When you think of Rome, your mind probably jumps to the Colosseum, the Pantheon, or St. Peter’s Square. But the city offers so much more: hidden behind the crowds of tourists lies a Rome full of untold stories, vibrant activism, and resilient communities. On 25 October 2025, Servizio Civile Internazionale APS launched a brand-new educational walking tour, “From Ash to Seed: A Queer Insight of Southern Rome”, inviting participants to explore the city’s queer heritage, hidden murals, and historical sites of resistance.
An Intimate Tour, Full of Stories
This wasn’t your typical sightseeing walk. With eight participants, the tour offered an intimate, reflective experience, perfect for uncovering stories often invisible to the masses. “From Ash to Seed” was guided by Eric Pirger, youth worker, translator, and facilitator within the STAR Project, who brought the route to life through first-person storytelling, historical insights, and interactive dialogue.
Your Route Through Hidden Rome
The walking tour traces how the LGBTQIA+ community rose from the ashes of persecution and the HIV crisis to plant seeds of pride, care, and transformation. It guides its participants through the neighborhoods of San Paolo and Ostiense located in South Rome, that have always been an important place for the community and hide some interesting milestones for the community’s fight for equality and dignity.
Our journey on the 25th October unfolded like a narrative, taking participants from everyday streets to spaces full of history and meaning. The key-stops were:
- Circolo Mario Mieli – The first stop explored the cultural center’s crucial role during the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 1990s. Through an audio testimony from a longtime activist, participants heard stories of solidarity, care, and courage. Did you know? Circolo Mario Mieli continues to provide services and to run events, bridging historical activism with today’s LGBTQ+ movements.
- Murale “Outside In”– A vibrant tribute to Andrea Berardicurti — better known as La Karl du Pigné, the Roman queen of drag — this mural transforms a public wall into a canvas of queer pride, drag culture, and collective expression. La Karl was a pioneering figure in Italy’s LGBTQ+ movement: a performer, activist, and artist who used irony, elegance, and courage to challenge prejudice and celebrate difference. Participants could pause, take in the details, and reflect on how art shapes identity in public spaces.
- Piramide and “Tutti Potenziali Bersagli” Memorial – This monument tells stories of persecution and resilience, commemorating all those who suffered under the Nazi and Fascist regimes, including LGBTQ+ individuals, Roma communities, or political dissidents. It reminds us that in any fascist regime, anyone can become a potential target. Walking through this space, you can feel the weight of history while witnessing the enduring power of collective memory.
- Non-Catholic Cemetery of Rome – The tour concluded in a serene and contemplative space. Participants visited the graves of Dorothea “Dora” Ohlfsen-Bagge and Hélène de Kuegelgen, Hendrik Andersen, and John Keats, whose tomb is quietly marked through the nearby grave of Joseph Severn, his devoted companion. The cemetery invites not only reflection on love, creativity, and marginalization, but also the possibility to discover almost forgotten stories of pride and resilience that deserve to be remembered.
Why Alternative Tours Matter
In a city like Rome, history often feels monumental, literally carved in stone. Yet so many stories remain untold, hidden between the cracks of ancient walls and the shadows of grand monuments. Alternative tours like “From Ash to Seed” invite us to look closer, to listen differently, and to experience the city through a more human, sensory lens.
Here, learning happens not through lectures or museum panels, but through sight, sound, touch, and even taste. Participants are encouraged to feel the rough texture of a memorial plaque, to listen to the hum of daily life mixing with distant echoes of the past, or to pause for a coffee that becomes a small act of connection, a reminder that history is also made of everyday gestures. This sensory engagement makes the experience deeply personal: it transforms facts into emotions, and spaces into stories that stay with you long after the walk ends.
Beyond its immersive nature, the tour carries a powerful purpose, making the invisible visible. Much of queer history, especially in cities layered with centuries of art and empire, has been silenced or erased. Through storytelling and collective reflection, “From Ash to Seed” brings these hidden narratives into the light. It gives voice to LGBTQ+ people whose experiences have shaped the city’s cultural and social landscape, even if their names never appeared in the history books.
By walking together, participants retrace the steps of artists, activists, and ordinary people who dared to exist authentically in times when visibility was dangerous. Each stop becomes an act of recognition, of saying: we were here, we are here, and our stories do matter.
These kinds of tours don’t just change how we see a city; they change how we relate to it. They challenge us to move beyond monuments and to engage with spaces as living archives, full of memory, resistance, and humanity.
360° Video Version: Explore Remotely
Can’t make it to Rome? No problem! We know that not all walking tours are physically accessible to everyone, narrow streets, uneven pavements, and historic sites can make it difficult for people with certain mobility challenges to join in person. That’s why this tour will also be available as a 360° video, bringing the streets, murals, and memorials of Southern Rome right to your screen. From Circolo Mario Mieli to the Piramide, from vibrant murals to poignant monuments, the digital format captures the same rich storytelling, historical insights, and reflective moments as the live experience. It’s a way to ensure that everyone, regardless of physical ability or location, can explore and connect with the queer heritage, resilience, and hidden stories of South Rome, making the tour truly inclusive and accessible.
About the STAR Project
The STAR Project (Story Tours Alternative Routes) brings together six youth organisations from Europe, the Balkans, and the MENA region to strengthen collaboration, boost NGO capacity, and use educational walking tours as tools for youth development. By combining digital tools, experiential learning, and storytelling, STAR empowers young people with skills for personal growth, leadership, and inclusion.
Step Into Hidden Rome
“From Ash to Seed” proves that even in a city dominated by mass tourism, there are stories waiting to be discovered, lessons to be learned, and voices to be heard. Whether you join the tour in person or explore it through the 360° video, this experience invites you to step off the beaten path, see Rome with new eyes, and connect with the queer heritage, resilience, and activism that quietly shape the city.