Wanted in Rome - February 2026

EDITORIALS

4. HURLING COMES TO ROME AS IRELAND’S GAELIC GAMES BLOOM IN THE ETERNAL CITY ANDY DEVANE

10 BEST THINGS TO DO IN ROME IN February 12. INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS – ARE THEY WORTH IT?

MISCELLANY WHAT'S ON

DIRETTORE RESPONSABILE: Marco Venturini

EDITRICE: Società della Rotonda Srl, Via delle Coppelle 9

PROGETTO GRAFICO: Dali Studio Srl

IMPAGINAZIONE: Simona Castellari

STAMPA Graffietti Stampati S.n.c.

DIFFUSIONE: Emilianpress Scrl, Via delle Messi d’Oro 212, tel. 0641734425. Registrazione al Trib. di Roma numero 118 del 30/3/2009 già iscritta con il numero 131 del 6/3/1985.

Finito di stampare il 31/01/2026

Wanted in Rome advertising@wantedinrome.com editorial@wantedinrome.com www.wantedinrome.com www.wantedinmilan.com

CONTENTS

30 EXHIBITIONS

4

HURLING COMES TO ROME AS IRELAND’S GAELIC GAMES BLOOM IN THE ETERNAL CITY

10 BEST THINGS TO DO IN ROME IN February

12 INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS –ARE THEY WORTH IT?

HURLING COMES TO ROME AS IRELAND’S GAELIC GAMES BLOOM IN THE ETERNAL CITY

ROME HIBERNIA IS HOME TO GAA PLAYERS FROM IRELAND, ITALY AND AROUND THE WORLD

On a rainy Saturday morning in January, dozens of men and women battled it out on a muddy pitch in a lively display of Ireland’s Gaelic football. The scene could easily have been in Dublin, Kerry or Donegal. Instead, it was in the unlikely setting of Rome.

The event was the first in the Rome Spring Series, a five-week run of friendly matches organised by Rome Hibernia GAA, with 10 clubs from six countries in Europe travelling to the Eternal City. The first group of GAA players to make the journey was The University of Edinburgh – a mixture of Irish and Scottish players – who played their hearts out at the Tre Fontane stadium in the city’s EUR district.

The rain eventually gave way to sunshine and, after four hours of non-stop matches

in the shadow of the iconic ‘Square Colosseum’ building, the 70 mud-splattered players sat down together for pasta and beer.

What is Gaelic football?

Gaelic football is a fast-paced Irish field sport where two teams of 15 players compete to move a round ball down the pitch using a combination of carrying, bouncing, kicking and hand-passing. Points are scored by either kicking the ball over the crossbar for one point or into the net for a three-point goal. The game is one of several indigenous Irish sports governed and promoted by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA).

The sport was introduced to the Italian capital 2012 with the founding of the Rome Gaelic Football Club by Tyrone man and former Rome resident Chris Taggart. Today

Sport

called Rome Hibernia, the club comprises more than 50 players, equally split between men and women.

Rome Hibernia’s current chairman is not Irish although he has strong links to the country, picking up his GAA skills while living in Ireland for five years. Gianni Goretti, 37, is originally from the Tuscan city of Arezzo but has been based in Rome since 2022.

“Setting up the Spring Series gives us a great chance to attract new players”, Goretti told Wanted in Rome, after the final match against Edinburgh, stressing that the thrill of the sport is matched by plenty of fun off the pitch.

“The team trains regularly, plays competitively, and has a strong social side, making it a really accessible way for new players – whether experienced or completely new to the game – to get involved”, the chairman said.

“It’s the unbelievable passion for the games and the community that we have – that’s the main thing that keeps us going”, Goretti said as he pointed across the pitch: “Look at Ronan, after four hours of football, he’s going around picking up cones and washing mud off footballs”.

A talented Gaelic footballer himself, Goretti is also one of the few Italians in the club adept at hurling, still very much an exotic sport in Italy.

What is hurling?

Played with a wooden stick called a hurley and a small leather ball known as a sliotar, hurling combines elements of hockey, lacrosse and baseball at a blistering pace. Players use the hurley to strike the ball through the opponent’s goalposts, scoring one point for sending it over the crossbar and three points for hitting it into the net.

“We struggle to have numbers for the hurling” – Goretti admits – “Everybody plays football and only some play hurling. It’s mostly the Irish, and a few Italian guys – me, Tommi, Brían and occasionally Peppe and Andrea.”

“Brían is both Italian and Irish and has lived in Italy most of his life”, Goretti notes, “then we have Ronan who like any good Kerryman has never played hurling before and actually started playing it here in Rome with us”. On the ladies’ side, Pamela from Italy, Clodagh from Donegal and Nancy from the US occasionally play too.

Rome hosted the Railway Cup hurling final in 2003, when Leinster defeated Connaught 4-9 to 2-12, in what was the first major GAA competition played in continental Europe.

More than two decades later, hurling had another important showcase in Rome on 31 January when the Annaghdown club from Galway competed in round two of the Spring Series.

Club members

Most Irish GAA players moving to Rome seek out the club, usually by looking online, but how do Italians find out about it?

“We have a good few Italians now, all of them with a different story” – Goretti says –“Some of them, like myself, lived in Ireland

Members of Rome Hibernia ladies' team

for a bit and discovered the GAA there, others hear about it by word of mouth”.

More than half the club are Italians now, with about a third Irish and the rest an international mix, including players from the US, Turkey, Iran and Finland. Many of the Irish players are working in Rome as teachers, others are students based in the city for a few years.

Who’s been on the team the longest? “It’s probably Brían – Goretti says – “he’s one of our best players”.

Ladies’ team

This season has been a particularly good year for the women’s team, which currently has 22 players, eight of whom are Irish, four Italian, and the rest international.

The ladies’ side has been coached by Úna Casey from County Derry, who has been with the club for about eight years and has played a major role in keeping the women’s game going in Rome.

“With Úna now in her final year of medical school, Emily O’Connor from County Meath and Michaela Nelson from California have stepped in to take over coaching duties”, Goretti says, “with the assistance of the men’s

coach, Seán Walsh from County Kerry.”

Sponsors

The club is sponsored by the Fiddler’s Elbow – Italy’s oldest Irish pub – and tour operator Roman Vacations, whose support plays a key role in covering the cost of training gear and club equipment.

“Their sponsorship helps ensure players can take part without high personal costs and has been central to the club’s continued growth and sustainability”, Goretti says, adding that the club also receives assistance from the GAA’s Global Games Development Fund. Supported by Ireland’s department of foreign affairs, this fund supports overseas clubs to help them deliver grassroots Gaelic Games activity.

“Pitch rental is our main expense”, Goretti says, stressing that “we have a very good rapport with the rugby club at Tre Fontane”.

Highlights

A highlight for the club came in 2024 when Rome Hibernia hosted one of the rounds of the European championships, winning both the men’s and ladies’ titles.

Last June the club showcased Irish sports in

the heart of Rome, in partnership with the embassy of Ireland to the Holy See, as part of the Vatican’s Jubilee Sports Village.

Jarlath Burns, president of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), travelled to Rome for the occasion, along with Chris Collins, head of operations for Gaelic Games Europe.

At the time, Ireland’s ambassador to the Holy See Frances Collins hailed “the sense of community, hope and inclusion that local GAA organisations like Rome Hibernia represent to so many both in Ireland and across the globe”.

During a special Mass for the Jubilee of Sport at St Peter’s, representatives of the club presented Pope Leo XIV with their jersey, in an exchange that went viral on social media.

In November the club hosted a successful Cúl Camp to introduce Gaelic Games to children, the first of its kind in Rome, with a second youth session scheduled on 14 February in Villa Borghese.

As for future goals: “The World GAA Games in July in Waterford” – Goretti says – “We are hoping to bring two full men teams and one ladies’ team, as Team Italy.”

Cormac Cup

In the meantime, the Spring Series calendar features games at Stadio Tre Fontane every Saturday until 7 March, including the Cormac Cup Special Edition on 28 February.

The participating teams at this event will include Milan GAA and Leuven from Belgium as well as Erin’s Isle and Na Gaeil Nua GAA, both from Dublin.

The Cup is named in memory of Cormac Mac Lochlainn, a hugely popular founding member of the club and a pivotal figure in establishing Gaelic Games in Italy. Tragically, Mac Lochlainn died in 2022 after a brave battle with brain cancer, aged just 39, but his enduring legacy is celebrated in Rome every year with the tournament in his honour.

The Rome Hibernia players also remember him on their jerseys with the message: “You’ll always play with us Mr. Mac”.

For more information about the club, including fixtures, training times and details about how to join, follow Rome Hibernia GAA on Instragram and Facebook.

BEST THINGS TO DO IN ROME IN FEBRUARY

GUIDE TO WHAT’S ON IN ROME THIS MONTH

As Rome leaves behind the darkest days of winter, here are some tips for the best events and things to do in the Eternal City in February 2026.

Free museums

Italy opens its state museums and archaeological sites for free on Sunday 1 February – in parallel to Rome’s free opening of its city-run museums. The list of sites open for free ranges from the Capitoline Museums to the Castel Sant’Angelo.

Six Nations

Rugby fever comes to Rome this time of the year thanks to the 2026 Six Nations tournament. The Azzurri will face Scotland on 7 February at the Stadio Olimpico, with the “third half” revelry always spilling over into Rome’s pubs.

Romantic Rome

Valentine’s Day on 14 February offers the perfect chance to explore the romantic side of Rome. Popular places to mark San Valentino include the Giardino degli Aranci or the viewpoint over the Roman Forum from the Capitoline hill, strolling down the Spanish Steps or enjoying the sweeping panorama from the Gianicolo. A quirky but less romantic idea is a visit to to see the skull of St Valentine in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin.

Classical music and opera

The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia classical music programme in February includes British conductor Alexander Soddy leading the orchestra and chorus in a performance of music by Fauré and Ravel (12-

Lifestyle

14 Feb), and Haydn’s monumental oratorio

The Creation (26-28 Feb) conducted by music director Daniel Harding.

Rome’s opera house stages a production of the classic ballet La Bayadère (3-8 Feb) with choreography by Benjamin Pech, and the modern opera Inferno (19 Feb-7 March) by composer Lucia Ronchetti.

Exhibitions

New exhibitions in Rome include a blockbuster charting the strong links between Baroque genius Bernini and the Barberini family; a dazzling tribute to Valentino by Joana Vasconcelos; Zanabazar treasures at Galleria Borghese; and a tribute to Franco Battiato at MAXXI. Carnevale fun

While no match for Venice, Rome’s centuries-old carnival celebrations inject colour and fun into the city at this time of year.

Children dress up in fancy costumes, streets are strewn with confetti, and bakery windows are full of tasty treats such as frappe and castagnole. This year the main Carnevale festivities centre on the days leading up to Shrove Tuesday on 17 February.

For more events and things to do in Rome see the What’s On section of our website.

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS –ARE THEY WORTH IT?

A HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENT FROM THE NEW SCHOOL ROME REFLECTS ON THE MERITS OF A PRIVATE, INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION

As a child, my life was centered around school. My formative years were spent sheltered - the shelter being my private, international school

community. I rarely encountered racism besides the occasional microaggressive comments from miserable passerbys, and even then I learnt that harboring feelings

Education

of resentment was fruitless. Poverty was something to be observed in documentaries during Geography class.

Growing up in the international school system, racism just felt absurd as a concept. It was interesting - not alien - to be of a different background. There were even school days dedicated to the student body’s various cultural backgrounds, wherein occidental food found itself overpowered by the fumes of the chicken tikka masala and chow mein brought in by parents. I was thus convinced we all existed as a singular, unified force. That we humans simply existed, as we were, sans hierarchy. There was no better - there was just different.

This was, I would learn, the philosophy of an incredibly privileged middle-class child. It was the philosophy of an idealist who resided in a homogenous bubble. Homogenous as it is not our race which divides us, but rather our attitude towards race. International school students are more accustomed to the existence of other cultures relative to their average public school student counterparts. This definitely has its merits - but also inevitably creates an idealist world of its own, applying not only to race, but also to socioeconomic factors. Concepts such as structural inequality and economic precarity remain foreign to many who attend these schools, simply because they haven’t lived it. Public schools instead are shaped largely by geographical means rather than wealth. As a result, students are inevitably exposed to more socioeconomic diversity. The majority of international school students are upper middle-class children - privileged children. They don’t think about money unless they want to.

To experience a childhood in this world is an invaluable privilege - but to ultimately exit it can be tough, which raises the question: is the international school education truly worth it, all things considered? And

does privilege build a person?

Personally, I have never known schools other than international schools, with the exception of my time spent volunteering at an underprivileged high school in West Philadelphia. There’s a great emphasis on pastoral care in these institutions (as one would expect, given the five figure school fees), and so harassment was always taken more seriously, when reported. We were taught physical assault was unacceptable, and we were shown its formal ramifications. Sure, there were instances of intrafemale emotional warfare! But this was a result of our biology, not our school environment.

Although the United States and Italy differ in their educational systems, the fact remains that private schooling is always more supportive of students. The more funding a school has to sustain the dreams of their students with the appropriate resources, the more likely students are to succeed academically. I asked several parents why they chose the private route instead of public, to which two of the most common answers were a) they wanted the best education for their children and b) it was what their colleagues were doing.

This culture of families who can afford these schools choosing to send their children to them indirectly creates a narrative of: if you can opt out of the public system, you should. Most expat parents who can, will send their children to international schools. So are there reasons as to why they shouldn’t do so?

The answer is no, not really. The benefits of a private education are invaluable. Our academic success is to some extent a reflection of our own ambition and diligence, but the environment we’re assigned to is what truly shapes us. Private schools offer smaller classes with a higher teacher-to-student ratio, with more rigorous teaching and extracurriculars. International schools specifi-

Education

cally come with added benefits of their own. Upon asking a friend if she believes her international boarding school has positively impacted her grasp on the local culture, she said to me - “I think there’s a more homogeneous cultural identity here (regardless of the school’s diverse nationalities), as the majority of students have lived in Rome their entire lives. During my four years here, I think I’ve adapted my cultural identity to the environment here, especially coming from somewhere so far away and culturally distinct.” When asked if she believes she has managed to preserve her original cultural identity, she replied “I think the international school system generally (but not entirely) promotes preserving your cultural identity as opposed to conforming to one standard identity. Growing up, we were always encouraged to learn about and share

our cultures, and I think there’s a greater celebration of the “uniqueness” of different cultural backgrounds.”

So to conclude, an international school education is never not worth it. Yes it can be harder to enter the world outside of school if you’ve spent most of your life surrounded by an environment of equally if not more privileged kids - but the university destinations and subsequent employment rates speak for themselves. Furthermore, though the openmindedness and tolerance an international environment provides may not be reflected as strongly in society outside of these schools, it is the rarity of this mindset that makes it an asset. There is no need to deny privilege and opportunity if one is appreciative of it.

The New School Rome, Via della Camilluccia 669, www.newschoolrome.com.

ARTandSEEK

English-language cultural workshops and visits to museums and exhibitions for children in Rome. For event details tel. 3315524440, email artandseekforkids@gmail.com, or see website, www.artandseekforkids.com.

Bioparco

special activities for children and their families at weekends and during the summer. When little legs get tired, take a ride around the zoo on an electric train. Open daily Viale del Giardino Zoologico 20 (Villa Borghese), tel. 063608211, www.bioparco.it.

Bowling Silvestri

with good facilities for children aged 4 and over, adults and disabled children.

a pizzeria. Via G. Zoega 6 (Monteverde/Bravetta), tel. 0666158206, www.bowlingsilvestri.com.

Casa del Parco

Eco-friendly workshops, in Italian, in which kids can learn about nature and how to care for the environment. Located in the Valle dei Casali nature park. Via del Casaletto 400, tel. 3475540409, www.valledeicasali.com.

of animated lectures, creative workshops, cultural projects and educational activities for children from the age of three. Tues-Fri 14.30, Sat-Sun 11.00 and -

Cinecittà World

of cinema features high-tech attractions, real and virtual roller coasters, aquatic shows such as Super Splash, giant elephant rides and attractions with

EUR, south of Rome. Via di Castel Romano, S.S. 148 Pontina, www.cinecittaworld.it.

Climbing

Associazione Sportiva Climbing Side. Basic and competitive climbing courses for 6-18 year olds. -

no/Mostacciano), tel. 3356525473.

Explora

creative workshops for small children in addition to holding regular animated lectures, games and meetings with authors of children’s books. Via Flaminia 80/86, tel. 063613776, www.mdbr.it.

Go-karting

Club Kartroma is a circuit with go-karts for children over 9 and two-seater karts for an adult and a child under 8. Closed Mon. For details see website. Via della Muratella (Ponte Galeria), tel. 0665004962, www.kartroma.it.

Hortis Urbis

Association providing hands-on horticultural workshops for children, usually in Italian but sometimes in English, in the Appia Antica park. Weekend activities include sowing seeds, cultivating plants and harvesting vegetables Junior gardeners must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Via Appia Antica 42/50, www hortusurbis.it

Il Nido

Based in Testaccio, this association supports expectant mothers, parents, babies and small children. It holds regular educational and social events, many of them in English. Via Marmorata 169 (Testaccio), tel. 0657300707, www.associazioneilnido.it.

Luneur

Located in the southern EUR suburb, Luneur is Italy’s oldest amusement park. Highlights include ferris wheel, roller coaster, carousel horses, bamboo tunnel, maze, giant swing and a Wizard of Oz-style farm. Aimed at children aged up to 12. Entr y fee €2.50, payable in person or online. Via delle Tre Fontane 100, www.luneurpark.it.

Rainbow Magicland

divided into three categories: brave, ever yone, and kids. Highlights include down-hill rafting, a water roller coaster through Mayan-style pyramids, and the Shock launch coaster Located in Valmonte, south-east of the capital. Via della Pace, 00038 Valmontone, www.rainbowmagicland.it.

Zoomarine

other animals for children of all ages. It is also possible to rent little play carts. Children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult. Via Casablanca 61, Torvaianica, Pomezia, tel. 0691534, www.zoomarine.it.

Rome’s reputation as an important street art capital continues to grow with new murals by important Italian and international street artists appearing all the time. Most of the works are located in the suburbs, often far from the centre. Here is where to find Rome’s main street art projects and murals.

from the centre. Here is where to find the main street art projects and murals around Rome.

Esquilino

Esquilino

Murals by Alice Pasquini, Gio Pistone, Nicola Alessandrini, Diamond. Casa dell’Architettura, Piazza Mafredo Fanti 47. Marconi

Murals by Alice Pasquini, Gio Pistone, Nicola Alessandrini, Diamond. Casa dell'Architettura, Piazza Manfredo Fanti 47.

Marconi

The M.A.G.R. (Museo Abusivo Gestito dai Rom), a project by French street artist Seth is located in a former soap factory on Via Antonio Avogadro, opposite Ostiense’s landmark Gasometro. For details see www.999contemporary.com.

The M.A.G.R. (Museo Abusivo Gestito dai Rom), a project by French street artist Seth is located in a former soap factory on Via Antonio Avogadro, opposite Ostiense's landmark Gasometro. For details see www.999contemporary.com.

Museo dell’Altro e dell’Altrove di Metropoliz

Museo dell’Altro e dell’Altrove di Metropoliz

This former meat factory in the outskirts of Rome is now a street art museum as well as being home to some 200 squatting migrants. The Museo dell’Altro e dell’Altrove di Metropoliz, or MAAM, is only open on Saturdays, and features the work of more than 300 artists including Edoardo Kobra, Gio Pistone, Sten&Lex, Pablo Echaurren and Borondo. See MAAM Facebook page for details. Via Prenestina 913. Ostiense

This former meat factory in the outskirts of Rome is now a street art museum as well as being home to some 200 squatters, many of them migrants. The Museo dell’Altro e dell’Altrove di Metropoliz, or MAAM, is only open on Saturdays, and features the work of more than 300 artists including Edoardo Kobra, Gio Pistone, Sten&Lex and Diamond. See MAAM Facebook page for details. Via Prenestina 913.

Ostiense

Fronte Del Porto by Blu. Via del Porto Fluviale.

Fronte Del Porto by Blu. Via del Porto Fluviale.

Fish’n'Kids by Agostino Iacurci. Via del Porto Fluviale.

Fish’n’Kids by Agostino Iacurci. Via del Porto Fluviale.

Wall of Fame by JB Rock. Via dei Magazzini Generali.

Wall of Fame by JB Rock. Via dei Magazzini Generali. Shelley by Ozmo. Ostiense underpass, Via Ostiense.

Shelley by Ozmo. Ostiense underpass, Via Ostiense. Palazzo occupato by Blu, Via Ostiense.

Palazzo occupato by Blu, Via Ostiense.

Pigneto

Pigneto

Tributes to Pier Paolo Pasolini by Maupal, Mr. Klevra and Omino 71.

Tributes to Pier Paolo Pasolini by Maupal, Mr. Klevra and Omino 71.

Via Fanfulla da Lodi.

2501 mural on Via Fortebraccio.

Blu Landscape by Sten & Lex. Via Francesco Baracca.

Via Fanfulla da Lodi. 2501 mural on Via Fortebraccio. Blu Landscape by Sten & Lex. Via Francesco Baracca.

Prati

Prati

Anna Magnani portrait by Diavù. Nuovo Mercato Trionfale, Via Andrea Doria. Daniza the bear by ROA. Via Sabotino.

Anna Magnani portrait by Diavù. Nuovo Mercato Trionfale, Via Andrea Doria. Daniza the bear by ROA. Via Sabotino.

Primavalle

Primavalle

The Roadkill by Fintan Magee. Via Cristoforo Numai. Theseus stabbing the Minotaur by Pixelpancho. Via Pietro Bembo.

The Roadkill by Fintan Magee. Via Cristoforo Numai.

Theseus stabbing the Minotaur by Pixelpancho. Via Pietro Bembo. Quadraro

Quadraro

Tunnel murals by Mr THOMS and Gio Pistone. Via Decio Mure.

NidodiVespe by Lucamaleonte. Via del Monte del Grano.

Tunnel murals by Mr THOMS and Gio Pistone. Via Decio Mure. Nido di Vespe by Lucamaleonte. Via del Monte del Grano. Baby Hulk by Ron English. Via dei Pisoni 89.

Baby Hulk by Ron English. Via dei Pisoni 89.

Rebibbia

Rebibbia

Murals by Blu. Via Ciciliano and Via Palombini (Casal dè Pazzi). Welcome to Rebibbia by Zerocalcare. Metro B station.

Murals by Blu. Via Ciciliano and Via Palombini (Casal dè Pazzi).

WelcometoRebibbiaby Zerocalcare. Metro B station.

S. Basilio

S. Basilio

SanBa features large-scale works on the façades of social-housing blocks in the disadvantaged north-east suburb of S. Basilio near Rebibbia. The regeneration project includes works by Italian artists Agostino Iacurci, Hitnes and Blu alongside Spain's Liqen. Via Maiolati, Via Osimo, Via Recanati, Via Arcevia, Via Treia.

SanBa features large-scale works on the façades of social-housing blocks in the disadvantaged north-east suburb of S. Basilio near Rebibbia. The regeneration project includes works by Italian artists Agostino Iacurci, Hitnes and Blu alongside Spain’s Liqen. Via Maiolati, Via Osimo, Via Recanati, Via Arcevia, Via Treia.

S. Giovanni

S. Giovanni

Totti mural by Lucamaleonte. Via Apulia corner of Via Farsalo.

Totti mural by Lucamaleonte. Via Apulia corner of Via Farsalo.

It’s a New Day by Alice Pasquini. Via Anton Ludovico.

It’s a New Day by Alice Pasquini. Via Anton Ludovico.

S. Lorenzo

S. Lorenzo

Alice Pasquini. Via dei Sabelli. Feminicide mural by Elisa Caracciolo. Via Dei Sardi.

Alice Pasquini. Via dei Sabelli. Feminicide mural by Elisa Caracciolo. Via Dei Sardi. Borondo. Via dei Volsci 159.

Mural by Agostino Iacurci on the Istituto Superiore di Vittorio Lattanzio, Via Aquilonia.

Borondo. Via dei Volsci 159. Mural by Agostino Iacurci on the Istituto Superiore di Vittorio Lattanzio, Via Aquilonia.

S. Pietro

S. Pietro

Uma Cabra by Bordalo II. Stazione di S. Pietro, Clivo di Monte del Gallo.

Uma Cabra by Bordalo II. Stazione di S. Pietro, Clivo di Monte del Gallo.

Testaccio

Testaccio

Hunted Wolf by ROA. Via Galvani. #KindComments by Alice Pasquini, Via Volta, Testaccio market.

Hunted Wolf by ROA. Via Galvani. #KindComments by Alice Pasquini, Via Volta, Testaccio market.

Tor Pignattara

Tor Pignattara

Dulk. Via Antonio Tempesta. Etnik. Via Bartolomeo Perestrello 51. Coffee Break by Etam Cru. Via Ludovico Pavoni.

Dulk. Via Antonio Tempesta. Etnik. Via Bartolomeo Perestrello 51. Coffee Break by Etam Cru. Via Ludovico Pavoni.

Tom Sawyer by Jef Aerosol. Via Gabrio Serbelloni.

Tom Sawyer by Jef Aerosol. Via Gabrio Serbelloni.

Pasolini by Diavù. Former Cinema Impero, Via Acqua Bullicante. Hostia by Nicola Verlato. Via Galeazzo Alessi.

Pasolini by Diavù. Former Cinema Impero, Via Acqua Bullicante. Hostia by Nicola Verlato. Via Galeazzo Alessi.

Herakut. Via Capua 14. Agostino Iacurci. Via Muzio Oddi 6.

Tor Marancia

Herakut. Via Capua 14. Agostino Iacurci. Via Muzio Oddi 6. Tor Marancia

The Big City Life scheme features 14-m tall murals by 22 Italian and international street artists including Mr Klevra, Seth, Gaia and Jerico. The idea was to transform the area's blocks of flats into an open-air art museum. Via Tor Marancia. www.bigcity.life.it.

The Big City Life scheme features 14-m tall murals by 22 Italian and international street artists including Mr Klevra, Seth, Gaia and Jerico. The idea was to transform the area’s blocks of flats into an open-air art museum. Via Tor Marancia. For full details see website, www.bigcity.life.it.

ROME'S MAJOR MUSEUMS

VATICAN MUSEUMS

Viale del Vaticano, tel. 0669883860, www.museivaticani.va. Not only the Sistine Chapel but also the Egyptian and Etruscan collections and the Pinacoteca. Mon-Sat 09.00-18.00. Sun (and bank holidays) closed except last Sun of month (free entry, 08.30-12.30). All times refer to last entry. For group tours of the museums and Vatican gardens tel. 0669884667. For private tours (museum only) tel. 0669884947. Closed 26 December and 6 January, Easter Sunday and Monday. Advance booking online: www.biglietteriamusei.vatican.va.

Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums Tel. 0669881814, www.vatican-patrons.org. For private behind-the-scenes tours in the Vatican Museums.

STATE MUSEUMS

Baths of Diocletian

Viale Enrico de Nicola 78, tel. 0639967700, www.archeoroma.beniculturali.it. Part of the protohistorical section of the Museo Nazionale Romano in the Baths of Diocletian plus the restored cloister by Michelangelo. 09.00-19.45. Mon closed.

Borghese Museum

Piazzale Scipione Borghese (Villa Borghese), tel. 06328101, www.galleria.borghese.it. Sculptures by Bernini and Canova, paintings by Titian, Caravaggio, Raphael, Correggio. 09.00-19.30. Mon closed. Entry times at 09.00, 11.00, 13.00 15.00, 17.00. Guided tours in English and Italian.

Castel S. Angelo Museum

Lungotevere Castello 50, tel. 066819111, www.castelsantangelo.com. Emperor Hadrian’s mausoleum used by the popes as a fortress, prison and palace. 09.00-19.00. Mon closed.

Colosseum, Roman forum and Palatine

Colosseum: Piazza del Colosseo. Palatine: entrances at Piazza di S. Maria Nova 53 and Via di S. Gregorio 30. Roman Forum: entrances at Largo Romolo e Remo 5-6 and Piazza di S. Maria Nova 53, tel. 0639967700, www.colosseo-roma.it. 08.30-19.15. Single ticket gives entry to the Colosseum and the Palatine (including the Museo Palatino; last entry one hour before closing). Guided tours in English and Italian.

Crypta Balbi

Via delle Botteghe Oscure 31, tel.0639967700, www.archeologia.beniculturali.it. Museum dedicated to the Middle Ages on the site of the ancient ruins of the Roman Theatre of Balbus. 09.00-19.00. Mon closed. Guided tours in Italian.

Etruscan Museum at Villa Giulia Piazza Villa Giulia 9, tel. 063226571, www.villagiulia.beniculturali.it. National museum of Etruscan civilisation. 08.3019.30. Mon closed.

Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna Viale delle Belle Arti 131, tel. 06322981, 08.30- 19.30. Italy's modern art collection. Mon closed.

MAXXI

Via Guido Reni 6, tel. 063210181, www. fondazionemaxxi.it. National Museum of 21st-century art, designed by Zaha Hadid. Tues-Sun 11.00-19.00, Thurs and Sat 11.00-22.00. Mon closed.

Palazzo Corsini

Via della Lungara, 10, tel. 0668802323, www.barberinicorsini.org. National collection of ancient art, begun by Rome’s Corsini family. 08.30- 19.30. Tues closed.

Museo Nazionale d’Arte Orientale

Italy's museum of oriental art. Piazza Guglielmo Marconi 14 (EUR). For details see website, www.pigorini.beniculturali.it.

Palazzo Altemps

Piazza S. Apollinare 46, tel. 0639967700, www.archeoroma.beniculturali.it. Ancient sculpture from the Museo Nazionale Romano, including the Ludovisi collection. 09.00-19.45. Mon closed.

Palazzo Barberini

Via delle Quattro Fontane 13, tel. 064824184, www.barberinicorsini.org. National collection of 13th- to 16th-century paintings. 08.30- 19.30. Mon closed.

Palazzo Massimo alle Terme

Largo di Villa Peretti 1, tel. 0639967700, www.archeoroma.beniculturali.it. Important Roman paintings, mosaics, sculpture, coins and antiquities from the Museo Nazionale Romano, including the Kircherian collection. 09.00- 19.45. Mon closed.

Villa Farnesina

Via della Lungara 230, tel. 0668027268, www.villafarnesina.it. A 16th-century Renaissance villa with important frescoes by Raphael. Mon-Sat 9.00-14.00 excluding holidays.

CITY MUSEUMS

Centrale Montemartini

Via Ostiense 106, tel. 060608, www.centralemontemartini.org. Over 400 pieces of ancient sculpture from the Capitoline Museums are on show in a former power plant. 09.00-19.00. Mon closed. Guided tours in English for groups if reserved in advance.

Capitoline Museums

Piazza del Campidoglio, tel. 060608, www.museicapitolini.org. The city’s collection of ancient sculpture in Palazzo Nuovo and Palazzo dei Conservatori, plus the Tabularium and the Pinacoteca. 09.00-20.00. Mon closed. Guided tours for groups in English and Italian on Sat and Sun.

Galleria Comunale d’Arte Moderna

Via Francesco Crispi 24, tel. 060608, www.museiincomuneroma.it. The municipal modern art collection. 10.00- 18.00. Mon closed.

MACRO

Via Nizza 138, tel. 060608, www.museomacro.it. Programme of free art events at the city’s contemporary art space. 10.30-19.00. Mon closed.

MATTATOIO

Piazza Orazio Giustiniani 4, tel. 060608. www.museomacro.org. Open for temporary exhibitions 14.00-20.00. Mon closed.

Museo Barracco

Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 166, tel. 0668806848, www.mdbr.it. A collection of mainly pre-Roman sculpture. 09.00- 19.00. Mon closed.

Museo di Roma – Palazzo Braschi

Via S. Pantaleo 10, tel. 060608, en.museodiroma.it. The city’s collection of paintings, etchings, photographs, furniture and clothes from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. 09.00-19.00. Mon closed. Guided tours in English and Italian on prior booking tel. 0682059127.

Museo dei Fori Imperiali and Trajan’s Markets

Via IV Novembre 94, tel. 060608, en.mercatiditraiano.it. Museum dedicated to the forums of Caesar, Augustus, Nerva and Trajan and the Temple of Peace. 09.00-19.00. Mon closed.

Museo Canonica

Viale P. Canonica 2 (Villa Borghese), tel. 060608, www.museocanonica.it. The collection, private apartment and studio of the sculptor and musician Pietro Canonica who died in 1959. 09.00-19.00. Mon closed. Guided tours in Italian and English (book ten days in advance).

Museo Napoleonico

Piazza di Ponte Umberto 1, tel. 060608, www.museonapoleonico.it. Paintings, sculptures and jewellery related to Napoleon and the Bonaparte family. 09.00- 19.00. Mon closed. Guided tours in Italian and English.

PRIVATE MUSEUMS

Casa di Goethe

Via del Corso 18, tel. 0632650412, www. casadigoethe.it. Museum dedicated to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. 10.0018.00. Mon closed.

Chiostro Del Bramante

Bramante’s Renaissance building near Piazza Navona stages exhibitions by important Italian and international artists. Arco della Pace 5, tel. 0668809035 www.chiostrodelbramante.it.

Doria Pamphilj Gallery

Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, Via del Corso 305, tel. 066797323, www.doriapamphilj.it. Residence of the Doria Pamphilj family, it contains the family’s private art collection, which includes a portrait by Velasquez, a sculpture by Bernini, plus works by Raphael, Titian, Tintoretto and Caravaggio. 09.00-19.00.

Galleria Colonna

Palazzo Colonna, Via della Pilotta 17, tel. 066784350, www.galleriacolonna.it. Private collection of works by Veronese, Guido Reni, Pietro di Cortona and Annibale Caracci. Sat 09.00-13.00 only. Private group tours are available seven days a week on request. For wheelchair access contact the gallery to arrange alternative entrance.

Giorgio de Chirico House Museum

Piazza di Spagna 31, tel. 066796546, www.fondazionedechirico.org. Museum dedicated to the Metaphysical painter Giorgio de Chirico. Tues-Sat, rst Sun of month, 10.00, 11.00, 12.00. Guided tours in English, advance booking.

Keats-Shelley House

Piazza di Spagna 26, tel. 066784235, www. keats-shelley-house.it. Museum dedicated to the lives of three English Romantic poets – John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron. Mon-Sat 10.00-13.00, 14.00-18.00.

Guided tours on prior booking.

Museo storico della Liberazione

Via Tasso 145, tel. 067003866, www.museoliberazione.it. Housed in the city's former SS prison, the Liberation Museum were tortured here during the Nazi occupation of Rome from 1943-1944. 09.00-13.15 / 14.15-20.00.

Palazzo Merulana

Via Merulana 121, tel. 0639967800, www.palazzomerulana.it. Museum hosting the early 20th-century Italian art collection, including Scuola Romana paintings, of the Cerasi Foundation. 09.00-20.00. Tues closed.

Villa Farnesina

Via della Lungara 230, tel. 0668027268, www.villafarnesina.it. A 16th-century Renaissance villa with important frescoes by Raphael. Mon-Sat 9.00-14.00 excluding holidays.

CITY MUSEUMS

Centrale Montemartini

Via Ostiense 106, tel. 060608, www.centralemontemartini.org. Over 400 pieces of ancient sculpture from the Capitoline Museums are on show in a former power plant. 09.00-19.00. Mon closed. Guided tours in English for groups if reserved in advance.

Capitoline Museums

Piazza del Campidoglio, tel. 060608, www.museicapitolini.org. The city’s collection of ancient sculpture in Palazzo Nuovo and Palazzo dei Conservatori, plus the Tabularium and the Pinacoteca. 09.00-20.00. Mon closed. Guided tours for groups in English and Italian on Sat and Sun.

Galleria Comunale d’Arte Moderna

Via Francesco Crispi 24, tel. 060608, www.museiincomuneroma.it. The municipal modern art collection. 10.00- 18.00. Mon closed.

MACRO

Via Nizza 138, tel. 060608, www.museomacro.it. Programme of free art events at the city’s contemporary art space. 10.30-19.00. Mon closed.

MATTATOIO

Piazza Orazio Giustiniani 4, tel. 060608. www.museomacro.org. Open for temporary exhibitions 14.00-20.00. Mon closed.

Museo Barracco

Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 166, tel. 0668806848, www.mdbr.it. A collection of mainly pre-Roman sculpture. 09.00- 19.00. Mon closed.

Museo di Roma – Palazzo Braschi

Via S. Pantaleo 10, tel. 060608, en.museodiroma.it. The city’s collection of paintings, etchings, photographs, furniture and clothes from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. 09.00-19.00. Mon closed. Guided tours in English and Italian on prior booking tel. 0682059127.

Museo dei Fori Imperiali and Trajan’s Markets Via IV Novembre 94, tel. 060608, en.mercatiditraiano.it. Museum dedicated to the forums of Caesar, Augustus, Nerva and Trajan and the Temple of Peace. 09.00-19.00. Mon closed.

Museo Canonica

Viale P. Canonica 2 (Villa Borghese), tel. 060608, www.museocanonica.it. The collection, private apartment and studio of the sculptor and musician Pietro Canonica who died in 1959. 09.00-19.00. Mon closed. Guided tours in Italian and English (book ten days in advance).

Museo Napoleonico

Piazza di Ponte Umberto 1, tel. 060608, www.museonapoleonico.it. Paintings, sculptures and jewellery related to Napoleon and the Bonaparte family. 09.00- 19.00. Mon closed. Guided tours in Italian and English.

PRIVATE MUSEUMS

Casa di Goethe

Via del Corso 18, tel. 0632650412, www. casadigoethe.it. Museum dedicated to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. 10.0018.00. Mon closed.

Chiostro Del Bramante

Bramante’s Renaissance building near Piazza Navona stages exhibitions by important Italian and international artists. Arco della Pace 5, tel. 0668809035 www.chiostrodelbramante.it.

Doria Pamphilj Gallery

Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, Via del Corso 305, tel. 066797323, www.doriapamphilj.it. Residence of the Doria Pamphilj family, it contains the family’s private art collection, which includes a portrait by Velasquez, a sculpture by Bernini, plus works by Raphael, Titian, Tintoretto and Caravaggio. 09.00-19.00.

Galleria Colonna

Palazzo Colonna, Via della Pilotta 17, tel. 066784350, www.galleriacolonna.it. Private collection of works by Veronese, Guido Reni, Pietro di Cortona and Annibale Caracci. Sat 09.00-13.00 only. Private group tours are available seven days a week on request. For wheelchair access contact the gallery to arrange alternative entrance.

Giorgio de Chirico House Museum

Piazza di Spagna 31, tel. 066796546, www.fondazionedechirico.org. Museum dedicated to the Metaphysical painter Giorgio de Chirico. Tues-Sat, rst Sun of month, 10.00, 11.00, 12.00. Guided tours in English, advance booking.

Keats-Shelley House

Piazza di Spagna 26, tel. 066784235, www. keats-shelley-house.it. Museum dedicated to the lives of three English Romantic poets – John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron. Mon-Sat 10.00-13.00, 14.00-18.00. Guided tours on prior booking.

Museo storico della Liberazione

Via Tasso 145, tel. 067003866, www.museoliberazione.it. Housed in the city's former SS prison, the Liberation Museum were tortured here during the Nazi occupation of Rome from 1943-1944. 09.00-13.15 / 14.15-20.00.

Palazzo Merulana

Via Merulana 121, tel. 0639967800, www.palazzomerulana.it. Museum hosting the early 20th-century Italian art collection, including Scuola Romana paintings, of the Cerasi Foundation. 09.00-20.00. Tues closed.

ROME’S

MOST ACTIVE AND CONTEMPORARY

ART GALLERIES

1/9 Unosunove

1/9 Unosunove focuses on emerging national and international contemporary artists and explores various media including paintings, sculpture and photography. Via degli Specchi 20, tel. 0697613696, www.unosunove.com.

A.A.M. Architettura

Arte Moderna Gallery housing numerous works of contemporary design, photography, drawings and architecture projects. Via dei Banchi Vecchi 61, tel. 0668307537, www. -maam.it.

Contemporary Cluster

Multidisciplinary venue devoted to visual art, design, architecture and fashion design at Palazzo Brancaccio. Via Merulana 248, tel. 0631709949, www.contemporarycluster.com.

C.R.E.T.A.

Cultural association promoting ceramics and the visual, humanistic, musical and culinary arts through workshops, exhibitions and artist residencies. Palazzo Del ni, Via dei Del ni 17, tel. 0689827701, www.cretarome.com.

Dorothy Circus Gallery

Prominent gallery specialising in international pop-surrealist art. Via dei Pettinari 76, tel. 0668805928, www.dorothycircusgallery.com.

Ex Elettrofonica

This architecturally unique contemporary art gallery promotes and supports the work of young international artists. Vicolo S. Onofrio 10-11, tel. 0664760163, www.exelettrofonica.com.

Fondazione Memmo

Contemporary art space that hosts established foreign artists for sitespeci c exhibitions. Via Fontanella Borghese 56b, tel. 0668136598, www.fondazionememmo.it.

Fondazione Pasti cio Cerere

This non-pro t foundation develops and promotes educational projects and residencies for young artists and curators, as well as a programme of exhibitions, lectures, workshops and studio visits. Via degli Ausoni 7, tel. 0645422960, www.pasti ciocerere.com.

Fondazione Volume!

The Volume Foundation exhibits works created speci cally for the gallery with the goal of fusing art and landscape. Via di S. Francesco di Sales 86-88, tel. 06 6892431, www.fondazionevolume.com.

Franz Paludetto

Gallery in S. Lorenzo that promotes the work of Italian and international contemporary artists. Via degli Ausoni 18, www.franzpaludetto.com.

Frutta

This contemporary art gallery supports international and local artists in its unique space. Via dei Salumi 53 tel. 0645508934, www.fruttagallery.com.

Gagosian Gallery

The Rome branch of this international contemporary art gallery hosts some of the biggest names in modern art. Via Francesco Crispi 16, tel.0642086498, www.gagosian.com.

GALLA

Exhibition space designed to showcase original, unconventional art works at a ordable prices by artists working in various elds. Via degli Zingari 28, tel. 3476552515, www.facebook.com/GALLAmonti.

Galleria Alessandro Bonomo

Gallery showing the works of important Italian and international visual artists. Via del Gesù 62, tel. 0669925858, www.bonomogallery.com.

Galleria Valentina Bonomo

Located in a former convent, this gallery hosts both internationally recognised and emerging artists who create works speci cally for the gallery space. Via del Portico d’Ottavia 13, tel. 066832766, www.galleriabonomo.com.

Galleria Frammenti D’Arte

Gallery promoting painting, design and photography by emerging and established Italian and international artists. Via Paola 23, tel. 069357144142, www.fdaproject.com.

Galleria Lorcan O’Neill

High-pro le international artists regularly exhibit at this gallery located near Campo de’ Fiori. Vicolo Dè Catinari 3, tel. 0668892980, www.lorcanoneill.com.

Galleria della Tartaruga

Well-established gallery that has promoted important Italian and foreign artists since 1975. Via Sistina 85/A, tel. 066788956, www.galleriadellatartaruga.com.

Galleria Il Segno

Prestigious gallery showing work by major Italia and international artists since 1957. Via Capo le Case 4, tel. 066791387, www.galleriailsegno.com.

Galleria Mucciaccia

Gallery near Piazza del Popolo promoting established contemporary artists and emerging talents. Largo Fontanella Borghese 89, tel. 0669923801, www.galleriamucciaccia.com.

Galleria Russo

This historic gallery holds group and solo exhibitions showcasing the work of major 20th-century Italian painters alongside promising new Italian artists. Via Alibert 20, tel. 066789949, www.galleriarusso.it.

Galleria Varsi

A dynamic gallery promoting street culture and contemporary art movements. Via di A ogalasino 34, www.galleriavarsi.it.

Gavin Brown's Enterprise

New York gallerist Gavin Brown shows the work of international artists at his Trastevere gallery in a deconsecrated church dating to the eighth century. S. Andrea de Scaphis, Via dei Vascellari 69, www.gavinbrown.biz.

Il Ponte Contemporanea

Hosts exhibitions representing the international scene and contemporary artists of di erent generations. Via Giuseppe Acerbi 31A, tel. 0653098768, www.ilpontecontemporanea.com.

La Nuova Pesa

Well-established gallery showing work by prominent Italian artists. Via del Corso 530, tel. 063610892, www.nuovapesa.it.

MAC Maja Arte Contemporanea

Gallery devoted to exhibitions by prominent Italian artists. Via di Monserrato 30, www.majartecontemporanea.com.

Magazzino d’Arte Moderna

Contemporary art gallery that focuses on young and emerging artists. Via dei Prefetti 17, tel. 066875951, www.magazzinoartemoderna.com.

Monitor

This contemporary art gallery o ers an experimental space for a new generation of artists. Palazzo Sforza Cesarini, Via Sforza Cesarini 43 A, t el. 0639378024, www.monitoronline.org.

Nero Gallery

Space dedicated to showcasing young international artists working in pop surrealism, lowbrow art, dark art, comic art and surrealism. Via Castruccio Castracane 9, tel. 0627801418, www.nerogallery.com.

Nomas Foundation

Nomas Foundation promotes contemporary research in art and experimental exhibitions. Viale Somalia 33, tel. 0686398381, www.nomasfoundation.com. Operativa Arte Contemporanea

A new space oriented towards younger artists. Via del Consolato 10, www.operativa-arte.com.

Pian de Giullari

Art studio-gallery in the house of Carlina and Andrea Bottai showing works by contemporary artists from Rome, Naples and Florence capable of transmitting empathy and emotions. Via dei Cappellari 49, tel. 3397254235, 3663988603, www.piandegiullari2.blogspot.com.

Plus Arte Puls

Cultural association and gallery showing work by important contemporary Italian and international artists. Viale Mazzini 1, tel. 3357010795, www.plusartepuls.com.

Sala 1

This internationally known non-pro t contemporary art gallery provides an experimental research centre for contemporary art, architecture, performance and music. Piazza di Porta S. Giovanni 10, tel. 067008691, www.salauno.com.

S.T. Foto libreria galleria

Gallery in Borgo Pio representing a diverse range of contemporary art photography. Via degli Ombrellari 25, tel. 0664760105, www.stsenzatitolo.it.

Studio Sales di Norberto Ruggeri

The gallery exhibits pieces by both Italian and international contemporary artists particularly minimalist, postmodern and abstract work. Piazza Dante 2, int. 7/A, tel. 0677591122, www.galleriasales.it.

T293

The Rome branch of this contemporary art gallery presents national and international artists and hosts multiple solo exhibitions. Via G. M. Crescimbeni 11, tel. 0688980475, www.t293.it.

The Gallery Apart

This contemporary art gallery supports young artists in their research and assists them in their projects to help them emerge into the international art world. Via Francesco Negri 43, tel. 0668809863, www.thegalleryapart.it.

TraleVolte

Contemporary art gallery focusing on the relationship between art and architecture, hosting solo and group shows of Italian and international artists. Piazza di Porta S. Giovanni 10, tel. 0670491663, www.tralevolte.org.

Von Buren Contemporary Rome-based gallery specialising in a ordable contemporary art by young, emerging Italian artists. Via Giulia 13, tel. 3351633518, www.vonburencontemporary.com.

Wunderkammern

This gallery promotes innovative research of contemporary art. Via Gabrio Serbelloni 124, tel. 0645435662, www.wunderkammern.net.

Z20 Galleria Sara Zanin

Started by art historian Sara Zanin, Z2o Galleria o ers a range of innovative national and international contemporary artists. Via della Vetrina 21, tel. 0670452261, www.z2ogalleria.it.

where to go in Rome WHAT’S ON

EXHIBITIONS

ANITA GUERRA: WANDERLUST

13-28 FEB

Anita Guerra, a Cuban-AmericanItalian artist and Professor of Fine Arts at Temple University Rome, stages a new exhibition at MESIA SPACE in the San Giovanni area. The solo exhibition is an immersive project comprising more than 100 works by Guerra, who has been based in Rome for several decades. As the show’s title implies, her mixed-media images question the phenomenon of mass tourism in Rome and Venice. “What are the causes and motives behind the urgent need to travel in the 21st century? Are there any similarities with the visitors of the Grand Tour of the 17th and 18th centuries? What about in previous jubilees?” These are some of the questions posed by Guerra’s new works. The exhibition features “intimate portraits of beggars, pilgrims, honeymooners, priests, nuns, global trotters, scholars, babies, and retirees... all meticulously rendered in pencil, charcoal, gouache, collage, and watercolour”. The exhibition opens on Friday 13 February at MESIA SPACE, from 17.00-20.00, and includes a recital of Dante’s XVIII Canto from the Inferno by Lorenzo Rinelli, a Professor at Temple University Rome and an actor. The gallery space is located a stone’s throw from the new Metro C stop at Porta Metronia, on the corner of Via Vulci 32 and Largo Mesia 3. A finissage will be held on Saturday 28 February from 17.00-20.00.

BERNINI E BARBERINI

12 FEB-14 JUNE

Rome’s Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica presents Bernini e i Barberini, a major new exhibition being staged at Palazzo Barberini. Curated by Andrea Bacchi and Maurizia Cicconi, the exhibition explores the extraordinary relationship between Baroque genius Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Maffeo Barberini, his first and most influential patron, who

took the name Urban VIII upon his election to the papacy in 1623. Organisers say the exhibition will offer “an unprecedented opportunity to reconsider the birth of the Baroque through the privileged lens of the artistic, political, and personal dialogue between Bernini and Pope Urban VIII, key figures in the establishment of the Baroque language.” The event coincides with the 400th anniversary of the consecration of the new St Peter’s Basilica, a landmark moment in the history of Roman Baroque and in Bernini’s career. Displaying prestigious works on loan from museums and private collections, many of which are shown in Italy for the first time, the

exhibition aims to convey the full complexity of this key artistic turning point. The exhibition is divided into six sections, each dedicated to a crucial aspect of the relationship between Bernini and the Barberini family, tracing Bernini’s career from his early days to maturity. Seminal works such as the Saint Sebastian from the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid and the Putto with Dragon from the Getty Museum testify to the moment when Baroque sculpture truly emerged, while exceptional loans such as the Four Seasons from the Aldobrandini collection explore the relationship between Bernini and his father Pietro Bernini, also a sculptor and

artist. The exhibition will also reunite marble masterpieces sculpted by Bernini, Giuliano Finelli and Francesco Mochi, now dispersed in public and private collections. There will be a particular focus on Urban VIII, with marble and bronze busts juxtaposed with one of the very few paintings definitively attributed to Bernini. Another section of the exhibition explores Bernini as a painter, encouraged by Maffeo Barberini to venture into this field. Alongside canvases presented for the first time in public, Bernini’s only major “public” painting will be displayed alongside its companion piece by Andrea Sacchi (both works are exceptional loans from the National Gallery in London). Drawings, engravings and models will further explore the artist’s role in the major construction projects of St Peter’s, from the Baldacchino and the remodelling of the transept to the funerary monument of Urban VIII. Palazzo Barberini, Via delle Quattro Fontane 13, www.barberinicorsini.org.

FRANCO BATTIATO: UN’ALTRA VITA

31 JAN-26 APRIL

The legendary Italian singer-songwriter, composer and filmmaker Franco Battiato will be the subject of an exhibition-event at the MAXXI, five years after his death. Hailed as a tribute to “the human and musical genius of an artist without equal

in the history of Italian music”, the exhibition explores the life and career of the multi-faceted musician, philosopher and intellectual. In addition to a “sound experience”, the exhibition will include album covers, historic posters, photographs and rare Battiato memorabilia. Born in 1945, the star’s career spanned genres ranging from experimental pop and electronic music to prog rock and new wave. His unique songs, whose lyrics contained philosophical, religious and cultural references, earned him the nickname Il Maestro on the Italian music scene.

MAXXI, Via Guido Reni 4, www. maxxi.art.

ZANABAZAR AT THE GALLERIA BORGHESE: FROM MONGOLIA TO THE GLOBAL BAROQUE

20 JAN-22 FEB

Rome’s Galleria Borghese hosts an exhibition that bridges the gap between the European Baroque and the Far East. This exhibition is a collaboration with the Museum of Oriental Art in Turin and highlights the work of Zanabazar (1635–1723), an important spiritual leader and artist known as the “Michelangelo of Mongolia.”

For the first time in Europe, visitors can see two of his masterpieces from the Chinggis Khaan National Museum: the Green Tara and a bronze self-portrait of the artist.

The exhibition places these Buddhist bronze sculptures in direct conversation with the Baroque masterpieces of Gian Lorenzo Bernini. This juxtaposition explores the concept of a “Global Baroque” - showing how different cultures across the world simultaneously pursued a similar artistic energy, formal elegance and spiritual intensity. Galleria Borghese, Piazzale Scipione Borghese, www.galleriaborghese.beniculturali.it.

VENUS: VALENTINO GARAVANI THROUGH THE EYES OF JOANA VASCONCELOS

18 JAN-31 MAY

PM23, the exhibition and cultural space of the Fondazione Valentino

Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti, presents an exhibition featuring installations by Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos alongside Valentino creations. The exhibition opened the day after the Italian fashion legend Valentino Garavani died, aged 93, in Rome. Blending the worlds of fashion and contemporary art, the exhibition presents a poetic journey into the creative universe of Valentino Garavani, reinterpreted through the distinctive vision of the Portuguese artist. A highlight of the exhibition is Valkyrie VENUS, a massive sculpture inspired by eight of Valentino’s iconic dresses and created through a participa-

tory social process involving more than 200 contributors, including fashion students, refugees, prisoners and hospital patients. “VENUS was born from the desire to celebrate creativity in all its forms, as a bridge between art, fashion and community” - Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti said in a statement - With this project, we wanted to create a space where beauty and innovation meet participation and inclusion, transforming artistic expression into an opportunity for dialogue and sharing.” Tickets for the exhibition are available via the PM23 website or can be purchased at the ticket office in Piazza Mignanelli 23, www.piazzamignanelli23.com.

IMPRESSIONISM AND BEYOND

4 DEC-3 MAY

The Ara Pacis Museum in Rome will host an exhibition showcasing 52 masterpieces from the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts, one of the most important museums in the United States. The exhibition traces the development of modern painting from the origins of Impressionism through the Post-Impressionist movements and into the avant-garde of the early 20th century. The show features major works by artists including Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Degas, Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso, Modigliani and Kandinsky. Museo dell’Ara Pacis, Lungotevere in Augusta, www.arapacis.it.

LA GRECIA A ROMA

29 NOV-12 APRIL

The Capitoline Museums present an exhibition which explores the legacy of Greek art within Roman culture, featuring more than 150 works, some of which have never gone on public display. The Greek treasures reveal an “artistic encounter that redefined identity, power and beauty in ancient Rome”, organisers say, describing the exhibition as “an immersive journey that retraces the encounter between two extraordinary civilizations, protagonists of a dialogue that shaped Western taste and aesthetics”. Masterpieces include the reunited Capi-

toline bronzes, alongside important monuments such as the magnificent stele from Grottaferrata Abbey, and the Niobidi sculptures from the Horti Sallustiani. Villa Caffarelli, Capitoline Museums, www.museicapitolini.org.

VILLE E GIARDINI: UNA CORONA DI DELIZIE

21 NOV-12 APRIL

An exhibition at Rome’s Palazzo Braschi museum pays tribute to the city’s unparalleled heritage of historic gardens, tracing for the first time the development of garden art from the 16th to the second half of the 20th century. Historic gardens were a status symbol of power, culture and refinement, as well as a propaganda tool for the popes, princes, and cardinals who owned them. The exhibition traces the history of these gardens up to their transformation into the public parks of today. Through 190 works, including paintings and landscapes, many of which have never been on public display, visitors will discover the original appearance of villas and gardens that have now disappeared or been completely remodelled. The exhibited works demonstrate the popularity of Roman gardens in the pictorial imagination, their use as a scenic backdrop for parties, celebrations and displays of power. Among the most significant works are the many depictions of Villa

Borghese and Villa Medici, as well as a selection of paintings dedicated to vanished gardens, such as Villa Ludovisi and Villa Montalto Peretti. Palazzo Braschi, Piazza Navona 2, www.museodiroma.it.

CARTIER AND MYTHS

14 NOV-15 MARCH

This exhibition creates a dialogue between exquisite jewellery pieces from the Cartier Collection and the ancient Roman sculptures and artefacts of Rome’s Capitoline Museums. The show explores how classical antiquity has been a constant source of inspiration for Cartier’s designs since the mid-19th century. Cartier’s creations, which echo forms and deities of the ancient world, are displayed directly alongside classical marble sculptures of the museum’s permanent collection, offering a reflection on beauty, myth and continuity in art across the centuries. Musei Capitolini, Piazza del Campidoglio 1, www.museicapitolini.org.

MARIA BAROSSO

17 OCT-22

FEB

Maria Barosso’s precious paintings capture a period of frenzied demolition and construction that forever changed the face of Rome. Centrale Montemartini hosts an exhibition of paintings by the artist and archaeologist Maria Barosso, who captured a Rome lost to demolition during the fascist period. The exhibition is dedicated to the precious

work carried out by Barosso (18791960) who in the early decades of the 20th century played a crucial role in documenting the demolitions and major construction sites for the Superintendency of Rome and Lazio through her watercolours. Barosso was the first woman to hold the post of official at the general directorate of antiquities and fine arts in Rome, where she arrived in 1905, working with Giacomo Boni, then director of the Roman Forum excavations. She embarked on a career that led her to witness firsthand the capital’s significant urban transformations. As an artist and archaeologist, she distinguished herself with a unique combination of historic knowledge, scientific rigour and aesthetic sensitivity in documenting Rome’s archaeological heritage. The exhibition includes 137 works, including around 100 prints, drawings, watercolours and paintings by the Turin-born painter and archaeologist. The works reconstruct the events that forever changed the face of Rome: radical demolitions, sensational discoveries and dramatic interventions commissioned by the fascist regime. Centrale Montemartini, Via Ostiense 106, www.centralemontemartini.org.

TREASURES OF THE PHARAOHS

24 OCT-3 MAY

The Scuderie del Quirinale hosts a major exhibition dedicated to treasures from Ancient Egypt. Curated by Dr Tarek El Awady, the exhibition features more than 130 works from Egypt’s most important museums. The artefacts on display illu-

minate the origins of the Pharaonic civilisation up to the New Kingdom – Ancient Egypt’s golden age, a period of immense wealth, power and territorial expansion into an empire – and the subsequent Third Intermediate Period. The show also includes some of the most significant archaeological discoveries in Egypt in recent years. Among the most important pieces on display will be the Menkaure Triad, the gold sarcophagus of Queen Ahhotep, the gold funerary mask of Amenemope, the gold funerary covering of Pharaoh Psusennes I, and statues of Sennefer, Ramses VI and Thutmose III. This is only the second time that Egypt has authorised the presentation of an exhibition of this importance in Italy, after the show at Palazzo Grassi in Venice in 2002-2003 which featured 80 pieces. Scuderie del Quirinale, Via Ventiquattro Maggio 16, www.scuderiequirinale.it.

ALPHONSE MUCHA

8 OCT-8 MARCH

Palazzo Bonaparte dedicates an exhibition to the career of Czech artist Alphonz Mucha (1860-1939), best known for his Art Nouveau decorative depictions of women. Organisers say the exhibition will present “not only the most extensive and comprehensive exhibition ever held on Mucha but also expand the scope to include the great artists of all time who have explored the theme of beauty and feminine seduction.” The exhibition features more than 150 works by Alphonse Mucha, retracing his entire career, alongside Botticelli’s Venus on loan from the Royal Museums of Turin. Also on display are works by Giovanni Boldini, ancient statues, Renaissance works, Art Nouveau furnishings and objects. Palazzo Bonaparte, Piazza Venezia 5, www.mostrepalazzobonaparte.it.

FLOWERS: FROM THE RENAISSANCE TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

UNTIL 22 FEB

Rome’s Chiostro del Bramante presents a vibrant exhibition that celebrates the evocative power of flowers, from the Renaissance to the age of artificial intelligence. Combining art, science and technology, the exhibition offers a journey through five centuries of art, culture and innovation, from the masterpieces of Jan Brueghel and Ai Weiwei up to contemporary digital art. “Fragile and powerful, flowers speak a universal language capable of spanning centuries and cultures”, providing an inexhaustible source of inspiration for artists of all ages, organisers say. The exhibition comprises more than 90 works from prestigious institutions including Rome’s Galleria Borghese, the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, the Petit Palais and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. The show also contains works from the botanical and scientific collections of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London and the Museo Civico di Zoologia in Rome. Chiostro del Bramante, Via Arco della Pace 5, www.chiostrodelbramante.it.

ACCADEMIA NAZIONALE DI SANTA CECILIA

Gli occhiali di Šostakovič

2 Feb

Sergio Rubini delivers a powerful, multimedia performance that explores the tormented life of the Russian composer, capturing his struggle for artistic truth while living under the constant shadow of Stalinist oppression. Sala Petrassi, 20.30.

Lorenzo Viotti and Sheku

Kanneh-Mason

Feb 5

Conductor Lorenzo Viotti and cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason join forces for a high-intensity programme featuring Elgar’s Cello Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5. Sala Santa Cecilia. 6 Feb 20:00. 7 Feb 18:00.

Ciak, si suona!

8, 9 Feb

An interactive lecture-concert designed for children (aged 8+) and families that brings the magic of cinema to life through the live performance of iconic film scores and synchronized projections. Sala Santa Cecilia. 8 Feb 16.30, 9 Feb 10. 30.

CLASSICAL opera

LA BAYADÉRE

3-8 FEB

This classic ballet, choreographed by Benjamin Pech (after Marius Petipa), is a highlight of the winter season. Music by Ludwig Minkus, performed by the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma Orchestra. The performance features the theatre’s Étoiles, Principal Dancers and

Asmik Grigorian

11 Feb

Soprano Asmik Grigorian and pianist Lukas Geniušas unite for a chamber recital that spans a century of vocal lyricism, featuring Vocalises by Rachmaninoff, Fauré e Messiaen, miniatures by Hahn, Bizet and Ravel, and a second half dedicated to the music of Richard Strauss. Sala Sinopoli, 20.30.

Alexander Soddy: Fauré / Ravel

12-14 Feb

British conductor Alexander Soddy leads the Orchestra and Chorus of Santa Cecilia in a French programme, journeying from the spiritual serenity of Fauré’s Requiem to the intoxicating, shadowy whirl of Ravel’s La Valse. Sala Santa Cecilia. 12, 13 Feb 20.00, 14 Feb 18.00.

Emanuele Arciuli

18 FEB

Pianist Emanuele Arciuli returns to Santa Cecilia’s Chamber Season for a compelling recital that bridges the Classical and contemporary eras through Haydn’s Andante with Variations and Frederic Rzewski’s monumental masterpiece, The People United Will Never Be Defeated! Sala Sinopoli, 20.30.

Petr Popelka / Hélène Grimaud

19-21 FEB

Czech conductor Petr Popelka makes his Santa Cecilia debut alongside pianist Hélène Grimaud for a programne featuring music by Martinů, Gershwin, Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky. 19, 20 Feb 20.00, 21 Feb 18.00.

Daniel Harding: Haydn – The Creation

26-28 FEB

Music director Daniel Harding leads the Santa Cecilia Orchestra and Chorus, alongside a stellar vocal cast, in Haydn’s monumental oratorio The Creation, a joyous and vivid musical celebration of the world’s origins, with soloists Katharina Konradi, Andrew Staples and Michael Nagy. Sala Santa Cecilia. 26, 27 Feb 20.00, 28 Feb 18.00.

All concerts take place in the Auditorium Parco della Musica, Viale P. de Coubertin 30. For full details of tickets and performance times see S. Cecilia website, www.santacecilia.it.

Corps de Ballet. Teatro Costanzi, Piazza Beniamino Gigli, www.operaroma.it.

INFERNO

19 FEB-7 MARCH

This modern opera by composer Lucia Ronchetti is part of the “Doppio Sogno” (Double Dream) season. Inspired by Dante Alighieri, this production explores the dramatic and atmospheric layers of the Divine Comedy. Teatro Costanzi, Piazza Beniamino Gigli, www.operaroma.it.

CULTURE NEWS

L’AQUILA TAKES CROWN AS ITALY’S CULTURE CAPITAL

Aquila, the city devastated by the massive earthquake that struck the central Abruzzo region 16 years ago, has taken up its role as Italian Capital of Culture 2026. Italy’s president Sergio Mattarella launched L’Aquila as Capitale Italiana della Cultura 2026 with a ceremony in the city on 17 January. Over the course of 2026, hundreds of cultural events will take place in L’Aquila which won the coveted culture capital status with its bid titled Un territorio, mille capitali. Located about 100 km north-east of Rome, L’Aquila sits in the shadow of the Gran Sasso, the highest peak in the Apennine mountains. L’Aquila was founded in the 13th century and, according to legend, was formed by the union of 99 local castles. This number is a recurring theme in the city’s identity; it is said there are 99 squares, 99 churches and 99 fountains. L’Aquila is the capital of Abruzzo and has a population of around 70,000 people. In the early hours of 6 April 2009, L’Aquila was devastated by a 6.3-magnitude earthquake, killing 309 people. The earthquake left thousands of people homeless and devastated more than 50 villages in the surrounding region, in the deadliest terremoto to hit Italy since the 1980 Irpinia earthquake. In a symbolic sign of rebirth, Rome’s MAXXI opened a new contemporary art museum in L’Aquila in 2021. After L’Aquila, the northeastern Italian city of Pordenone will become Italy’s Capital of Culture in 2027.

CASA DEI GRIFI OPENS FOR REAL-TIME VIRTUAL TOURS

Rome’s Colosseum Archaeological Park has opened a frescoed ancient Roman house to the public for the first time, however visitors will only gain access via a livestreamed tour. First discovered in the early 20th century, the Casa dei Grifi or House of the Griffins is one of the best-preserved ancient Roman homes on the Palatine Hill. The Republican-era residence dates back to the late second or early first century BC, the house is celebrated for its exceptional wall paintings which feature sophisticated architectural illusions of columns and marble panels. It also contains some of the earliest known examples of opus scutulatum (floor mosaics with embedded polychrome marble shards) and white stucco griffins from which the house gets its name. Much of the structure was inadvertently preserved when it was filled with soil during the first century AD to provide a solid foundation

for the construction of the Palace of Domitian. Because the most significant rooms are located on an underground level accessible only by a dangerously steep and narrow staircase, the site has implemented a high-tech touring model. Visitors occupy an above-ground space while a guide, equipped with a head-mounted camera, descends into the chambers to livestream a tour. Starting from 3 March, tours will be held every Tuesday (at 14.00 in Italian; at 15.00 in English), for groups of up to 12 people. The opening of the Casa dei Grifi follows a multiyear scientific restoration completed in late 2024 and was financed by the European Union’s post-covid recovery fund (PNRR) as part of the Caput Mundi initiative.

ROME AND PARIS MARK 70 YEARS AS TWIN CITIES

Rome and Paris will host a series of cultural initiatives in 2026 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of their historic twinning, a unique bond signed on 30 January 1956. Central to the celebrations of the milestone is free entry to city-run museums in both cities for each other’s residents: Rome residents can visit Parisian museums for free, and vice versa. The bond between the two cities, signed under the motto “Only Paris is worthy of Rome; only Rome is worthy of Paris”, will be renewed this week in the French and Italian capitals by Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo and Rome mayor, Anne Hidalgo and Roberto Gualtieri respectively. In a statement, Rome city hall said the cultural programme is aimed at “enhancing the artistic, historical and creative heritage of the two capitals”, demonstrating “the shared journey that has allowed the two cities to build a solid bridge of culture, art and beauty over time. Details of the initiative and the participating museums can be found on the Turismo Roma and Paris websites.

Andy Devane

The following is a list of the main musical associations in Rome but it is not a definitive list of all the music that is available in the city There are also concerts in many of the churches and sometimes in the museums.

Auditorium Conciliazione, Via della Conciliazione 4, www.auditoriumconciliazione.it

MUSIC THE A TRE CINEMA VENUES

Auditorium Parco della Musica, Viale P de Coubertin 30, www.auditorium.com

Olimpico, Piazza Gentile da Fabriano 17, www.filarmonicaromana.org. The new season starts on 15 Oct

Accademia Filarmonica Romana, Teatro Olimpico, Piazza Gentile da Fabriano 17, www.filarmonicaromana.org. The new season starts on 15 Oct

Accademia S. Cecilia, www.santacecilia.it. All concerts at Auditorium Parco della Musica. The new season starts on 5 Oct

Istituzione Universitaria dei Concerti, Aula Magna, Università la Sapienza, www.concertiiuc.it

Accademia S. Cecilia, www.santacecilia.it. All concerts at Auditorium Parco della Musica. The new season starts on 5 Oct

Oratorio del Gonfalone, Via del Gonfalone 32a, www.oratoriogonfalone.com

Istituzione Universitaria dei Concerti, Aula Magna, Università la Sapienza, www.concertiiuc.it

TRE MUSIC THEATRE CINEMA DANCE OPERA classical cinema

RomeConcerts, Methodist Church, Piazza Ponte S. Angelo, www.romeconcerts.it

Oratorio del Gonfalone, Via del Gonfalone 32a, www.oratoriogonfalone.com

Roma Sinfonietta, Auditorium Ennio Morricone, Torvergata, www.romasinfonietta.com

RomeConcerts, Methodist Church, Piazza Ponte S. Angelo, www.romeconcerts.it

Roma Tre Orchestra, some concerts are at Teatro Palladium, Piazza Bartolomeo Romano 8, teatropalladium.uniroma3.it, while others are at the Aula Magna, Scuola Lettere Filosofia Lingue, Universita Roma Tre, Via Ostienze 234, www.r30.org

Roma Sinfonietta, Auditorium Ennio Morricone, Torvergata, www.romasinfonietta.com

There are often concerts, festivals and opera recitals in several churches in Rome.

Roma Tre Orchestra, some concerts are at Teatro Palladium, Piazza Bartolomeo Romano 8, teatropalladium.uniroma3.it, while others are at the Aula Magna, Scuola Lettere Filosofia Lingue, Universita Roma Tre, Via Ostienze 234, www.r30.org

All Saints' Anglican Church, Via Babuino 153, www.allsaintsrome.org

There are often concerts, festivals and opera recitals in several churches in Rome.

All Saints' Anglican Church, Via Babuino 153, www.allsaintsrome.org

Ponte S. Angelo Methodist Church, Ponte S. Angelo, www.methodistchurchrome.com

Oratorio del Caravita, Via della Caravita 7

Ponte S. Angelo Methodist Church, Ponte S. Angelo, www.methodistchurchrome.com

Oratorio del Caravita, Via della Caravita 7

St Paul's Within the Walls, Via Nazionale and the corner of Via Nazionale, www.stpaulsrome.it

S. Agnese in Agone, Sagrestia del Borromini, Piazza Navona

St Paul's Within the Walls, Via Nazionale and the corner of Via Nazionale, www.stpaulsrome.it

S. Agnese in Agone, Sagrestia del Borromini, Piazza Navona

Palazzo Doria Pamphilj hosts a series called Opera Serenades by Night with Dinner throughout the year. There is a concert, a tour of the museum and dinner afterwards. Via del Corso 305, www.doriapamphilj.com

Palazzo Doria Pamphilj hosts a series called Opera Serenades by Night with Dinner throughout the year There is a concert, a tour of the museum and dinner afterwards. Via del Corso 305, www.doriapamphilj.com

cinema

The following cinemas show movies in English or original language, and sometimes foreign film festivals.

Adriano, Piazza Cavour 22, tel. 0636767

The following cinemas show movies in English or original language, and sometimes foreign film festivals. See Wanted in Rome website for weekly updates.

Barberini, Piazza Barberini 24-26, tel. 0686391361

Adriano, Piazza Cavour 22, tel. 0636767

Casa del Cinema, Largo Marcello Mastroianni 1, tel. 06423601, www.casadelcinema.it

Barberini, Piazza Barberini 24-26, tel. 0686391361

Cinema dei Piccoli, Viale della Pineta 15, tel. 068553485

Casa del Cinema, Largo Marcello Mastroianni 1, tel. 06423601, www.casadelcinema.it

Farnese Persol, Piazza Campo de’ Fiori 56, tel. 066864395, www.cinemafarnesepersol.com

Cinema dei Piccoli, Viale della Pineta 15, tel. 068553485

Greenwich, Via G. Bodoni 59, tel. 065745825

Intrastevere, Vicolo Moroni 3, tel. 065884230

Farnese Persol, Piazza Campo de’ Fiori 56, tel. 066864395, www.cinemafarnesepersol.com

Lux, Via Massaciuccoli 31, tel. 0686391361

Greenwich, Via G. Bodoni 59, tel. 065745825

Intrastevere, Vicolo Moroni 3, tel. 065884230

Nuovo Olimpia, Via in Lucina 16/g, tel. 066861068

Lux, Via Massaciuccoli 31, tel. 0686391361

Nuovo Sacher, Largo Ascianghi 1, tel. 065818116

Odeon, Piazza Stefano Jacini 22, tel. 0686391361

Nuovo Olimpia, Via in Lucina 16/g, tel. 066861068

Space Moderno, Piazza della Repubblica 44, tel. 06892111

Nuovo Sacher, Largo Ascianghi 1, tel. 065818116

Odeon, Piazza Stefano Jacini 22, tel. 0686391361

Space Parco de’ Medici, Viale Salvatore Rebecchini 3-5, tel. 06892111

Space Moderno, Piazza della Repubblica 44, tel. 06892111

Troisi, Via Girolamo Induno 1, www.cinematroisi.it.

Space Parco de’ Medici, Viale Salvatore Rebecchini 3-5, tel. 06892111

dance opera

dance opera

Teatro Costanzi, Teatro Piazza Beniamino Gigli 1, ww Teatro Olimpico, Piazza Gentile da Fabriano 17, www.teatroolimpico.it

Teatro Costanzi, Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Piazza Beniamino Gigli 1, www.operaroma.it

Teatro Vascello, Via Giacinto Carini 78, www.teatrovascello.it

Teatro Olimpico, Piazza Gentile da Fabriano 17, www.teatroolimpico.it

Teatro Vascello, Via Giacinto Carini 78, www.teatrovascello.it

rock pop

rock pop

Concert venues ranging from major pop and rock groups to jazz and acoustic gigs.

Alexanderplatz, Via Ostia 9, tel. 0683775604 www.alexanderplatzjazzclub.it

Concert venues ranging from major pop and rock groups to jazz and acoustic gigs.

Teatro Costanzi, Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Piazza Beniamino Gigli 1, www.operaroma.it

Teatro Costanzi, Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Piazza Beniamino Gigli 1, www.operaroma.it

Lanificio 159, Via di Pietralata 159, tel. 0641780081, www.lanificio159.com

Lanificio 159, Via di Pietralata 159, tel. 0641780081, www.lanificio159.com

Live Alcazar, Via Cardinale Merry del Val 14, tel. 065810388, www.livealcazar.com

Alexanderplatz, Via Ostia 9, tel. 0683775604 www.alexanderplatzjazzclub.it

Angelo Mai Altrove, Via delle Terme di Caracalla 55, www.angelomai.org

Angelo Mai Altrove, Via delle Terme di Caracalla 55, www.angelomai.org

Atlantico, Viale dell’Oceano Atlantico 271d, tel. 065915727, www.atlanticoroma.it

Atlantico, Viale dell’Oceano Atlantico 271d, tel. 065915727, www.atlanticoroma.it

Auditorium Parco della Musica, Viale P de Coubertin, tel. 06892982, www.auditorium.com

Casa del Jazz, Viale di Porta Ardeatina 55, tel. 06704731, www.casajazz.it

Auditorium Parco della Musica, Viale P de Coubertin, tel. 06892982, www auditorium.com

theatreCasa del Jazz, Viale di Porta Ardeatina 55, tel. 06704731, www.casajazz.it

theatre

Teatro Argentina, Largo di Torre Argentina 52, tel. 06684000314, www.teatrodiroma.net

Teatro Belli, Piazza di S. Apollonia 11, tel. 065894875, www.teatrobelli.it

Teatro Argentina, Largo di Torre Argentina 52, tel. 06684000314, www.teatrodiroma.net

Teatro Belli, Piazza di S. Apollonia 11, tel. 065894875, www.teatrobelli.it

Teatro Brancaccio, Via Merulana 244, tel. 0680687231 www.teatrobrancaccio.it

Teatro Ghione, Via delle Fornaci 37, tel. 066372294 www.teatroghione.it

Teatro Brancaccio, Via Merulana 244, tel. 0680687231 www.teatrobrancaccio.it

Teatro Ghione, Via delle Fornaci 37, tel. 066372294 www.teatroghione.it

Teatro India, Lungotevere Vittorio Gassman 1, tel. 06684000311, www.teatrodiroma.net

Teatro India, Lungotevere Vittorio Gassman 1, tel. 06684000311, www.teatrodiroma.net

Live Alcazar, Via Cardinale Merry del Val 14, tel. 065810388, www.livealcazar.com

Monk Club, Via Giuseppe Mirri 35, tel. 0664850987, www.monkroma.it

PalaLottomatica, Piazzale dello Sport 1, tel. 06540901, www.palalottomatica.it

Monk Club, Via Giuseppe Mirri 35, tel. 0664850987, www.monkroma.it

PalaLottomatica, Piazzale dello Sport 1, tel. 06540901, www.palalottomatica.it

Rock in Roma, Via Appia Nuova 1245, tel. 0654220870 www.rockinroma.com

Rock in Roma, Via Appia Nuova 1245, tel. 0654220870 www.rockinroma.com

Teatro Quirinetta, Via Marco Minghetti 5, tel. 0669925616, www.quirinetta.com

Teatro Quirinetta, Via Marco Minghetti 5, tel. 0669925616, www.quirinetta.com

Unplugged in Monti, Blackmarket, Via Panisperna 101, www.unpluggedinmonti.com

Unplugged in Monti, Blackmarket, Via Panisperna 101, www.unpluggedinmonti.com

Teatro Olimpico, Piazza Gentile da Fabriano 17, tel. 063265991, www.teatroolimpico.it

Teatro Olimpico, Piazza Gentile da Fabriano 17, tel. 063265991, www.teatroolimpico.it

Teatro S. Genesio, Via Podgora 1, tel. 063223432, www.teatrosangenesio.it

Teatro S. Genesio, Via Podgora 1, tel. 063223432 www.teatrosangenesio.it

Teatro Sistina, Via Sistina 129, tel. 064200711, www.ilsistina.it

Teatro Sistina, Via Sistina 129, tel. 064200711, www.ilsistina.it

Teatro Vascello, Via Giacinto Carini 78, tel 065898031 www.teatrovascello.it

Teatro Vascello, Via Giacinto Carini 78, tel. 065898031, www.teatrovascello.it

Teatro Vittoria, Piazza di S. Maria Liberatrice 10, tel. 065781960, www.teatrovittoria.it

Teatro Vittoria, Piazza di S. Maria Liberatrice 10, tel. 065781960, www.teatrovittoria.it

By Kate Zagorski

RIGATONI ALLA GRICIA

Although it often plays second ddle to the famous Roman pasta triumvirate of carbonara, amatriciana and cacio e pepe, la gricia is in many ways the most Roman of them all. Giving equal limelight to both guanciale and pecorino it combines chunks of crunchy pork jowl with a creamy cheese coating to celebrate the very best of local produce.

Sometimes referred to as a ‘white amatriciana’, gricia originated in the countryside around Rome where the skill in balancing just a few ingredients to create something delicious helped to form the backbone of traditional Roman cuisine. It’s now the perfect ‘empty the fridge’ dish; quick, simple and comforting. Be sure to take some time at the end to stir in the pecorino carefully: tossing the pasta, the starchy water and the guanciale fat with the cheese will magically bind everything together right before your eyes.

Ingredients

(Serves 2)

200g rigatoni

200g guanciale

60ml white wine

50g grated pecorino romano Black pepper

• Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, add salt and set the pasta to cook for one minute less than the indicated time.

• Trim the rind from the guanciale and cut into 1cm strips.

• Heat a frying pan and add the guanciale, cook for a few minutes until the fat is released and it is turning crispy at the edges. Add the white wine and simmer for 2 minutes to evaporate the alcohol.

• Add the almost cooked pasta to the pan with a good splash of the cooking water, continue to cook for another minute.

• When the pasta is al dente turn o the heat and sprinkle in the pecorino, toss everything together well to thicken and coat the pasta. Add some freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately.

The best cacio e pepe in Rome, seven unmissable restaurants

Cacio e pepe is the quintessential Roman pasta dish, made with simple ingredients but far from simple to prepare. There are those who like it with hand-made tonnarello, and those who prefer spaghetti. Here are the best cacio e pepe restaurants in Rome, according to Puntarella Rossa.

7. FLAVIO AL VELAVEVODETTO

In Testaccio, chef and restaurateur Flavio De Maio serves the finest specialities of Roman cuisine. Flavio's cacio e pepe recipe doesn’t call for a frying pan, but for a ‘mantecatura’ off the heat with pecorino romano, black pepper, the cooking water from the pasta and a dash of olive oil (“to ensure that when the dish cools down, the cheese mixes with the oil and adds a burst of flavour, taking the edge off the pecorino”). Price: €11.

6. DA FELICE

Since Felice Trivelloni opened his osteria in 1936, the restaurant has been something of an institution for Roman cuisine. Their forte is indeed the cacio e pepe; it is plentiful and delicious and made with tonnarelli, cooking water from the pasta, pecorino and olive oil, for an irresistible creaminess. The finishing touch is the way in which it’s served: the pasta, cooking water and pecorino are mixed directly on the customer’s plate. Price: €13.

5. DA DANILO

The cacio e pepe served at Trattoria Da Danilo in Esquillino is definitely one of the most renowned in the city. The most famous dish is, of course, the tonnarelli cacio e pepe, made with olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, cooking water from the pasta and pecorino romano. The difference at Danilo is that the pasta is mixed together directly in the pecorino romano wheel itself. The result is a superb creaminess and an intense flavour. Price: €10.

4. DA CESARE

Here you can enjoy two versions of cacio e pepe, one with dry pasta (spaghetti, rigatoni), or fresh, handmade tonnarelli. Chef Leonardo Vignoli explains that to make cacio e pepe you need to mix the ground black pepper with the grated pecorino romano (which should have been matured for 6 months minimum) and a little cold water, then add the al dente spaghetti and give it a first mix off the heat. You should then

add a generous spoonful of cooking water from the pasta, put it back on the heat and stir it until it is creamy. Price: €9.

3.

VYTA ENOTECA REGIONALE DEL LAZIO

At Vyta you can try two versions of cacio e pepe, the classic variety or the summer version: tonnarelli, pecorino romano, fresh pepper, lemon and Roman mint. Here’s the recipe for a 500g serving: cook the tonnarelli in lots of salted water. While the pasta is still on the heat, take a spoonful of the cooking water and put it in a large saucepan. Add ground pepper to the water. Drain the pasta, put in pan and mix. Keep the pan on the heat and mix very slowly, using 100g of pecorino and grated lemon rind. Keep stirring until there’s the creaminess of cacio e pepe. Then add mint leaves. Serve immediately, adding another 50g of pecorino. Price: €13.

2. LA TERRAZZA DELL’HOTEL EDEN

At the Hotel Eden, one of Rome’s most exclusive hotels, award-winning chef Fabio Ciervo is famous for his spaghetti cacio e pepe from Madagascar. He has reinterpreted the Roman pasta dish with thick spaghetti, chicken stock, pecorino romano, rose petals and black pepper from Madagascar. This is without a doubt one of the best cacio e pepe in Rome, but it is very expensive in comparison to our other favourites. Price: €45.

1. ROSCIOLI

Established in 1824 and run by a family spanning four generations, Roscioli is a renowned Roman restaurant. Its menu includes all the classic Roman dishes but the star of the show is the cacio e pepe. And so what’s in theirs? Tonnarelli, pecorino romano, cheese from Moliterno, pecorino that has been matured in the earth from Sogliano and Malaysian pepper. It’s not such a simple list as the mix of cheeses gives the dish a special flavour. At the very end, Javan and Sarawakan pepper are ground together and then toasted as the finishing touch – it’s sensational. Price: €12.

www.puntarellarossa.it

Flavio al Velavevodetto, Via di Monte Testaccio 97, tel. 065744194, www.ristorantevelavevodetto.it

Felice, Via Mastro Giorgio 29, tel. 065746800, www.feliceatestaccio.it

Da Danilo, Via Petrarca 13, tel. 0677200111, www.trattoriadadanilo.com

Da Cesare, Via del Casaletto 45, tel. 06536015, www.trattoriadacesare.it

VyTa, Via Frattina 94, tel. 0647786876, www.vytaenotecalazio.it

La Terrazza Hotel Eden, Via Ludovisi 49, www.dorchestercollection.com/en/rome/hotel-eden

Roscioli, Via dei Giubbonari 21, tel. 066875287, www.salumeriaroscioli.com

Associations

American International Club of Rome tel. 0645447625, www.aicrome.org

American Women’s Association of Rome tel. 064825268, www.awar.org

Association of British Expats in Italy britishexpatsinitaly@gmail.com

Canadian Club of Rome canadarome@gmail.com

Circolo di Cultura Mario Mieli

Gay and lesbian international contact group, tel. 065413985, www.mariomieli.net

Commonwealth Club of Rome ccrome08@gmail.com

Daughters of the American Revolution Pax Romana Chapter NSDAR paxromana@daritaly.com, www.daritaly.com

Books

The following bookshops and libraries have books in English and other languages as specified.

Almost Corner Bookshop

Via del Moro 45, tel. 065836942

Anglo American Bookshop

Via delle Vite 27, tel. 066795222

Bibliothèque Centre Culturel

Saint-Louis de France (French)

Largo Toniolo 20-22, tel. 066802637 www.saintlouisdefrance.it

La librerie Française de Rome La Procure (French)

Piazza S. Luigi dei Francesi 23, tel. 0668307598, www.libreriefrancaiserome.com

Libreria Feltrinelli International Via V.E. Orlando 84, tel. 064827878, www.lafeltrinelli.it

Religious

All Saints’ Anglican Church

Via del Babuino 153/b tel. 0636001881

Sunday service 08.30 and 10.30

Anglican Centre

Piazza del Collegio Romano 2, tel. 066780302, www.anglicancentreinrome.com

Beth Hillel (Jewish Progressive Community) tel. 3899691486, www.bethhillelroma.org

Bible Baptist Church

Via di Castel di Leva 326, tel. 3342934593, www.bbcroma.org, Sunday 11.00

Christian Science Services

Via Stresa 41, tel. 063014425

Church of All Nations

Lungotevere Michelangelo 7, tel. 069870464

Church of Sweden

Via A. Beroli 1/e, tel. 068080474, Sunday service 11.15 (Swedish)

International Women’s Club of Rome tel. 0633267490, www.iwcofrome.it

Irish Club of Rome irishclubofrome@gmail.com, www.irishclubofrome.org

Luncheon Club of Rome tel. 3338466820

Patrons of Arts in the Vatican Museums tel. 0669881814, www.vatican-patrons.org

Professional Woman’s Association www.pwarome.org

United Nations Women’s Guild tel. 0657053628, unwg@fao.org, www.unwgrome.multiply.com

Welcome Neighbor tel. 3479313040, dearprome@tele2.it, www.wntome-homepage.blogspot.com

Libreria Quattro Fontane (international) Via delle Quattro Fontane 20/a, tel. 064814484

Libreria Spagnola Sorgente (Spanish) Piazza navona 90, tel. 0668806950, www.libreriaspagnola.it

Open Door Bookshop (second hand books English, French, German, Italian) Via della Lungaretta 23, tel. 065896478, www.books-in-italy.com

Otherwise

Via del Governo Vecchio, tel. 066879825, www.otherwisebookshop.com

Footsteps Inter-Denominational Christian

South Rome, tel. 0650917621, 3332284093, North Rome, tel. 0630894371, akfsmes.styles@tiscali.it

International Central Gospel Church Via XX Settembre 88, tel. 0655282695

International Christian Fellowship Via Guido Castelnuovo 28, tel. 065594266, Sunday service 11.00

Jewish Community

Tempio Maggiore, Lungotevere Cenci, tel. 066840061

Lay Centre at Foyer Unitas

Largo della Sanità Militare 60, tel. 067726761

Lutheran Church

Via Toscana 7, corner Via Sicilia 70, tel. 064817519, Sunday service 10.00 (German)

Ponte S. Angelo Methodist Church

Piazza Ponte S. Angelo, tel. 066868314, Sunday Service 10.30

Pontifical Irish College (Roman Catholic)

Via dei SS. Quattro 1, tel. 06772631. Sunday service 10.00

Roma Baptist Church

Piazza S. Lorenzo in Lucina 35, tel. 066876652, 066876211, Suday service 10.30, 13.00 (Filipino), 16.00 (Chinese)

Roma Buddhist Centre Vihara

Via Mandas 2, tel. 0622460091

Rome International Church

Via Cassia km 16, www.romeinternational.org

Rome Mosque (Centro Islamico)

Via della Moschea, tel. 068082167, 068082258

St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church

Via XX Settembre 7, tel. 064827627, Sunday service 11.00

St Francis Xavier del Caravita (Roman Catholic)

Via Caravita 7, www.caravita.org, Sunday service 11.00

Support groups

Alcoholics Anonymous tel. 064742913, www.aarome.com

Archè (HIV+children and their families) tel. 0677250350, www.arche.it

Associazione Centro Astalli (Jesuit refugee centre) Via degli Astalli 14/a, tel. 0669700306

Associazione Ryder Italia (Support for cancer patients and their families) tel. 065349622/06582045580, www.ryderitalia.it

Astra (Anti-stalking risk assessment) tel. 066535499, www.differenzadonna.it

Caritas soup kitchen

(Mensa Giovanni Paolo II) Via delle Sette Sale 30, tel. 0647821098, 11.00-13.30 daily

Caritas foreigners’ support centre Via delle Zoccolette 19, tel. 066875228, 06681554

Caritas hostel

Via Marsala 109, tel. 064457235

Caritas legal assistance

Piazza S. Giovanni in Laterano 6/a, tel. 0669886369

Celebrate Recovery Christian group tel. 3381675680

Transport

• Atac (Rome bus, metro and tram) tel. 800431784, www.atac.roma.it

• Ciampino airport tel.06794941, www.adr.it

• Fiumicino airport tel. 0665951, www.adr.it

• Taxi tel. 060609-065551-063570-068822-064157066645-064994

• Traffic info tel. 1518

• Trenitalia (national railways) tel. 892021, www.trenitalia.it

St Isidore College (Roman Catholic)

Via degli Artisti 41, tel. 064885359, Sunday service 10.00

St Patrick’s Church (Roman Catholic), Via Boncompagni 31, tel. 068881827, www.stpatricksamericaninrome.org

Weekday Masses in English 18.00, Saturday Vigil 18.00, Sunday 09.00 and 10.30

St Paul’s within-the-Walls (Anglican Episcopal) Via Nazionale, corner Via Napoli, tel. 064883339, Sunday service 08.30, 10.30 (English), 13.00 (Spanish) St Silvestro Church (Roman Catholic)

Piazza S. Silvestro 1, tel. 066977121, Sunday service 10.00 and 17.30

Venerable English College (Roman Catholic), Via di Monserrato 45, tel. 066868546, Sunday service 10.00

Comunità di S. Egidio

Piazza di S. Egidio 3/a, tel. 068992234

Comunità di S. Egidio soup kitchen Via Dandolo 10, tel. 065894327, 17.00-19.30 Wed, Fri, Sat Information line for disabled tel. 800271027

Joel Nafuma Refugee Centre

St Paul’s within-the-Walls Via Nazionale, corner Via Napoli, tel. 064883339

Mason Perkins Deafness Fund (Support for deaf and deaf-blind children), tel. 06444234511, masonperkins@gmail.com, www.mpds.it

Overeaters Anonymous tel. 064743772

Salvation Army (Esercito della Salvezza)

Centro Sociale di Roma “Virgilio Paglieri” Via degli Apuli 41, tel. 064451351

Support for elderly victims of crime (Italian only) Largo E. Fioritto 2, tel. 0657305104

The Samaritans Onlus (Confidential telephone helpline for the distressed) tel. 800860022

Chiamaroma

24-hour, multilingual information line for services in Rome, run by the city council, tel. 060606

Emergency numbers

• Ambulance tel. 118

• Carabinieri tel. 112

• Electricity and water faults (Acea) tel. 800130336

• Fire brigade tel. 115

• Gas leaks (Italgas-Eni) tel. 800900999

• Police tel. 113

• Rubbish (Ama) tel. 8008670355