Graffiti, grit and the student life: San Lorenzo is Rome's hippest hood after dark, with Pigneto and Centocelle beyond.
Last updated August 23, 2026
In a nutshell: the university quarter of San Lorenzo is Rome at its most lived-in - graffiti-cloaked apartment blocks by day, packed bars and tables by night, anchored by the basilica that holds the relics of its saint. Beyond lie the boho bars of Pigneto and the new-wave kitchens of Centocelle. Back on the district overview you can plan it all, with the Monti quarter for the old city, the Esquilino's basilica and museums on the way, and San Pietro in Vincoli for Michelangelo's Moses.
Graffiti and grit: San Lorenzo is the graffiti-cloaked, traditionally working-class neighbourhood straddling Via Tiburtina. Close to Sapienza University, it is Rome's hippest hood after dark, while by day its streets are lined with the 19th-century apartment blocks the area is known for.
One of Rome's five patriarchal basilicas, framed by cypress trees. Constantine had the original basilica constructed in the 4th century over St Lawrence's burial place, and it was rebuilt 200 years later; a nearby 5th-century church dedicated to the Virgin Mary was incorporated into the building before it was remodelled in the 13th century. Step beneath its portico and you see the restored 13th-century frescoes, something of a comic strip of the lives of Sts Lawrence and Stephen, including the former being roasted alive on a spit. In the sober, graceful interior you can still trace WWII damage on the nave's columns, and it has an especially fine Cosmati floor. The remains of St Lawrence and St Stephen lie in the crypt beneath the high altar; a pretty barrel-vaulted cloister containing inscriptions and sarcophagi leads to the Catacombe di Santa Ciriaca, where St Lawrence was first buried.
Rome's largest cemetery dates from the Napoleonic occupation of Rome (1804-14). VIP RIPs include the poet Trilussa and the actor Alberto Sordi. On All Souls' Day (2 November), thousands flock here to leave flowers on loved ones' tombs.
Official site →San Lorenzo is best explored on foot: this loop of about 1.5km takes 1-2 hours from the basilica to Largo degli Osci.
Bar-hop in Pigneto: this low-rise neighbourhood, popular for its laid-back, boho nightlife, is accessible by Metro line C. By day the Viale del Pigneto hosts a neighbourhood market; by night you dodge the dealers and see which of the pavement cocktail bars and cafes looks most appealing. This was a traditionally working-class neighbourhood, used as a gritty location by neorealist filmmakers Pasolini and Rossellini.
Rome's up-and-coming dining district: with Metro line C making Centocelle more accessible, this seemingly ordinary neighbourhood has become a place to be in recent years: aperitivo, pop-up restaurants and natural wines everywhere you look, untouristy and one of Rome's most exciting places to eat. Combine a visit with the nearby Forte Prenestino (forteprenestino.it), a 19th-century fortification squatted since 1 May 1986 and turned into a 'social centre', an arts hub with everything from gigs to street art to bars.
Modernist masterpiece: the minimalist Chiesa Dio Padre Misericordioso (diopadremisericordioso.it) in the suburbs is as graceful as a sailing boat. US architect Richard Meier won a competition to design this Jubilee church, built using white concrete, stucco, gleaming travertine and 976 sq metres of glass. Take Metro C to Torre Maura, then bus 556.
Trams 3 or 19 drop you right there; buses 71 and 492 also serve the district from Termini. Pigneto is on Metro line C, with trams 5, 14 or 19 as an alternative.