Wanted in Rome - March 2026 by Wanted in Rome

EDITORIALS

4. HOW ROME’S CULTURE SCENE IS EVOLVING: WHAT’S NEW IN 2026 ANDY DEVANE

8 BEST THINGS TO DO IN ROME IN MARCH

10. VENERABLE ENGLISH COLLEGE OPENS CRYPT TO PUBLIC

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 28/02/2026

(2025)

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

30 EXHIBITIONS

HOW ROME’S CULTURE SCENE IS EVOLVING: WHAT’S NEW IN 2026

8 BEST THINGS TO DO IN ROME IN march

10 VENERABLE ENGLISH COLLEGE OPENS CRYPT TO PUBLIC

HOW ROME’S CULTURE SCENE IS EVOLVING: WHAT’S NEW IN 2026

KEY CHANGES ON THE ROMAN CULTURAL LANDSCAPE

Rome’s cultural scene has been given quite a shake-up in recent months, from museums and monuments to the launch of a new arts magazine. Here we look at the latest innovations and trends shaping the city’s cultural landscape.

In terms of cultural tourism, the biggest news so far this year is the introduction of a €2 fee for tourists and non-residents of Rome who wish to get up close to the Trevi Fountain.

Trevi Fountain

Andy Devane

Rome makes its municipal museums free for residents of the capital.

On paying the fee, tourists must join a queue which leads to the lower, internal perimeter of the fountain. Designed to reduce crowds, the system is in place every day from 09.00 until 22.00, except on Mondays and Fridays when public access is from 11.30, to allow for the collection of coins in the water, all of which go to charity. Rome residents can visit the fountain for free by showing an ID document but also must line up to see it from the water’s edge. Be careful not to get hit by coins flung backwards from the piazza by those who refuse to pay the contentious fee.

Free city museums for residents

Parallel to the introduction of the Trevi Fountain fee, Rome has made its municipal museum network permanently free for residents of the capital. The list includes the Capitoline Museums, Trajan’s Market, the Ara Pacis Museum, Centrale Montemartini and the Villa Torlonia Museums as well as the archaeological areas at Largo Argentina and the Circus Maximus. Separate entry fees may still apply for temporary exhibitions, shows and specialised virtual reality experiences in these museums. Launching the campaign titled In Rome, Beauty Belongs to Everyone, mayor Roberto Gualtieri said: “Entering a museum becomes as simple as taking a walk in a park: a normal, everyday gesture that makes us feel better and helps us feel part of the city”.

City of Arts

The Ex Mattatoio, Rome’s former slaughterhouse in Testaccio, is transforming into a massive cultural campus known as the Città delle Arti, or City of Arts. In January the city opened the Photography Pavilion, Rome’s first public centre dedicated entirely to photography. Its inaugural blockbuster is a retrospective of Irving Penn, running through June. The vast site, which was designed by Gioacchino Ersoch and served the city as an abbatoir from 1888 until 1975, also hosts Rome’s Academy of Fine Arts, the faculty of architecture of the Roma Tre University, and a school of music.

MACRO reopens

Under the new direction of Cristiana Perrella, the MACRO Museum of Contemporary Art has recently reopened. The new season, which extends until April 2026, interweaves different languages, from art to music, from urban planning to cinema to performance, to depict the city as an open and constantly evolving laboratory. The museum, which has introduced a €6 ticket, is currently hosting an exhibition season dedicated entirely to Rome’s artistic scene and the creatives who animate it. MACRO has a new cinema space and will host live performances and digital art workshops.

Tourists must pay €2 to get up close to the Trevi Fountain.

Rome's new Photography Pavilion in Testaccio.

MAXXI expands

The Grande MAXXI is an ambitious urban regeneration and expansion project for the National Museum of 21st Century Arts in Rome. Building upon Zaha Hadid’s original design, the initiative will see the creation of the multifunctional three-storey MAXXI HUB, designed by the Italo-French architecture studio LAN, to house a centre for contemporary art restoration, research laboratories and accessible archives, topped by a roof garden.

MAXXI GREEN will be a 7,200-sqm green urban oasis designed to mitigate the local microclimate and host outdoor exhibitions and workshops.

Museo del Genio

Located in the Vittoria quarter near the banks of the Tiber, the Museo del Genio Militare (Museum of Military Engineering) opened last autumn following renovation works. While it houses the history of Italian engineering and architecture, its rebirth has seen it become a venue for contemporary crossovers, recently hosting the works of

American street photographer Vivian Maier and Italian pop artist Ugo Nespolo.

Romarivista

In January, the city launched Romarivista, a new quarterly arts and culture magazine dedicated to the capital’s contemporary creative scene. Distributed for free in museums, libraries, theatres and other public cultural spaces across the city, Romarivista aims to bridge institutions, independent creatives and arts academies to foster reflection on urban, social and cultural changes in Rome.

Looking to the future

The Mausoleum of Augustus, the monumental tomb of the first Roman emperor, is set to open to the public later this year following a lengthy, extensive restoration. Works continue in redeveloping the Celio Park, including a major restoration of the city’s former Antiquarium which has been in a state of abandonment for almost a century, while restoration works are also under way at Villa Silvestri Rivaldi, a semi-forgotten Renaissance jewel near the Colosseum.

5, 6, 7 March

Currentzis/Wang

Prokofiev/Šostakovič

12, 13, 14 March

Harding/Trifonov

Brahms/Dvořák

26, 27, 28 March

Gardiner/Taverna

Schumann/Prokofiev/ Sibelius

Santa Cecilia 25/26 classica, presente, eterna

March concerts

Orchestra e Coro dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia

conductor Teodor Currentzis

piano Yuja Wang bass Alexey Tikhomirov

Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2

Šostakovič Symphony No. 13 “Babi Yar”

Orchestra dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia

conductor Daniel Harding piano Daniil Trifonov

Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2

Dvořák Symphony No. 7

Orchestra dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia

conductor John Eliot Gardiner piano Alessandro Taverna

Schumann “Genoveva”: ouverture

Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3

Sibelius Symphony No. 5

Auditorium Parco della Musica Roma santacecilia.it

Lifestyle

BEST THINGS TO DO IN ROME IN MARCH

GUIDE TO WHAT’S ON IN ROME THIS MONTH

March in Rome heralds the arrival of spring and milder temperatures, making it a perfect time to visit the Eternal City. Here are some tips for the best events and things to do in Rome in March 2026.

Go museum-hopping for free

State museums and archaeological sites across Italy, as well as Rome’s city-run museums, open their doors for free on Sunday 1 March. The free landmark sites in the capital range from Castel Sant’Angelo and the Capitoline Museums to Palazzo Altemps and the Museo Forma Urbis.

Running in Rome

The Rome-Ostia Half Marathon takes place on 1 March. The 21-km route begins near Palazzo dello Sport in the EUR district and continues along Via Cristoforo Colombo in the direction of the seafront at Ostia.

On 21 March it is the turn of the 42-km Maratona di Roma, hailed by many as “the

most beautiful marathon in the world”, which begins and ends near the Colosseum, taking in dozens of landmarks on the way, from the Roman Forum to the Spanish Steps.

Six Nations Rugby

Rugby fever returns to Rome thanks to the 2026 Six Nations tournament. The Azzurri take on England at the Stadio Olimpico on 7 March. A selection of state and municipal museums in Rome, from the Capitoline Museums to the Baths of Caracalla, offer free admission to Six Nations rugby ticket holders that weekend. For those who can’t make it to the stadio, there is no shortage of rugby coverage in the city’s pubs as well as plenty of “third half” fun.

Beware the Ides of March

Rome marks the Ides of March and the assassination of Julius Caesar on Sunday 15 March with a historical re-enactment of that fateful day in 44 BC. The free open-air

Lifestyle

event will be staged by the Gruppo Storico Romano in the archaeological area at Largo di Torre Argentina at 16.00.

St Patrick’s Day

Ireland’s national day, on 17 March, is marked in Rome with an official Mass at 10.00 at St Patrick’s Catholic American Parish church. (Check out website for more St Patrick’s Day events as they are announced in the coming days).

Classical music, opera and theatre

The March programme of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia features multiple concerts, including Daniel Harding conducting the orchestra and star pianist Daniil Trifonov performing music by Brahms and Dvořák (12-14 March) and the legendary pianist Grigory Sokolov performing music by Beethoven and Schubert (30 March).

Rome’s opera house will host Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos (1-10 March) and a ballet programme choreography by three titans of the contemporary dance world: John Neumeier, Itzik Galili and Benjamin Millepied (17-22 March).

Festivals in Rome

The Roma Whisky Festival, showcasing a vast range of whisky along with tastings and masterclasses by industry experts, concludes at the Salone delle Fontane in EUR on 1 March.

The Rome Film Music Festival returns, from 16-22 March, with a week of international premieres and exclusive performances including Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in Concert.

Libri Come, Rome’s annual festival devoted to books and reading, takes place at the Auditorium Parco Della Musica from 20-22 March, with many names from Italian and world literature.

The Irish Film Festa, a free festival dedicated to Irish cinema, returns to Rome’s Casa del Cinema from 25-29 March, featuring movies and shorts as well as talks with actors and directors.

Exhibitions in Rome

The big new exhibition in town is a Bernini blockbuster, hailed as among the most important and ambitious showcases ever dedicated to the Baroque genius.

Other new exhibitions include Constantin Brâncuși at Trajan’s Markets, Habsburg Masterpieces at Palazzo Cipolla (from 6 March); and Zanabazar at Galleria Borghese.

Another major exhibition, opening on 27 March, is Hokusai at Palazzo Bonaparte.

For more events and things to do in Rome see the What’s On guide on our website, www.wantedinrome.com.

Free museums in Rome on 1 March.

Rome Film Music Festival returns.

VENERABLE ENGLISH COLLEGE OPENS CRYPT TO PUBLIC Religion

VISITORS CAN ACCESS MEDIAEVAL CRYPT AND ANCIENT ROMAN ROAD

Rome’s Venerable English College, the oldest British institution outside the UK, is expanding its guided tours to include public access to its underground areas for the first time.

New guided tours will make it possible to visit the mediaeval underground crypt, which hous-

es a Crucifixion dating to the early 15th century attributed to the school of Antoniazzo Romano, and a section of the ancient Via Triumphalis, which crossed the Regola and Parione districts.

The Venerable English College is located on Via di Monserrato, near Piazza Farnese, where it has stood for more than 650 years.

Crypt and the Crucifixion

The underground crypt was largely excavated in the late 15th century under the patronage of King Henry VII. Originally serving as a meeting place for the Confraternity of St Thomas of Canterbury, it later became a privileged burial site.

Visitors can now view an ossuary established in 1818 to house remains recovered from tombs desecrated during the French occupation.

A highlight of the crypt is a rare 15th-century fresco of the Crucifixion, attributed to the school of Antoniazzo Romano.

This artwork originally resided in the Salone del Crocifisso on nearby Via dei Cappellari and served as a final place of prayer for those condemned to death by the Court of the Curia Savella.

Legend suggests that Beatrice Cenci prayed before this image prior to her execution in the late 16th century.

Via Triumphalis

Six metres below the current street level lies a significant section of an ancient Roman road, discovered during renovations in 1870.

Identified as part of the Via Triumphalis, the road once connected the Roman Forum to the Vatican Hill.

The site is also linked to the Stabula Factionis Venetae, the headquarters for the most popular of the four chariot-racing teams that competed at the Circus Maximus.

A

brief history

of the Venerable English College

Founded in 1362 as a hospice for English and Welsh pilgrims, over the centuries the historic building has hosted cardinals, monarchs, diplomats and intellectuals, including Thomas Cromwell and John Milton.

The hospice became a seminary in 1579 when Pope Gregory XIII issued the bull of foundation of the English College.

Pope Pius V had excommunicated Queen Elizabeth I and in 1585 she banned Catholic priests from entering her kingdom under pain of execution.

Over the next 100 years, students of the seminary who returned home as priests faced persecution, with 44 former students martyred.

After being ransacked during the Napoleonic occupation in 1798, the college was reestablished in 1818 and continues its mission today, training around 30 seminarians and priests every year.

Visitor information

Public access to the Venerable English College is available exclusively through guided tours organised by Mirabilia Art Wonders. Tours are held every Saturday, in English at 10.30, and in Italian at 11.30.

The tours include the Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, the Refectory and the Chapel of the Martyrs, with special access to the Crypt and Roman road on designated Saturdays.

Tickets cost €12 and must be purchased in advance via the official website, www.artwonders.it.

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.

Luneur

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

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.

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.

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.

Cinecittà World

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

Hortis Urbis

Il Nido

Luneur

Rainbow Magicland

Zoomarine

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Testaccio

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

Tor Pignattara

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.

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.

Clockwise from top left: S. Maria di Shanghai by Mr Klevra (Big City Life), Nido di Vespe by Lucamaleonte, El Devinir by Liqen, Fish'n'Kids by Agostino Iacurci, MAGR by Seth.

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

Capitoline Museums

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

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

Museo Napoleonico

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

Galleria Colonna

Giorgio de Chirico House Museum

Keats-Shelley House

Museo storico della Liberazione

Palazzo Merulana

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

FROM VIENNA TO ROME

6 MARCH-5 JULY

The exhibition From Vienna to Rome: Habsburg Masterpieces from the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna will be held at Rome’s Museo del Corso, Palazzo Cipolla. Promoted by Fondazione Roma and curated by Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM) art historian Cäcilia Bischoff, the show presents more than 50 masterpieces from the prestigious imperial Austrian collections to the Italian public for the first time. The exhibition, which marks a historic cultural exchange between the KHM and Palazzo Cipolla, explores the cultural identity of the Habsburg dynasty through works commissioned or collected between the 16th and 18th centuries. It features an extraordinary “visual symphony” of European masters, including Peter Paul Rubens, Diego Velázquez, Jan Brueghel the Elder, Anthony van Dyck and Lucas Cranach. These works are displayed alongside paintings by Italian masters such as Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese, Arcimboldo and Orazio Gentileschi. A highlight of the exhibition is its architectural dialogue. A dedicated section explores the KHM’s monumental 19th-century building, designed by Gottfried Semper and Carl Hasenauer, drawing parallels with Antonio Cipolla, the architect of the Roman venue. The display also includes a rare selection from the Kunstkammer (Cabinet of Curiosities). This “chamber of wonders” showcases the intersection of natural beauty and human ingenuity, offering visitors a glimpse into the splendour and intellectual ambition that defined the Habsburg Empire. Palazzo Cipolla, Via del Corso 320, www.museodelcorso.com.

CONSTANTIN BRANCUSI: THE ORIGINS OF INFINITY

20 FEBRUARY-19 JULY

The Mercati di Traiano - Museo dei Fori Imperiali in Rome hosts

a landmark exhibition to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Romanian modernist master Constantin Brâncuși. Curated by Erwin Kessler, director of the National Museum of Art of Romania, the showcase is a central event of the Romania-Italy Cultural Year 2026. The exhibition offers an innovative reinterpretation of Brâncuși’s work by examining two

primary cultural pillars that shaped his revolutionary aesthetic including archaic Romanian influence. The artist’s roots in Oltenia provided the foundation for his “taille directe” (direct carving) method. By carving directly into wood or stone rather than outsourcing execution to artisans, Brâncuși embraced the authenticity of the craftsman. The exhibition features historical

Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velázquez - Infanta Margarita Teresa in a Blue Dress, collection Kunsthistorisches Museum.

Alessio Deli at Von Buren Contemporary.

modular wooden columns carved by anonymous peasants, illustrating the lineage of Brâncuși’s iconic Endless Column. Brâncuși’s formal training involved a deep study of ancient Roman sculpture. Works such as Torso and Head of a Boy demonstrate his ability to extract eternal, abstract essences from realistic figures, often presenting his original creations as if they were archaeological artefacts. The display also traces Brâncuși’s trajectory from symbolic figuration to extreme modernist abstraction. Notable masterpieces on view include Mademoiselle Pogany, the nearly abstract Prometheus, and the geometric Chair from the Table of Silence series. Trajan’s Markets, Via Quattro Novembre 94, www.mercatiditraiano.it.

ALESSIO DELI: DIGGING UP

14 FEBRUARY-10 MARCH

Rome gallery Von Buren Contemporary stages a solo exhibition by Italian sculptor Alessio Deli. Inspired by ancient Greek and Roman art, Deli presents a series of works ranging from sculpture and ceramics to painted wall panels and drawings. In Digging Up, he artist seeks to evoke the spirit of Pompeii, with creations dominated by the rich palette of reds, yellows and blues of the ruined city’s wall decorations. The ancient art forms unearthed by the artist at first glance seem familiar but on closer examination reveal contemporary twists. The gallery says that visitors will recognise in Deli’s paintings “reinterpretations of the colourful Ancient Roman wall paintings known as grotesques, while his Gradiva sculptures hark back to a 1903 novella by the German writer Wilhelm Jensen whose hero falls in love with a Roman bas-relief of a walking woman”. Born in Marino near Rome in 1981, Deli graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Carrara. His sculptures are found in many permanent collections in Rome and across Italy. See cover of this edition. Von Buren Contemporary, Via Giulia 13, www.vonburencontemporary.com.

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 offers “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 also reunites marble masterpieces sculpted by Bernini, Giuliano Finelli and Francesco Mochi, now dispersed in public and private collections. There is 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 is displayed alongside its companion piece by Andrea Sacchi (both works are exceptional loans from the National Gallery in London). Drawings, engravings and models 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.

Bernini e Barberini. Photo Alberto Novelli.

AMIR ZAINORIN: GRAVITY OF THE WALL

5 FEB-12 APRIL

The Museo delle Mura in Rome presents Gravity of the Wall, a solo exhibition by Malaysian-Danish artist Amir Zainorin. Curated by Camilla Boemio, the show utilises the museum’s historic towers and corridors to explore themes of migration, identity and resilience through a dialogue between contemporary art and ancient architecture. The site-specific installations are designed to reflect on boundaries as both physical and emotional conditions. Key works include The Weight of Lightness: Located in one of the towers, this piece uses handmade paper from recycled atlases and gauze to contrast the fragility of human geography with the solid stone of the museum. Rhythm of Identity: A participatory “cultural laboratory” featuring kompang (Malaysian frame drums) made from wood and repurposed X-ray films. Visitors are encouraged to play the drums, creating a shared soundscape that blends personal memory with cultural history. Boot-ed: A pair of worn boots containing a cactus and an orchid, symbolising the tension between survival and surrender, as well as the lived experience of migration. Color Theory: Situated along the museum’s ancient walkway, this installation wraps stone columns in brightly coloured bandages, evoking themes of injury, care and protection

within a defensive structure. Free entry, Monday closed. Museo delle Mura, Via di Porta San Sebastiano 18, www.museodellemuraroma.it.

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 selfportrait 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 participatory 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 Giam-

Zanabazar alla Galleria Borghese. Dalla Mongolia al Barocco Globale - Installation view. Photo: A. Benedetti © Galleria Borghese.

Franco Battiato exhibition at MAXXI. Photo: Alessio Pizzicannella © Fondazione Franco Battiato.

metti 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 Capitoline 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.

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 illuminate 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.

Palazzo Bonaparte, Piazza Venezia 5, www.mostrepalazzobonaparte.it.

Valkyrie VENUS by Joana Vasconcelos. Photo courtesy of PM23 | FVG Services srl.

CLASSICAL

ACCADEMIA NAZIONALE DI SANTA CECILIA

The March 2026 programme at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia features a diverse lineup of world-class conductors and soloists.

QUATUOR EBENE

4 MARCH

The renowned Quatuor Ébène performs a selection of Beethoven’s works in the Sinopoli Hall.

TEODOR CURRENTZIS / YUJA WANG

5-7 MARCH

Conductor Teodor Currentzis leads the orchestra alongside pianist Yuja Wang for a challenging program featuring Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 13 “Babi Yar”.

VIKINGUR OLAFSSON

11 MARCH

Acclaimed pianist Víkingur Ólafsson takes the stage in the Santa Cecilia Hall for a solo performance.

opera

The Teatro dell’Opera di Roma presents a diverse and compelling schedule for March 2026, featuring a blend of world-class opera, baroque orchestral music, and modern ballet across its historic venues. The month begins with the continuation of Lucia Ronchetti’s Inferno, which concludes its run at the Teatro Costanzi on 7 March. Running concurrently at the opera house is Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos, scheduled from 1-10 March. This production brings Strauss’s sophisticated “operawithin-an-opera” to the Roman

DANIEL HARDING / DANIIL TRIFONOV

12-14 MARCH

Director Daniel Harding conducts the orchestra with star pianist Daniil Trifonov, performing Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7.

JUNIORCHESTRA

22 MARCH

The JuniOrchestra performs a special charity concert in the Santa Cecilia Hall to support the Policlinico.

SIR JOHN ELIOT GARDINER AND ALESSANDRO TAVERNA

26-28 March

Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducts a program of Schumann, Prokofiev (Piano Concerto No. 3 with Alessandro Taverna) and Sibelius’s Symphony No. 5.

GRIGORY SOKOLOV

30 MARCH

The legendary pianist Grigory Sokolov closes the month with a highly anticipated recital in the Santa Cecilia Hall.

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.

stage, showcasing the composer’s unique blend of slapstick comedy and high-stakes drama.

Music enthusiasts can also enjoy a specialised concert on 5 March titled Alla corte dei re di Francia: Musiche per Versailles. This performance features works by JeanBaptiste Lully, Marin Marais and Jean-Philippe Rameau, transporting the audience to the grandeur of the French royal court. The latter half of the month shifts the spotlight to dance with a highly anticipated triple bill. From 1722 March, the Teatro Costanzi will host a ballet programme featuring choreography by three titans of the contemporary dance world: John Neumeier, Itzik Galili (sub-

stituting for Godani), and Benjamin Millepied.

Teatro Costanzi, Piazza Beniamino Gigli, www.operaroma.it.

Santa Cecilia music director Daniel Harding. Photo credit: Musacchio & Ianniello.

Poster for Neumeier / Galili / Millepied at Teatro dell’Opera di Roma.

CULTURE NEWS

COLOSSEUM INSTALLS NEW PAVING

Rome’s Colosseum is putting the finishing touches to a major restyling project designed to evoke the ancient arena’s southern outer ring, missing for centuries. The €2.2 million project, which replaces the sampietrini cobblestones with massive slabs of travertine, began just over a year ago and has been overseen by the Parco Archeologico del Colosseo. The work concerns the southern side of the monument between the Valadier spur and the Stern spur (two brick buttresses built in the 19th century to stabilise the Colosseum) in the area between the Arch of Constantine and Via Celio Vibenna.

While the northern façade of the Colosseum remains largely intact, the southern outer ring collapsed – most significantly during the great earthquake of 1349, before the remains were pillaged – leaving the monument lopsided and its original elliptical boundary obscured. The completed project, set to be inaugurated by Easter, aims to address this missing structure by laying travertine paving in the exact location where the outer wall once stood. This physical and visual guide to the Colosseum’s original geometry will allow visitors to perceive the full scale of the amphitheatre as it existed in the first century AD. The choice of travertine is both symbolic and historical: the original Colosseum was constructed using more than 100,000 cubic metres of this durable limestone, quarried from nearby Tivoli. By using the same material for the new ground-level paving, the archaeological park creates a material continuity between the ancient structure and the ground. The paving follows years of excavations, begun in 2022, that brought to light the original 2,000-yearold travertine foundation blocks and the “skeleton” of the southern ambulatories. The new slabs are placed at the original Roman ground level, replacing a 2000s-era platform of sampietrini that sat higher than the ancient surface.

The project also transforms the area into a more functional public space, with travertine blocks to serve as seating, placed in correspondence with the original pillars that once supported the monument’s outer ring. “All the work

done so far is reversible and made with innovative, specially patented materials,” Simone Quilici, director of Parco Archeologico del Colosseo, told newspaper La Repubblica. The project, whose progress has been documented in videos by Wanted in Rome over the past year, has received little media attention until mid-February. The works, which are not visible to passing motorists on Via Celio Vibenna, seem to have gone largely unnoticed by many Romans whose reaction to the project on social media in recent days has been decidedly mixed. Critics claim the new look is “too modern”, lacks greenery, and “looks like a cemetery”. Others have applauded the Colosseum archaeological park for restoring a footprint that was lost for centuries.

TUSK SNAPPED OFF BERNINI ELEPHANT

Rome’s Elephant and Obelisk sculpture designed by Italian Baroque master Gian Lorenzo Bernini was found to be missing the tip of its right tusk on the night of 16 February. The marble tusk from the 17th-century elefantino was discovered at the base of the sculpture in the central Piazza della Minerva, just steps away from the Pantheon. Investigators have been studying video surveillance footage to determine whether the breakage was a deliberate act of vandalism or the result of wear and tear. Crucially, the broken fragment remained in situ, which experts from the capitoline superintendency believe will facilitate a more effective restoration process. The piece is believed to be part of a 1977 restoration and not original to the statue. Commissioned by Pope Alexander VII and unveiled in 1667, the monuments features an Egyptian obelisk from the 6th century BC mounted on the back of a marble elephant.

“It is unacceptable that the nation’s artistic and cultural heritage should once again suffer such grave damage”, Italy’s culture minister Alessandro Giuli said in a statement, pledging that cultural authorities would restore the sculpture, “one of the most significant symbols of the capital, struck by an absurd act of barbarity.” The incident occurred just days after the inauguration of a blockbuster exhibition dedicated to Bernini at the Palazzo Barberini. The monument suffered a near-identical injury 10 years ago when the tip of its left tusk was broken off. At that time, the restoration was completed swiftly but the incident exposed vulnerabilities in the city’s surveillance network.

Andy Devane

New paving outside Colosseum. Photo Artribune.

Bernini’s elephant with damaged tusk.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

By Kate Zagorski

GNOCCHI ALLA ROMANA

The Roman take on gnocchi is a far cry from the pillowy potato dumplings usually associated with the name. Golden medallions made of semolina our, milk, butter and parmesan are layered, covered with more butter and cheese, and baked in the oven until crisp to create a soul-nourishing bowl of comfort.

Interestingly, the use of ingredients such as butter and parmesan rather than the local Lazio olive oil and pecorino cheese, suggests that there was a northern in uence on the recipe’s origins, perhaps from Piemonte, but nowadays, as the name con rms, the dish has earned its deserved place in the catalogue of cucina romana.

The dough is simple and, as it needs time to cool in the fridge, can be made in advance. The basic recipe calls for the gnocchi to be covered with butter and parmesan before baking but the version below takes it a step further by also using fresh sage and garlic (if desired) to add extra avour and aroma.

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

250g semolina our 125g butter

1 litre milk

2 egg yolks

140g parmesan, grated 1 bunch fresh sage

1 clove garlic (optional) Salt

Nutmeg

• Heat the milk in a saucepan along with 25g of the butter, a pinch of salt and a generous grating of nutmeg. Once the milk begins to boil, gradually add the semolina our, whisking continuously to avoid any lumps forming. Keep stirring the mixture over a low heat for a few minutes until it begins to thicken. Remove from the heat and stir in the egg yolks with a spoon. Add 100g of the parmesan and mix well until everything is combined.

• Pour the mixture onto a sheet of baking paper, divide into two and roll each piece with your ngers to form two long cylinders about 5cm wide. Roll each piece separately in baking paper and place in the fridge for at least half an hour to cool completely. When you are ready to bake the gnocchi, heat the oven to 200°C and grease a baking dish.

• Take the cylinders out of the fridge, remove the baking paper and use a sharp, wet knife to cut them into circular medallions about 1cm thick. Meanwhile heat the remaining butter in a small saucepan with a few fresh sage leaves and a whole clove of garlic (if desired). Once the butter has melted and infused, discard the garlic leaving the sage leaves.

• Layer the gnocchi all over the base of the baking dish, overlapping them slightly. Pour the sage butter all over the surface of the gnocchi, sprinkle over the remaining parmesan and top with a few more fresh sage leaves.

• Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the top is golden and crispy. Serve immediately.

The best cheap seafood in rome

It’s difficult to dine out on a delicious fish supper without breaking the bank, which is why we have put together this list of five small osterie and trattorie that serve high quality and fairly priced fish dishes.

S. LORENZO

DA FRANCO AR VICOLETTO

At Franco al Vicoletto in S. Lorenzo you can enjoy simple fresh fish dishes. There’s a set menu costing between €25 to €30 or you can order from the à la carte menu. The ‘Tiberio’ menu starting at €25 includes a mixed seafood salad, sautéed mussels and clams, fried vegetables and anchovies with octopus, a mixed fish grill, lemon sorbet and a quarter of a litre of house wine.

TRASTEVERE

PEPPO AL COSIMATO

Peppo al Cosimato serves traditional peasant fish recipes. The eatery opened on Via Natale del Grande in 2017 under the former owners of Caffè Perù. Among the dishes on offer, you can enjoy bruschette with marinated anchovies and mackerel (€3), lasagne with cuttlefish (€10), and the catch of the day (€14). It’s a large restaurant with an outdoor terrace.

PIGNETO

LA SANTERIA DI MARE

This locally named ‘pizzicheria di pesce' (fish delicatessen) in Pigneto has a laid back, retro feel. We highly recommend the fish pagnotelle (small round loaves) for €10 and the greater amberjack fish alla cacciatore for €12.

TORMARANCIA

LA VONGOLA VORACE

This small trattoria serving fish in Tormarancia offers, among many dishes, a fish trio (panzanella salad with shell fish, cured salmon and marinated anchovies) and pici (pasta) with clams for €10.

APPIO AND BARBERINI

LA PESCERIA RE DI ROMA E BARBERINI

This fantastic fishmonger has both a small restaurant and a street food stall. You choose your preferred fish at the bar and then sit down to eat. The spaghetti alle vongole for €12.50, fried calamari for €10.50 and fish balls for €9.50 come highly recommended.

www.puntarellarossa.it

Da Franco Ar Vicoletto, Via Dei Falisci 2, tel. 064957675.

La Santeria di Mare, Via Del Pigneto 209, tel. 0689230730.

Peppo al Cosimato, Via Natale del Grande 9, tel. 065812048.

La Vongola Vorace, Largo Luigi Antonelli 15, tel. 0631055314.

La Pesceria Re di Roma, Via Appia 234, tel. 3938834361.

La Pesceria Barberini, Via di S. Nicola da Tolentino 23, tel. 0642903789.

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

Wanted in Rome - March 2026

EDITORIALS

MISCELLANY WHAT'S ON

CONTENTS

HOW ROME’S CULTURE SCENE IS EVOLVING: WHAT’S NEW IN 2026

KEY CHANGES ON THE ROMAN CULTURAL LANDSCAPE

Free city museums for residents

City of Arts

MACRO reopens

Looking to the future

March concerts

Lifestyle

BEST THINGS TO DO IN ROME IN MARCH

GUIDE TO WHAT’S ON IN ROME THIS MONTH

Running in Rome

Six Nations Rugby

Beware the Ides of March

Lifestyle

St Patrick’s Day

Classical music, opera and theatre

Festivals in Rome

Exhibitions in Rome

VENERABLE ENGLISH COLLEGE OPENS CRYPT TO PUBLIC Religion

VISITORS CAN ACCESS MEDIAEVAL CRYPT AND ANCIENT ROMAN ROAD

Crypt and the Crucifixion

A

of the Venerable English College

Visitor information

ROME'S MAJOR MUSEUMS

VATICAN MUSEUMS

PRIVATE MUSEUMS

PRIVATE MUSEUMS

ROME’S

MOST ACTIVE AND CONTEMPORARY

ART GALLERIES

where to go in Rome WHAT’S ON

EXHIBITIONS

FROM VIENNA TO ROME

CONSTANTIN BRANCUSI: THE ORIGINS OF INFINITY

ALESSIO DELI: DIGGING UP

BERNINI E BARBERINI

JUNE

AMIR ZAINORIN: GRAVITY OF THE WALL

FRANCO BATTIATO: UN’ALTRA VITA

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

VENUS: VALENTINO GARAVANI THROUGH THE EYES OF JOANA VASCONCELOS

IMPRESSIONISM AND BEYOND 4 DEC-3 MAY

LA GRECIA A ROMA

VILLE E GIARDINI: UNA CORONA DI DELIZIE

CARTIER AND MYTHS

14 NOV-15 MARCH

TREASURES OF THE PHARAOHS

24 OCT-3 MAY

CLASSICAL

ACCADEMIA NAZIONALE DI SANTA CECILIA

QUATUOR EBENE

VIKINGUR OLAFSSON

opera

DANIEL HARDING / DANIIL TRIFONOV

JUNIORCHESTRA

SIR JOHN ELIOT GARDINER AND ALESSANDRO TAVERNA

CULTURE NEWS

COLOSSEUM INSTALLS NEW PAVING

TUSK SNAPPED OFF BERNINI ELEPHANT

MUSIC THE A TRE CINEMA VENUES

TRE MUSIC THEATRE CINEMA DANCE OPERA classical cinema

cinema

dance opera

dance opera

rock pop

rock pop

theatre

GNOCCHI ALLA ROMANA

Ingredients

Nutmeg

The best cheap seafood in rome

Associations

Books

Religious

Support groups