Roma: Eventi

Rome’s calendar mixes church ceremony, civic anniversary and a long summer of outdoor events.

Natale di Roma — 21 April

The city celebrates its own founding, by tradition in 753 BC, which makes it one of the few places that marks its birthday with a fixed date and a number. There are costumed processions of several thousand re-enactors through the Circus Maximus and the Forum area, gladiatorial displays, a ceremony at the Campidoglio, and free entry to the civic museums. It is unabashedly theatrical and thoroughly enjoyable, and it falls in the best month of the Roman year.

Easter and Holy Week — March or April

The pope leads the Way of the Cross at the Colosseum on Good Friday by torchlight, and celebrates Easter mass in Saint Peter’s square with the Urbi et Orbi blessing. Tickets for papal events are free but must be requested in advance.

Estate Romana — June to September

The city’s summer programme: open-air cinema on the Tiber Island, concerts in the Baths of Caracalla, bars along the river embankment and events in the archaeological sites after dark.

Festa de Noantri — late July, Trastevere

Trastevere’s own week-long neighbourhood festival, with a procession carrying a wooden Madonna through the streets, stalls, music and a great deal of eating outdoors. It is a local occasion with a following that has nothing to do with tourism.

Rome Film Fest — October

Ten days of premieres, retrospectives and public interviews centred on the Auditorium but spreading into cinemas across the city, with a substantial programme open to anyone who books rather than only to the industry.

Rome Marathon — March or April

A route past almost every monument in the city, on cobbles for part of it, which runners complain about and come back for anyway.