Contemporary art lovers, visit Fondazione DARC!

If you’re the kind of visitor who arrives (or returns!) to Rome with a desire to go beyond the surface of the Eternal City—and, while searching for something new and unique, wishes to discover some lesser-known attractions—this month’s recommendation might just make your day: in an area of the city normally associated only with… arrivals and departures (Tiburtina), lovers of contemporary art (along with architecture, industrial design, and urban regeneration!) will find plenty to enjoy with a visit to the Fondazione D’ARC!

What is the Fondazione D’ARC?

Giovanni Floridi and his wife Clara Datti are a married couple who are passionate collectors of contemporary art: over the years, through research and acquisitions, they have amassed hundreds, if not thousands, of works from the 20th and 21st centuries. They began with the post-war period, moving through abstract art, the Italian Arte Povera movement, and postmodernism.

For years, this highly significant collection was housed in a World War II air-raid shelter near Piazza Bologna, but the space was no longer adequate. That is why the couple purchased an abandoned factory in the Via Tiburtina area, which, through patient renovation work, has been transformed into something entirely different: not just a place to store paintings and sculptures, but a hub for contemporary art that, now museum-like, has been opened to the public.

Visiting a great collection at a very small price

Via dei Cluniacensi (“Cluniac”, a reference to the presence of an ancient medieval monastery in the area) is a street in Rome that you would normally hardly notice—a side street off Via Tiburtina that doesn’t invite exploration, as its beginning is dominated by imposing apartment buildings. However, walk down it for just a few meters, and you’ll see it transform into something resembling a country road. At the end of this street, the Floridis found an abandoned cement factory, which has been completely transformed. Here, their collection is complemented by temporary exhibitions curated by Giuliana Benassi.

In addition to discovering new and emerging artists through these events, at the Fondazione D’ARC you can admire works by Giulio Turcato, Jannis Kounellis, and Alighiero Boetti, in addition to Anselm Kiefer, Christo, or Joseph Kosuth. Also not to be missed is a mirror by legendary artist Michelangelo Pistoletto, which depicts the Floridi themselves… when they were young. Best of all, admission is extremely affordable: just 10 Euros (while a guided tour of the facility costs 20 Euros, headphones included).

Art lives here (quite literally!)

The former cement factory on Via dei Cluniacensi consisted of several buildings, and this layout has been preserved in its new incarnation. What were originally the factory offices now house a studio-residence, where visiting artists are given the opportunity to create new works, with the possibility of exhibiting them at the Foundation.

Another existing building, converted into a bistro as part of the new project, will open shortly.

Visiting hours and directions

The Foundation is open to the public on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, exclusively in the afternoon: from 3:30 PM to 7:30 PM. The foundation, located at Via dei Cluniacensi 1128-130, is easily accessible by car (taxis and Ubers, too!) or motorcycle, or via a combination of public transportation (buses: 163, 211, 309, 448; the nearest metro stop is Tiburtina, Line B). If you choose public transportation, please note that Via dei Cluniacensi can only be accessed on foot or by electric bike/scooter.