Production, research and institutional spaces
Between Testaccio, San Saba and Trastevere lies a network of spaces combining private galleries, foundations and public institutions devoted to contemporary artistic production. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Trastevere was one of the most active areas for Rome’s primary market, with several galleries establishing long-term spaces and shaping a recognizable and well-frequented commercial scene. Although that season has largely passed, a number of significant presences remain active today.
Testaccio, by contrast, has emerged as an artistic hub only over the past fifteen to twenty years, largely following the redevelopment project connected to the former Mattatoio. Today the area presents a more diversified and still evolving landscape, rooted within one of Rome’s most historically popular and authentic neighborhoods.
The itinerary can be explored on foot, although the stretch between Testaccio and Trastevere requires about a 20-minute walk. The two areas are also connected by tram line 3.
The Piramide transport hub provides easy access to Testaccio via Metro Line B, the FM regional rail lines (Ostiense Station and the Roma–Lido railway), bus lines 23, 30, 75, 280 and 716, as well as tram line 3. Trastevere is also served by tram line 8.
Via Alessandro Volta, 34
Founded in 2006, z2o Sara Zanin relocated to Testaccio in 2024, opening a new space on Via Alessandro Volta. The gallery develops a program dedicated to contemporary research through exhibitions, events and site-specific projects, working with Italian and international artists. Its activity also extends to participation in art fairs in Italy and abroad.
Via Baccio Pontelli, 16
Opened in 2020 in San Saba, z2o Project was conceived as a research space connected to the gallery and dedicated to special projects, exhibitions and off-program events. The venue also hosts an artist residency and develops a program focused on investigating the multiple forms of contemporaneity through experimental and site-specific formats.
Via Gustavo Bianchi, 1
Founded in 2010 by collectors Giovanni and Valeria Giuliani, the foundation supports contemporary artistic research and exhibitions, with particular attention to Italian and international artists who have never previously exhibited in Rome. Exhibitions often begin from the Giuliani Collection itself, used as both archive and research tool through collective projects and dialogues with invited artists.
Piazza Orazio Giustiniani, 4
The Mattatoio is one of Rome’s main public centers dedicated to contemporary artistic production. Developed from the transformation of the city’s former nineteenth-century slaughterhouse, the complex now hosts exhibitions, performances, residencies and site-specific projects, alongside educational institutions such as the Academy of Fine Arts and Roma Tre University’s Faculty of Architecture. The program maintains a strong focus on research processes and on the relationship between artistic practices, urban space and industrial archaeology.
Piazza Orazio Giustiniani, 4 – Mattatoio, Pavilion 9b
Opened in 2026 within the Mattatoio complex, the Centro per la Fotografia di Roma is the city’s first public institution entirely dedicated to photography. Its program includes exhibitions, educational activities and research projects devoted to contemporary Italian and international photography, addressing both the artistic and documentary dimensions of the medium.
Via dei Genovesi, 35
Initially founded as a project space and later converted into a gallery in 2018, ADA develops a program dedicated to young Italian and international artists, primarily through solo exhibitions. Since 2019, the program has also incorporated live performance. In 2023, founder Carla Chiarchiaro received the Diana Bracco – Imprenditrici ad Arte award for her commitment to contemporary research.
Via dei Vascellari, 69
Founded by Gavin Brown, Sant’Andrea de Scaphis develops a program centered on site-specific interventions and exhibitions conceived in direct dialogue with the architecture of the space.
Via di San Francesco di Sales
Fondazione Volume! invites artists to engage with a strongly characterized space through environmental and installation-based interventions conceived specifically for the site. The program maintains a consistent focus on the relationship between artwork and space, encouraging viewers to reflect on perception and on the recognition of an environment transformed each time into something profoundly different from before.
Together, these spaces define an area where artistic production, curatorial research and institutional programming coexist in close proximity. Between Testaccio and southern Trastevere, one of the most articulated contemporary art itineraries in Rome has emerged, connecting private galleries, foundations and major public infrastructures devoted to the visual arts.
