Laura Galletti's mural and shelter destroyed in Rome: a story of faith, poverty, and street art conflict
Laura Galletti, a former graphic designer from Veneto who chose extreme poverty after a mystical experience in 2001, lived as a clochard in Rome. She built a hut on the Lungotevere near the Gazometro and painted a 20-meter mural of leaves, flowers, and animals over two years. In April 2016, her shelter was destroyed by arson. Subsequently, the mural was entirely covered by a tag from the Roman crew NTHG. Galletti, who is not a street artist but an outsider artist driven by faith, accepted the destruction with serenity, viewing it as a sign to leave Rome. She has since departed for Calabria, free from material attachments.
Key facts
- Laura Galletti is a former graphic designer from Veneto, Milanese by adoption.
- On April 12, 2001, at Tre Fontane in Rome, she experienced a mystical event and vowed to renounce material goods.
- After her mother's death in 1999, she gave her pension to the Missionaries of Charity of Mother Teresa.
- She built a hut on the Lungotevere opposite the Gazometro in Rome.
- She painted a 20-meter mural of leaves, flowers, and animals over two years.
- In April 2016, her hut was destroyed by arson.
- The mural was later covered by a tag from the Roman crew NTHG.
- Galletti left Rome for Calabria, accepting the destruction as a sign.
Entities
Artists
- Laura Galletti
Institutions
- Missionarie di Madre Teresa di Calcutta
- Comitato di Quartiere Marconi
- NTHG
- Artribune
- Il Giornale
- Repubblica
Locations
- Roma
- Italia
- Tre Fontane
- Lungotevere
- Gazometro
- Lourdes
- Medjugorje
- Santiago di Compostela
- Calabria
- Veneto
- Milano