Once a year in the summer, the 100 Painters exhibition in Via Margutta (near the Spanish Steps) displays the works of one hundred local and international artists. There is also a 100 Painters exhibition in Piazza Indipendenza Pomezia in the spring.The one hundred painters’ exhibition was first held in the 1950s in the Via Margutta, which is a small Roman street renowned for inspiring the works of sculptors, painters, poets and musicians.

The Via Margutta is in the ancient quarter of Campo Marzio, and it has many fashionable restaurants and art galleries located in former stables and artisan workshops.In the early 1950s, Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck made a film called ‘Roman Holiday’ and the Via Margutta, which features in the film, became the haunt of artists such as Frederico Fellini and is now an exclusive residential street.

Every year since 1953 there has been a one hundred painters’ exhibition except in 1969, when everyone was too busy thinking about the first moon landing to put on an exhibition. To find the Via Margutta it is necessary to go via Via Cassia to Piazzale Flaminio and then to walk through the entrance in the wall that leads to Piazza del Popolo. From the piazza, walk past the Flaminio obelisk and on to Via del Babuino where you will come across an alleyway that leads to Via Margutta.The one hundred painters’ summer exhibition is supported by Rome’s mayor and also by the Province of Rome.

It is an exhibition of more than a thousand works of art that has discovered many great contemporary talents working in oils and water colours. Admission to the 100 painters’ summer exhibition is free and it is open to everyone who appreciates the gift of creativity. You can look at the paintings without any pressure to buy and there are also opportunities to chat to some of the “100 painters” when they attend the exhibition.

Useful Information: One of best places to stay is the Spanish Steps area of Rome, given its central location and number choice of hotels, apartments and variety of restaurants and bars. Learn also about parking in Rome, if you plan to drive to the Italian capital.