Gaia Ginevra Giorgi

Padiglione delle Meraviglie is a performative intervention conceived for the urban context of Piazza Vittorio in Roma. The performance takes the form of a participatory, multi-stop walk, drawing inspiration from and expanding the concept of the “urban marvelous,” as defined by Renato Nicolini to describe the “practices of the ephemeral city” introduced in 1977 with the Estate Romana cultural project. For this occasion, the artists engaged residents, community organizations, and local businesses surrounding the square to activate a practice of magical and fantastical observation and rewriting of the everyday.

As part of Piazza Vittorio. In una qualunque parte del pianeta, Extragarbo revisits the playful and festive practices that thrived in the early 20th century near Rome’s Esquilino district. At that time, the area was home to the so-called baracconi delle meraviglie (“pavilions of marvels”), which hosted theatrical and circus performances and brought together temporary communities capable of welcoming and accommodating eccentric and marginalized subjectivities.

Ettore Petrolini, who dedicated his work Il Padiglione delle Meraviglie to the events of Piazza Guglielmo Pepe, just steps away from Piazza Vittorio, described the square as a haven for “so-called charlatans, vagabonds, and poor strolling players. A jumble of pastimes to suit every taste, one more entertaining than the next. […] It hosted every sort of tent: shooting galleries, anatomical museums, merry-go-rounds, cockfighting theaters. […] A swarm of wanderers, acrobats, tooth pullers, glue sellers, soda vendors, bike rentals, roasted chestnut stands, dried figs, dried fruit, and candy sellers.”

Padiglione delle Meraviglie is part of In una qualunque parte del pianeta, a project promoted by Roma Capitale – Department of Culture, winner of the biennial public notice Estate Romana 2023- 2024, curated by the Department of Cultural Activities and realized in collaboration with SIAE.

Artistic Direction: Daria Deflorian, Riccardo Fazi, Claudia Sorace, Antonio Tagliarini

Photo: Beniamino Ziccardi