Peroni Nastro Azzurro has launched an Italian Renaissance-inspired installation in London’s Covent Garden Piazza as it looks to tap into growing UK interest in early-evening socialising.

The premium lager brand has unveiled Il Fresco di Peroni, a 3D mural and immersive bar experience that depicts “The Creation of Aperitivo”, paying tribute to Italy’s early-evening drinking and dining ritual.

The activation has been created in partnership with Seen Presents, McCann and JOY! Collective, and forms part of Peroni’s new ONLY Peroni campaign.

The campaign places the beer brand alongside Italian cultural symbols including the Trevi Fountain, The Birth of Venus and Scuderia Ferrari, as it looks to bring Italian style and artistry to UK consumers.

Visitors can enter the artwork through three grand archways, take a seat at the table within the mural and become part of the illusion, creating a photo-led experience designed to live both in person and online.

Two illustrated “beer-bearers” will also pour guests a complimentary half pint of Peroni Nastro Azzurro from within the artwork.

After experiencing the fresco, guests can enjoy their beer in a landscaped garden, complete with a custom sundial marking aperitivo hour in cities around the world, from Rome to New York.

JOY! Collective brought together 13 independent artists to create the piece, which took more than 520 hours to paint.

The studio used traditional Renaissance techniques alongside modern multimedia methods, including photographing models to achieve accurate depth perception and recomposing visual elements to create the anamorphic illusion.

Peroni Nastro Azzurro brand director Anja Gottschalk said: “We’re thrilled to launch this special experience for Londoners and visitors to the Covent Garden Piazza, seeking a mix of culture and great beer.

“Il Fresco di Peroni celebrates iconic symbols of Italian style, in a way that only Peroni can do. Bringing the beauty of a Roman fresco to London over a bank holiday offers visitors a truly special drinking occasion and something unique to marvel at.

“It was our first time collaborating with Seen Presents and they’ve played a vital role in bringing the vision to life physically — uniting our in-house teams, talent and inter-agency partners to create something truly impactful.”

Seen Presents account director Anna Gonzalez said the brief was “ambitious, complex, and full of creative potential”.

She added: “We had to take something inherently static, a 2D fresco rooted in Italian heritage, and turn it into a living, breathing experience that would live as powerfully online as it did in person.

“From capturing the brand’s authentic soul to the precision needed to design and deliver an outdoor installation at this scale, it was about bringing a lot of moving parts into perfect alignment — all while making sure thousands of Londoners could enjoy a perfectly chilled Peroni at the end of it.”

The launch comes as OpenTable’s 2026 Dining Trends Report points to a growing shift towards early-evening social occasions in the UK, with more consumers embracing aperitivo-style moments.

The installation is open to over-18s from Thursday 30 April to Saturday 2 May, from midday to 8pm each day.

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