In Rome, an Enclave of Cool
Pigneto feels a world away from Rome’s tourist herds and ancient ruins, with a soundtrack of electronic pop music that spills out over sienna-hued courtyards, and nary a souvenir shop in sight. By day, locals shop for produce and sip cappuccinos on tree-filled terraces. At night, crowds of tattooed and stylishly top-knotted 20- and 30-somethings flock to open-air bars and upscale restaurants. Street art, like a metal store gate emblazoned with a Beyoncé-esque superhero and a spaceship, seems like a religion. Hotel chains have yet to venture here. A 10-minute bus ride from the arterial Termini station, Pigneto, Rome’s answer to Bushwick, Brooklyn, is an enclave of cool in the eternal city.
PRIMO AL PIGNETO
The chef Marco Gallotta opened this inviting ode to Italian gastronomy in 2006. Couples linger over plates of inspired pastas, like tagliatelle with green peppers and lamb bacon in a sauce that brings to mind carbonara.
Via del Pigneto, 46; 39-06-701-3827; primoalpigneto.it/en
NUOVO CINEMA AQUILA
A recent renovation turned this 1940s-era theater into a glossy box of glass and steel. It screens independent Italian films as well as mainstream movies from abroad.
Via l’Aquila, 68; 39-06-7039-9408; cinemaaquila.com
NECCI DAL 1924
Known as Bar Necci, this airy bar and restaurant was made famous by the Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini, who shot parts of his 1961 film “Accattone,” a grimy tribute to peasant culture, here. While it opens at 8 a.m., it’s magical at dusk, when candles dot the multilevel, tree-shaded terrace. Tables fill with young families and couples sipping Negronis and nibbling free aperitivo.
Via Fanfulla da Lodi, 68; 39-06-9760-1552; necci1924.com
CARGO
As dusk falls, Pigneto’s bars come to life, and hordes of boisterous, fashionable young professionals flock to Cargo, which sits in the thick of Pigneto’s two-block-long pedestrian zone. While Cargo calls itself a wine bar and art gallery (a drawing of a corkscrew graces the cover of its drink list), it has a full bar, and art seems secondary to the spirit of revelry.
Via Del Pigneto, 20; 39-06-7061-3099; cargoalpigneto.com
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