Rome Event Calendar

Winter

Dec. 8

This is the day of the Festa dell'Immacolata Concezione (Feast of the Immaculate Conception), when Rome's fire department replaces the garland atop the statue of the Virgin Mary in Piazza di Spagna and the pope comes to pay his respects.

Mid-Dec.

Rome's opera season begins.

Late Dec.

Presepi (Christmas crèches) go on display in many churches; some of them are antique and quite elaborate. They often remain into the new year.

Dec. 24 & 25

Natale (Christmas) is very much a family holiday in Rome. There are no public celebrations other than solemn religious rites, beginning on Christmas Eve; these are especially beautiful in the city's older churches and in St. Peter's Basilica, where the pope officiates both at midnight mass and at the late-morning mass on Christmas Day before imparting his blessing to the faithful in the square (for tickets for the basilica mass, fax the Pretfettura della Casa Pontificia at 06/6988-5863). Rome has more churches per square foot than any other city in the world. A Christmas service in one of the city's ancient places of worship is not to be missed.

Dec. 31

To celebrate New Year's Eve, San Silvestro, the city mounts a free concert and fireworks in the Piazza del Popolo. A concert is also held on the Quirnale Hill.

Jan. 5 & 6

On the eve of Epifania (Epiphany Celebrations), Piazza Navona's toy fair finishes with much noise and rowdiness to encourage Befana, an old woman who brings toys to good children and pieces of coal (represented by similar-looking candy) to the naughty.

Feb.

Carnivale celebrations reach a peak of masquerading fun on the Sunday and Tuesday before Lent begins. On the evening of Martedí Grasso (Mardi Gras) many restaurants hold special carnival parties -- you'll need to make reservations well in advance.

Late Feb.-early Mar.

Watch for the Settimana Beni Culturali (Museum Week), a week of cultural heritage when museums and archaeological sites are free.

Spring

Mar. & Apr.

Pasqua (Easter) is the big event of the season, preceded by the solemn rites of Holy Week, or Settimana Santa, in which the pope takes an active part www.vatican.va. Concerts of sacred music abound in churches all around town. The Good Friday procession of the Stations of the Cross, led by the pope near the Colosseum, is both moving and spectacular. The Monday after Easter, known as Pasquetta, is a holiday and traditionally a day for an outing into the country. This is one of the busiest weeks of the year in Rome; make reservations well in advance.

Late Apr.

The Piazza di Spagna bursts into bloom, with the Spanish Steps covered by azaleas. Nearby, Via Margutta holds an outdoor art show.

May

The Primo Maggio outdoor concert extravaganza is a blast organized by Italy's biggest labor unions. Held on Piazza di San Giovanni in Laterano on May 1, this free concert attracts hundreds of thousands. The Festival Internazionale delle Letterature hosts some of the world's great writers in outdoor readings in the fabled setting of the Basilica of Maxentius. Last year, Salman Rushie, Jonathan Safran Foer, and Amos Oz participated. An antiques fair is held in the beautiful old Via dei Coronari in Old Rome. Shops stay open late and the street is lighted by torches. Don't expect to find many bargains among the seductive antiques shops. The fair is repeated in October. In late May, the Federazione Italiana Tennis (Italian International Tennis Tournament, Viale Tiziano 74. 06/36858510) is held at the Foro Italico.

Summer

June & July

In June and July there are concerts of classical, jazz, and ethnic music every Wednesday evening in the gardens of Villa Mazzanti on the hill of Monte Mario northwest of the Vatican.

June-Aug.

Movie buffs can choose from half a dozen film festivals in the summer -- the most interesting being the Massenzio in the Parco dell'Appia Antica, the L'Isola del Cinema on the Gianicolo Hill near Trastevere, and the outdoor screenings on the Tiber Island. Consult local magazine listings for details.

June-Sept.

The Estate Romana program, sponsored by several of the national academies in the city, consists of outdoor concerts, plays, and movies throughout the city at such venues as the Baths of Caracalla and church cloisters www.estateromana.it. Check with the local tourist office for schedules. The Jazz & Image series brings together hot-cool players for 9 PM concerts in the beautifully illuminated gardens of the Villa Celimontana, near the Colosseum, during the summer months.

June 23

On the eve of the Festa di San Giovanni (Feast of St. John the Baptist, June 24) the neighborhood of San Giovanni bursts with festive activities, mainly gastronomic.

June 29

The Festa di San Pietro (Feast of St. Peter), patron saint of Rome, is marked by solemn celebrations in St. Peter's Basilica, when the interior of the church is ablaze with light, and by showy fireworks over the Aventine Hill.

July-August

Ballet, opera, and concert lovers can take in the Festival EuroMediterraneo performances at the ancient Roman Villa Adriana in Tivoli, outside Rome. To get here, use the special bus that leaves from Via Marsala at 7 PM on event days. The famous opera performances in the Baths of Caracalla are presented by Rome's Teatro dell'Opera www.opera.roma.it.

Mid-July

The Cosmophonies music festival hosts grand concerts in the amphitheater in Ostia Antica during July www.cosmophonies.com. The Festa di Noantri in Trastevere combines religious processions with concerts of traditional Roman music and a sidewalk fair.

Aug. 5

The Festa della Madonna della Neve (Feast of the Madonna of the Snow) is marked in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore by a high mass, during which white rose petals are thrown to represent the miraculous August snowfall that indicated where the church should be built.

Aug. 15

Ferragosto marks the height of the summer vacation period. Most shops, restaurants, and museums are closed; public transport is at a minimum; and the city is the quietest it will ever be. There are special celebrations in the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere.

Fall

Sept.

The Enzimi festival hosts the newest talents in the arts -- for Italians, tomorrow's stars are often born here.

Mid-June-Oct.

The French Academy at Villa Medici holds a festival of performing arts called RomaEuropa (www.romaeuropa.net). It's Rome's biggest international arts festival. The curtain rises in June, but most of the main events are in September and October.

Late Sept.-early Oct.

A Mercatino di Via dell'Orso (Handicrafts Fair) in Rome brings torchlight, street stalls, and animation to Via dell'Orso.

Early Oct.

In the Alban Hills southeast of Rome, Marino's La Sagra dell'Uva (Grape Harvest Festival) features parades and fountains spouting wine.

Oct.

Look for the fall version of the semiannual antiques fair on Via dei Coronari in Old Rome.