Festival of Wonder

A festival that changes the way we look at the suburbs

The Festival of Wonder was born in Tor Bella Monaca, in the eastern quadrant of the Municipality of Rome, on the initiative of the Community of Sant'Egidio. The idea is as simple as it is ambitious: to bring art, music, and culture to places where people say there is nothing, and to do it together with those who live there. Hence the name, which evokes the wonder of discovering a suburb capable of becoming a center, at least for a few weeks.

Launched in 2023 as a three-day event, the festival has grown rapidly into a journey lasting several months, which today involves more neighborhoods in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, in Lazio: in addition to Tor Bella Monaca, the Quarticciolo, Centocelle, and Tuscolano districts.

Urban art and participatory murals

The visual heart of the event is street art. The walls of schools, theaters, and public buildings become surfaces to be painted, but not as mere decoration: the murals are born from workshops with local youth, who choose the themes and participate in their creation. Over the years, well-known artists from the Italian urban scene have worked on the festival, and some works are now a permanent part of the Tor Bella Monaca landscape.

Alongside the painted walls are collective installations and large-format photographic projects that focus on the faces and stories of the inhabitants of the involved neighborhoods.

Music, theater, and meetings

• Peace concerts in the arena of the Tor Bella Monaca Theater, featuring emerging bands and guests from the Italian music scene;
• Shows and performances in squares and parks, open to everyone and free of charge;
• Meetings and conferences in neighborhood theaters on coexistence, dialogue, and rights, with Italian and international witnesses;
• Workshops with local schools, which accompany the entire journey and form its backbone.

The days of peace

One of the most recognizable moments is the school parade, with processions of children and teenagers crossing the neighborhood. Recent editions have featured the Carapace, a large turtle-shaped sculpture that collects messages written by children, and collective activities in parks designed to involve entire families.

A social commitment, not just a cultural one

The artistic dimension is never separated from the solidarity one. The festival provides space for workshops for people with disabilities, the Schools of Peace of the Community of Sant'Egidio, and local neighborhood associations. The closing is traditionally set around December 10th, Human Rights Day, with the inauguration of the works created during the journey and a final party.

Why it is worth visiting

Those who visit Rome rarely venture beyond the Grande Raccordo Anulare. The Festival of Wonder is a concrete opportunity to do so: the events are almost always free, the neighborhoods are well served by the metro, and the atmosphere is that of a community celebration rather than a tourist event. It is the best way to understand how a complex city like the capital of Lazio can still reinvent itself starting from its margins.