Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
One of the pleasures of Rome is seeing a performance in one of the city's stunning venues, ancient or modern. This is the city where you might experience classical opera performed in the 3rd-century-AD Terme di Caracalla, or enjoy an experimental dance show in the postindustrial detergent factory Teatro India, or see a contemporary performance at the Renzo Piano–designed Auditorium Parco della Musica.
In summertime, most of the performing arts events move outdoors–-any public space is fair game. Keep an eye on the Estate Romana www.estateromana.comune.roma.it to find out what's happening in Rome on any night of the week. There is enough entertainment in Rome to take your breath away, in any season and in any location.
The company at this theater, a far younger sibling of La Scala in Milan and La Fenice in Venice, commands an audience during its mid-November–May season. In the hot summer months, it moves to the Terme di Caracalla for an outdoor opera series. As you might expect, the oft-preferred performance is Aida, for its spectacle, which once included real elephants. The company has lately taken a new direction, using projections atop the ancient ruins to create cutting-edge sets.
In summer, the 3rd-century-AD Baths of Caracalla are the spectacular backdrop for the Teatro dell'Opera's ballet and opera series. Aida is the most sought-after performance, thanks to its melodramatic flair and amazing props. The impressive productions keep the traditional sonatas and musical numbers untouched while incorporating contemporary elements into each show, including stage design that sometimes uses projections atop the ancient ruins.
