostra Associazione Cento Pittori via Margutta

Cento Pittori via Margutta, is a traditional festival of the arts that was born in 1953 in Rome. In 1970 the association that takes care of the historic exhibition was established. The expo is sponsored by the Mayor and the Province of Rome (Lazio), and for many years has been a burgeoning field for the discovery of new artists. Participated in the exhibition on the street, some painters known as Paolo Salvati,

Gabriele Patriarca Gabriele Patriarca (Rome, 10 July 1916 - Rome, 2 September 1988) was an Italian informal painter and member of the art movement Scuola Romana. Biography He studied at the ‘Accademia del Nudo’ in Rome in 1952. He grew up artistically within th ...

Luigi Salvatori Luigi Salvatori (born 25 October 1951 in Palestrina), Italian painter of contemporary art. Biography Born in Palestrina in the province of Rome on 25 October 1951, he comes from a family of painters, he is the grandson of the painters Marcell ...

, Antonio Servillo, Generoso Pompa, and many others. Admission is free, the exposition is open to everybody, the viewing of the works is casual.

Famous residents

Among the historical inhabitants of the street were

Giulietta Masina Giulia Anna "Giulietta" Masina (22 February 1921 – 23 March 1994) was an Italian film actress best known for her performances as Gelsomina in ''La Strada'' (1954) and Cabiria in ''Nights of Cabiria'' (1957), for which she won the Cannes Film F ...

, Federico Fellini,

Renato Guttuso Renato Guttuso (26 December 1911 – 18 January 1987) was an Italian painter and politician. His best-known works include ''Flight from Etna'' (1938–39), ''Crucifixion'' (1941) and ''La Vucciria'' (1974). Guttuso also designed for the theatre ( ...

, Marina Punturieri, and Amerigo Tot.

Fountain of the Arts

In the same area can be found the ''"Fontana delle Arti"'', which has a triangular base, crowned by a bucket of paint-brushes (symbolizing the presence of artists in the area dating from the 17th century). According to the project architect, Pietro Lombardi, who also designed other small "fontanelle" throughout Rome (usually inspired by the coats of arms of the ancient Roman quarter (rione), the marble fountain was carved in 1927. Two

masks A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practi ...

are on opposite sides, mounted over marble supports. The images are of the now familiar sad and happy faces, symbolizing the fluctuating moods typical of artists. The two carved faces pour their weak water streams into two small bathtubs.

Popular culture

* ''

'', a 1953 film by

William Wyler William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a Swiss-German-American film director and producer who won the Academy Award for Best Director three times, those being for '' Mrs. Miniver'' (1942), ''The Best Years of ...

starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, portrays Peck's apartment as being on the street. * ''

My First Forty Years ''My First Forty Years'' ( it, I miei primi 40 anni, also known as ''My Wonderful Life'') is a 1987 Italian comedy film directed by Carlo Vanzina and starring Carol Alt, Elliott Gould and Jean Rochefort. It is loosely based on the autobiography ...

'', 1987 film by

Carlo Vanzina Carlo Vanzina (13 March 1951 – 8 July 2018) was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter. Vanzina was born in Rome, the son of Maria Teresa Nati and film director Stefano Vanzina and brother of Enrico Vanzina. In English-speakin ...

with

Carol Alt Carol Ann Alt (born December 1, 1960) is an American model and actress. Early life Alt was born in Flushing, Queens, New York, the daughter of Muriel, an airline employee and model, and Anthony Alt, a fire chief in the Bronx. She was noticed wai ...

and Elliott Gould. * ''Quelle Belle Ragazze di Via Margutta (the directors, painters and writers who made the Rome of the 1950s the center of the World)'', 2004 book by Giampiero Mughini * Via Margutta is mentioned in the song "Arrivederci Roma".Arrivederci Roma, by Mario Lanza, Renato Rascel.
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Bibliography

* ''Via Margutta Storia della Strada degli Artisti e dei Cento Pittori'', in

, Andrea Salvati, Antonio Servillo, Roberta Imperatori, Eventi d'Arte Cento Pittori via Margutta, Roma, 2021, .

References

{{reflist

External links

"Artist's fountain" in Via Margutta
Streets in Rome Margutta Streets in Rome by rione Arts in Rome