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In Rome, the San Lorenzo neighborhood has been for years the center of an extraordinarily vibrant artistic community, especially thanks to the presence of the former Cesare pasta factory, now Fondazione Pastificio Cerere, which, after its rebirth as a cultural hub, hosts the studios and exhibitions of numerous artists such as Gianni Politi and Pietro Ruffo, who exhibit their works all over the world. It is a university neighborhood, it is a creative neighborhood and it is also the neighborhood where Soho House decided to open its first Italian location in 2021, always in honor of that creative world it has wanted to bring together since the beginning. The famous private club has managed to integrate perfectly into the artistic fabric of the district, transforming itself over time into a full-fledged cultural hub.
And what makes this House unique is not only the rooftop pool, the Cecconi’s restaurant, the Soho Health Club or the rooms that welcome its guests, but above all the attention dedicated to contemporary art. The walls and common spaces, in fact, host an enormous collection of works created predominantly by artists who live and work in Italy, with a particular focus on those active right in Lazio and often precisely in San Lorenzo. A choice that demonstrates the House’s bond with the local art scene and its ability to become a communicative bridge between the incredibly rich cultural ecosystem of the neighborhood and an international audience of members and guests.
It is precisely within this framework that the support for the latest edition of Romadiffusa fits in, the itinerant festival that from 21 to 22 March 2026 shone the spotlight on San Lorenzo as one of the densest and most vital artistic districts in the capital and in all of Italy. Co-founded by Sara D’Agati, who is its creative director, Romadiffusa aims to break the cliché of tourist and ancient Rome to instead tell the story of a city where culture and art have not stopped in past eras but where history is still being made today with a vitality that is practically unique in the whole country.
The edition of Romadiffusa dedicated to San Lorenzo aimed to open the doors to an artistic world that often remains hidden inside contemporary museums and to demonstrate how many connections it has with the daily life of the neighborhood and its inhabitants, but also how art itself, stepping down from its pedestal and presenting itself to the public, can prove to be approachable and accessible to the audience. The festival in fact opened over 40 locations including private artists’ studios, galleries such as Monitor, Matèria, Monti8, Gilda Lavia and independent spaces, bringing performances, installations, talks and guided tours of both important artists and students and young emerging names into bars, taverns and small neighborhood shops, immersed in the places of daily and community life of the district: from historic taverns to bars, from butchers to marble workers.
Fondazione Pastificio Cerere activated its courtyard with installations and meetings, Numero Cromatico opened the studio with lecture-performances, while spaces such as ORO Project, Porte Rosse and Lembi offered close-up views of emerging artistic practices. The initiative aims to give thousands of Roman and international visitors access to usually closed studios, meeting artists, collectives and curators directly.
Soho House Rome played an absolute leading role in this weekend not only by exceptionally opening the San Lorenzo Studio to the public of visitors but also by hosting a tour of its own collection guided by some of the very authors of the exhibited works, including Edoardo Servadio. There were also moments of meeting during brunches, workshops and aperitifs while, in collaboration with partners such as Porsche, neighborhood routes were organized that connected galleries, studios and artisan workshops, networking the entire creative ecosystem of San Lorenzo. In the evening, the celebrations continued on the House’s rooftop, with live music and a breathtaking view of the Eternal City which, for two days, beat to the rhythm of contemporaneity.
With this partnership, Soho House Rome not only supported an event but strengthened its role as a cultural catalyst, confirming how art can be a shared language capable of uniting tradition and innovation, everyday life and experimentation, local community and global outlook. San Lorenzo, thanks to initiatives like this, continues to demonstrate that it is much more than a university neighborhood: it is the beating heart of today’s creative Rome.
