Alessandro Onorato, Councillor for Tourism, Major Events and Sport of Rome: “The unveiling of Rosk’s artistic mural is just the first of the many initiatives we have planned to involve the whole city in Festa in Rosa, from the center to the neighborhoods. An iconic image that not only celebrates sport, cycling and the Grande Arrivo of the Giro d’Italia in Rome but is also an extraordinary postcard of tourism promotion for our city, with the Colosseum in the background that is one of the most recognized symbols of the Eternal City in the world. The arrival of the Giro d’Italia is not only an international sporting event, but also the occasion that is worth a trip to Rome for fans and enthusiasts. A great event that generates positive spillover effects on the tourism economy, induced activities and employment in the city.”
Paolo Bellino, Managing Director at Rcs Sport: “This mural is a demonstration of love for the Corsa Rosa and confirms how close Rome is to the Giro d’Italia and how close the Giro d’Italia is to Rome. A first brick that anticipates what will happen as the Grande Arrivo of the Giro in the capital approaches. There will be many side activities and events planned involving the cultural, sports and tourism sectors with the aim of promoting the event and the city, making the great celebration of the Giro d’Italia even more unique.”
Giulio Gebbia, aka Rosk: “The mural that stands out on this wall tells a story about the Giro d’Italia, as well as the effort and tenacity required to complete the entire cycling route. A work that aims to express the essence of the Corsa Rosa, celebrating the athletes, the public and the route that crosses our country, from north to south.”
Eugenio Patanè, Councillor for Mobility of Rome: “”We would like to thank RCS, which through this wonderful initiative has enabled us to upgrade the Marconi station of Metro B, one of the busiest junctions where over 230,000 people a month pass. Special thanks also to Atac for making the facility available. The mural created at the Marconi station, moreover, is part of an overall project of redevelopment of subway stops that we are carrying out and that have already affected, among others, the stations of Santa Maria del Soccorso and Torre Maura.”
Alberto Zorzan, General Director of Atac: “We always favor these kinds of initiatives, because by helping to ensure the decorum and attractiveness of transportation infrastructure, they characterize it as places of positive sociability and familiarity of attendance, which benefits the natural and spontaneous use of public transportation. Artists are always welcomed by ATAC.”
Amedeo Ciaccheri, Municipio VIII President: “Rome and the Giro d’Italia certainly have a long love affair that began already in the first edition, and this year its route will end among the streets of the Eternal City and our territory. All this makes us particularly happy, and the mural drawn on the wall of the “Marconi” metro station, which is in our city hall, in addition to giving it new luster will certainly highlight for the many citizens and citizens who will transit there a race and a jersey, the Maglia Rosa, which have always been in the hearts of Italians.”
THE LOCATION, MARCONI METRO B STATION
The Marconi station where the City Council decided to have the mural created is the fifth station on Rome’s Metro B line. It was opened in 1994 at Viale Marconi, in the Ostiense district, where the capital’s third largest university “Roma Tre” is located and which is a place of passage for many students. It’s an important neighbourhood and a strategic place for Roma Capitale, featuring a theatre (Teatro Marconi) that has become a reference point for arts, culture and entertainment, as well as a meeting place with well-known personalities and young theatre companies.
THE AUTHOR
Born in 1988, Gebbia is one of the most prolific street artists of his generation. His particular style is a perfect combination of hyper-realistic and dreamlike, which has made his works – painted on the walls of cities all around the world, such as Miami, Mexico, Rio de Janeiro, Paris, New York, Bristol and others –unmistakable. He worked for several years in a duo, Rosk&Loste, which ushered him into the world of Graffiti Adv, designing works for well-known international brands and creating artistically relevant masterpieces conveying a strong social message, which have already become iconic, such as the Falcone and Borsellino mural in Palermo.
