SPQR Festival (Hope, People, Neighborhoods and Resistance)

A neighborhood festival rooted in memory

The SPQR Festival was born in Rome's Municipio IV as a cultural initiative deeply embedded in the Pietralata district. The acronym does not merely reference the famous symbol of ancient Rome; it is reinterpreted through a contemporary lens: Speranza, Popolo, Quartieri e Resistenza (Hope, People, Neighborhoods and Resistance). This mission statement perfectly captures the spirit of the event, promoted by the Associazione V Zona APS with the support of the Rome Capital Department of Culture.

At the heart of the project is a fundraising campaign for a monument to the Martyrs of Pietralata, citizens executed by Nazi-fascists on October 23, 1943. The design of the memorial was entrusted to students from the «Enzo Rossi» Art High School in Tiburtino III, who presented their work during the opening ceremony—a tangible way to connect historical memory with the younger generations of the city's eastern quadrant.

The venue: Piazza Federico Sacco

The festival takes over Piazza Federico Sacco, one of Pietralata's most iconic public spaces, transforming it into an open-air arena complete with a stage, community stalls, and food areas. The choice of the square is intentional: the festival aims to be a communal experience where residents reclaim a shared space, moving from afternoon circles of chairs to evening concerts under the stars.

The format: two daily events

The program structure is simple and consistent: each day features two main segments—a historical-cultural session in the late afternoon and a musical performance in the evening. The first block hosts historians, authors, journalists, and artists discussing fascism, the Resistance, and current political affairs; the second opens the stage to bands, rappers, singer-songwriters, and DJ sets, with a strong focus on the emerging Roman scene.

• Meetings and presentations of books and historical research on occupied Rome and the Resistance.
• Readings and performances, including recitations of letters from those sentenced to death during the Italian Resistance.
• Concerts and DJ sets featuring hip-hop, singer-songwriter, and electronic artists.
• Dance performances by students from local dance high schools.
• Community stalls and fundraising activities for the monument.

Pietralata, a neighborhood with a story

Pietralata is one of the symbolic neighborhoods of 20th-century working-class Rome: a rapidly built suburb in the 1930s, a theater of resistance during the Nazi occupation, and later the backdrop for the cinema and literature of Pier Paolo Pasolini. The SPQR Festival embraces this legacy and turns it into living matter, blending historical narrative with the expressive forms of the youth. In this sense, it is a deeply Roman yet highly contemporary festival that speaks to the present reality of the suburbs.

A free event open to all

Admission to all days is free. The audience is diverse: local families, students, history buffs, and fans of Rome's independent music scene. The open-air format, set in the mild September weather, creates a relaxed atmosphere suitable for visitors from other parts of the capital or beyond.

In the context of Lazio

Within the landscape of events in Lazio, and specifically the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, the SPQR Festival occupies a unique niche: it is not a large commercial festival, but a grassroots neighborhood event that combines civic engagement with live music. For those visiting Rome in September looking for an experience off the beaten tourist path, it is a chance to discover a different side of Rome—the one of local districts and grassroots associations.