"If it is really decided to reopen the museums and if Lazio is confirmed in the yellow zone, we are ready with our strategic plan for the reopening," Alfonsina Russo, director of the Parco archeologico del Colosseo, said today.

"The Colosseum is well prepared to welcome the public again from Saturday 16 January," Russo told reporters this morning on the sidelines of the presentation of the archaeological park's 2021 programme of activities.

Russo also said that to celebrate the expected reopening of the Colosseum, a concert by the young students of the Accademia di S. Cecilia is planned in the arena of the ancient amphitheatre at midday on 16 January.

Russo's comments came after Italy's health minister Roberto Speranza said that museums in the 'yellow zone' regions could reopen from 16 January under Italy's imminent new emergency decree relating to the covid-19 crisis.

Italy plans to construct a new Colosseum floor to allow visitors to enjoy views from the amphitheatre's centre and to host high-level cultural events.  Italy's culture ministry has launched an €18.5 million tender to rebuild the arena floor of the Colosseum, rendering it the way it was until being fully exposed about a century ago.

"It will be a major technological intervention that will offer visitors the opportunity not only to see the underground, as today, but to contemplate the beauty of the Colosseum from the centre of the arena," stated culture minister Dario Franceschini.

The "compatible and reversible" floor would "allow the public to fully understand the use and function of this icon of the ancient world, also through cultural events of the highest level," reads the statement on the culture ministry website.

In the days of imperial Rome, the sand-covered wooden arena floor was built over the network of tunnels and cells where animals and gladiators were caged before contests began.

The idea of rebuilding the Colosseum arena was launched in 2014 by the archaeologist Daniele Manacorda and was strongly supported by Franceschini who tweeted at the time: "All that is needed is a bit of courage."

Now it would appear that both the courage and funding are there. The call for tenders is open until 1 February and works are expected to start in 2021.

Rome Christmas music project is titled 'Let's pretend everything is all right.'

Rome's mayor Virginia Raggi has announced a plan to raise the city's spirits this Christmas: a double decker bus of musicians who will take a musical tour of the capital.

The open top music bus will travel around Rome, in the centre and the suburbs, on 22, 23 and 30 December and 4 January, from 04:30p.m-6:30p.m.

The musicians from the Orchestra Popolare Italiana will play traditional Christmas songs as well as songs in tribute to Rino Gaetano, Gabriella Ferri and Franco Califano.

"This year we need to experience the holidays with even more joy and serenity and to look to the future with confidence and optimism," said Raggi.

Rome’s Mausoleum of Augustus will reopen to the public on 1 March 2021 following a major restoration funded principally by Italian telecommunications company TIM.

Describing it as an "historic day for Rome and for the world," the reopening was announced by the city's mayor Virginia Raggi during a press conference at the nearby Ara Pacis museum on 18 December.

Raggi said that from 1 March until 21 April, Rome's birthday or Natale di Roma, the site will be free to all visitors, with online reservations open from 21 December via the Mausoleo di Augusto website.

The monumental tomb of Rome's first emperor is destined to become a major draw for tourists, following decades of abandonment, and Raggi said that after 21 April it will remain free to visit for residents of Rome for all of 2021.

In addition to more than €6 million in sponsorship from TIM, the restoration of the 13,000-sqm mausoleum was funded with around €4 million from the city and Italy's culture ministry.

The works, which began five years ago under the administration of former mayor Ignazio Marino, will also see the gradual pedestrianisation of the surrounding area and the relocation of the existing bus terminus.

A brief history of the Mausoleum of Augustus

Constructed in 28 BC, the mausoleum is the capital’s largest circular tomb and has been closed to the public for much of the last 80 years, with access stopped completely in 2007. The structure was used as a concert hall in the late 19th- and early 20th century and narrowly escaped demolition by Mussolini in the late 1930s. Over the years the monument has been the subject of numerous stalled renovation projects, one of which would have seen it ready in 2014 in time to mark the 2,000th anniversary of the death of Augustus. The mausoleum is located in Piazza Augusto Imperatore, alongside Via Ripetta and Richard Meiers’ Ara Pacis museum, which contains Augustus’s Altare della Pace, to commemorate the peace created by the emperor.

The entire Vatican City has been recreated in Lego, containing an astonishing 67,000 pieces, by the world-renowned Italian Lego artist and architect Rocco Buttliere.

With a scale of 1:650, the highly-detailed model took Buttliere 500 hours to design and a further 300 hours to build.

The Lego Vatican measures 131cm x 273cm and includes 1,300 pieces created specially.

Buttliere, who in the past has made models of Imperial Rome, has replicated everything from the Vatican Museums and Gardens to St Peter's Square and Basilica.

The Vatican is scheduled to illuminate its 2020 Christmas tree and Nativity scene in St Peter's Square at 16.30 on Friday 11 December, in a ceremony held in compliance with covid-19 regulations.

The monumental Nativity scene, donated by the Abruzzo town of Castelli, will feature ceramic figures, while the Christmas tree, a 28m-high spruce, will come from Kočevje in Slovenia, reports Vatican News.

The Christmas tree and Nativity scene will remain on display throughout the festive season, until 10 January 2021.

This year the Vatican will stream Pope Francis' Christmas liturgies, which will be offered without public participation, reports Catholic News Agency (CNA).

The layout of Rome in the early 15th century was still determined by its mediaeval shape. It was only thanks to the urban planning policies of the great 15th-century popes that the city began to take on the Renaissance form that is still partly visible today.

There is a close relationship between the main thoroughfares of the Renaissance and the current street plan of Rome’s historic centre. Its very survival is an invitation to explore these streets which still retain their architectural styles, as well as the urban and social functions of that great season of Renaissance Rome, and still influences the daily life and the needs of today’s city.

It was in the second half of the 15th century that the appearance and concept of Rome changed, beginning with its main centres: Borgo on one side and the planned and new Renaissance quarter on the other. It marked the start of the urban planning which was to shape the historic city that we can recognise today.

Borgo, traditionally a pilgrim destination because of the tomb of St Peter, was described in the late 15th century as a devastated and abandoned area. It is said that the very Romans “dared not go to the basilica for fear of being crushed by teetering buildings. Packs of ravenous wolves broke in close to the Vatican in winter.”

Repopulated, saved from degradation and finally connected to the rest of the city, in the first years of the 16th century this zone became a vital residential area of Rome with the creation of a street system of great beauty which remained almost intact up to the the opening of Via della Conciliazione in 20th century, which distorted much of the original street layout.

The Renaissance quarter, particularly in the Ponte and Parione districts, appears today far more faithful to its 16th-century splendour. Once the situation in Borgo had been improved, the citadel and its basilica had to be connected to the “historic” city. At that time there was only one bridge linking this quarter to the other bank of the Tiber: the Ponte degli Angeli.

Precisely because it was the only bridge, it played a role in the tragic event of the 1450 Jubilee, when many people were crushed by the crowds or drowned in the Tiber under the great throng of pilgrims and horses.

Beyond the bridge, from the street called Canale del Ponte, began the city’s main thoroughfares, Via Peregrinorum, Via Papalis and Via Recta, along with the opening of the new Tor di Nona ordered by Sixtus IV and thus called Sistina di Ponte. These were veritable itineraries which, fanned out from the same point, crossing the Renaissance quarter and its districts: the vital centre of Rome, the city of bankers, artisans and merchants.

The expression “Via” had a much wider meaning in the 15th century than it does today: indicating routes made up of several streets or roads. Thus we can see in today’s Via dei Banchi Vecchi, Via del Pellegrino and Via di Monserrato the outline of the Via Peregrinorum, the name derived from the pilgrims who trod it. Via del Pellegrino was perhaps the most beautiful. It was lined by splendid palaces and hosted a large number of shops and workshops, especially those of goldsmiths, such that it was still called “Via degli Orefici” as was “Via Florida” up to the 15th century.

This route must have coincided partly with the Via Mercatoria, a particularly important route because it joined Campo dei Fiori with Ponte S. Angelo. It stretched from today’s Via del Pellegrino to Via dei Giubbonari, a residential zone for foreign legations as well as a commerical area, and crossed Campo de’ Fiori, in those days a vital centre of the city thanks to its important market. As its name suggests, Via Mercatoria followed a route through Rome’s commercial areas, as far as the districts of S. Angelo, Regola and Parione, whose streets invoke the ancient trades that were once located there: Via dei Leutari, Via dei Cappellari, Via dei Giubbonari, Via dei Chiavari or Via dei Baullari.

The outline of Via dei Banchi Nuovi and Via del Governo Vecchio corresponded to the Via Papalis, so named because it marked the traditional route taken by the pope during festivities and religious ceremonies. The road connected the Lateran to the Vatican, passing through the Canale di Ponte and then through Via del Governo Vecchio, Largo Argentina, the Campidoglio and the Colosseum.

Popes did not always follow the same route, but – apart from a few deviations – they would always choose the mercantile streets for ceremonial and also representative purposes. It was here that the market of Piazza Navona was born in 1477 under Sixtus IV, becoming the “third urban pole”.

The Via Recta corresponded to today’s Via dei Coronari, the first straight street in the city guaranteeing direct access to the Vatican for pilgrims.

This was also the longest route, as it passed through the Ponte and Campo Marzio districts along Via delle Coppelle, Via del Collegio Capranico and Via di Colonna. The last stretch of the road as far as Via Panico was known as “imago Ponte” for one of Rome’s most important wayside shrines. This street was totally dedicated to crafts, as well as to pilgrimage and the spin-off market it produced. Thanks to the concentration of sellers of wreaths and religious articles, it was a sales point for sacred wares, as well as being a main thoroughfare.

There was also Via di Tordinona or Sistina di Ponte, which is now much narrower because of the embankments built along the Tiber after the floods of 1888. We should not forget the urban utopia of Via Giulia, the well-known architectural feat of Julius II and Bramante, giving pilgrims coming from Trastevere and heading for the Vatican a new and splendid route.

In spite of some demolition work and the opening of Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, much of the street system and its original appearance are still visible today. This brief list shows how much of the original layout of the Rome of the popes – much of which still survives today – was dictated by the demands for access by pilgrims.

Rome’s richness is due also to its earlier beauty, but in this case it is not isolated in its ruins or on display in museums. There is instead a fusion of past and present, a continuing function and traffic system, a close connection between the urban demands of two societies totally separated by the passage of time, which renders any one of these streets a witness to change, but also to continuity. Knowing that the same streets were trodden by visitors and Romans centuries ago helps one integrate the ancient with contemporary city and gain a better understanding of the concepts at the origins of its creation. These streets represent far-off memories, ancient and present-day aspects, which make the journey toward St Peter even richer and more precious.

Christmas magic in Piazza Navona in 2020.

Rome's "Befana" Christmas market in Piazza Navona is cancelled this year, due to covid-19, but there will still be some colourful festive magic.

The city will illuminate the three historic fountains in the piazza with light shows each night for the duration of the Christmas season.

The fountains will be lit up later today, 8 December, on the occasion of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a Catholic holy day and national public holiday in Italy.

Rome mayor Virginia Raggi will also switch on the 100,000 lights on the city's "Spelacchio" Christmas treein Piazza Venezia, at 17.45 this evening.

Plan to make Rome's river navigable "like in other European capitals"

An ambitious plan to "restore the navigability" of the river Tiber, using electric boats to ferry tourists to and from the centre of the capital, has been presented jointly by Italy's transport ministry and the city of Rome.

The proposal, which would require funding of €300 million from Italy's Recovery Fund to cover infrastructural works from reclamation to docking, requires approval from the EU.

The plan is to make the Tevere navigable with electric boats from the river's mouth to the northern edge of the capital, including the entire urban stretch, according to local media reports.

The roughly 60-km route will be designed to carry the "nearly two million cruise passengers who arrive in Lazio every year," between the tourist port of Fiumicino and the heart of the capital.

Describing it as a "unique itinerary" that would give a much-needed boost to tourism and culture, mayor Virginia Raggi said: "We want Rome, as is the case in other European capitals such as Paris, Vienna and Budapest, to have its river navigable by electric boats available to citizens and tourists."

The plan, which updates previous abandoned attempts over previous decades, would see the city "exploit the river to its full potential" says Raggi, who is seeking a second term as Rome mayor.

Giotto's Nativity scenes will be projected onto the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi each evening during the festive season

Over the Christmas season the Umbrian town of Assisi will project images of Giotto's Nativity frescoes onto the façade of the Basilica of S. Francesco, each evening from 6 December.

Titled Il Natale di Francesco (The Christmas of Francis), the project will beam Giotto's Nativity scenes onto the exterior of the basilica dedicated to Italy's patron saint, as well as on other landmarks around the pilgrimage town.

The video projections will also include the Cathedral of S. Rufino, the Basilica of S. Chiara, and the town's two fortresses, Monte Frumentario and Torre Civica, reports online art newspaper Finestre sull'Arte.

In addition, a statue of a nurse will be placed in front of the Basilica di S. Francesco, in homage to Italy's health workers for their heroic efforts during the covid-19 emergency, with video mapping and plays of light illuminating the streets of the ancient town.

Each evening, from 5:00p.m to 10:00p.m, every 30 minutes Giotto's Nativity will be switched off and in its place a video mapping show will offer views of the basilica's interior.

Father Enzo Fortunato, press director of the Sacred Convent of Assisi, told Finestre sull'Arte that the project would offer "a special Christmas that will relive the Franciscan spirit precisely in the Nativity scene invented by the saint of Assisi.

No trips, but a trip out of town or a walk in the parks is always possible. Here are the tips from RomaToday to experience the Immaculate Conception

A ride through the alleys of the center, with a stop in one of the Roman restaurants (open until 6 pm), a walk in the parks and Roman villas, a bike ride along the cycle paths that now allow you to reach the historic center from many districts From Rome. A trip to discover the best of Roman street art or, again, a pleasant trip out of town to discover the most beautiful villages in Lazio.

Even without Christmas markets and villages, to which we had all become accustomed at this time of year, December - and the Immaculate Conception in this specific case - is the ideal time to go to the discovery of magical, characteristic villages, rich in history and natural beauty a few kilometers from Rome. From Saturday 5 to Monday 8 December, the destinations we suggest are: Greccio, for its spirituality and the evocative atmosphere that you breathe here, Torre Alfina, because its tower will make you dream, Calcata, to immerse yourself in alleys, shops and magical legends.

With or without a guide, a walk to discover the urban art of the capital is always worthwhile and the Immaculate Conception weekend could be an opportunity to indulge in this artistic, creative, colorful and full of strong messages interlude. From Tor Marancia to Ostiense, from Tor Pignattara to Tufello, there is a whole world of street art to discover in the Roman neighborhoods.

From morning until sunset the parks, the Roman villas are the place par excellence in which to feel less the weight of the mask, fully enjoy the sunny days of late autumn, run, play with the children, carve out a carefree setting after a week heavy. Whether you want to do it in sportswear, for jogging or fitness in the open air, or you want a quiet walk, complete with a picnic and a ball to play with the children, the map of the parks and villas in every area of Rome is truly varied.

100 Presepi moves to colonnade of Piazza S. Pietro.

The 2020 edition of 100 Presepi, Rome's international Nativity crib exhibition, will be held under the colonnade of St Peter's Square, from 13 December until 10 January 2021.

The popular event, which should have been hosted in a Vatican building on nearby Via della Conciliazione, moves outdoors this year due to the covid-19 crisis.

A firm fixture on Rome's Christmas calendar, each year 100 Presepi hosts some Nativity scenes from across Italy and dozens of other countries.

In addition to contemporary replicas of traditional 18th-century Neapolitan and Sicilian cribs, and 19th-century Roman mangers, there are modern versions made from wood, papier-mâché and terracotta, as well as unconventional materials such as sand, rice and metal.

The move to St Peter's, taken "in order to comply with the health regulations currently in force," will result in an "inevitable reduction in the number of exhibits," say organisers.

Now in its 45th year, 100 Presepi was established in Rome in 1976 and took place in Piazza del Popolo until three years ago.

Today it is organised by the Vatican's Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation.

Pontiff will not make annual pilgrimage on 8 December this year, breaking a tradition dating back to 1953.

Pope Francis has cancelled his annual pilgrimage into the centre of Rome for the feast of the Immaculate Conception this year, due to the covid-19 crisis, reports Vatican News. The pope has decided not to pay homage to the statue of the Madonna in Piazza Mignanelli, near the Spanish Steps, "to avoid all risk of contagion caused by gatherings,” said Holy See press officer Matteo Bruni. The papal pilgrimage, which always draws a large crowd, and is one of the main events in the capital on 8 December, a public holiday in Italy.

In a tradition dating back to 1953, the pope kneels in prayer before leaving a floral wreath which firemen then place on top of the statue, in a ceremony usually attended by Rome's mayor.

This year instead, Pope Francis will be "entrusting the city of Rome and its inhabitants, as well as the many sick people throughout the world, to the maternal care of the Blessed Virgin Mary," reports Vatican News, with the Holy See press office clarifying that the "act of devotion will be undertaken privately."

As well as being a Catholic holy day it is a national holiday, however many clothes shops will be open as the day is generally viewed as the official start of the Christmas shopping season.

In Rome the feast day often coincides with the mayor switching on the lights of the city's Christmas tree, popularly known as Spelacchio, which arrived in the central Piazza Venezia this morning.

Rome gears up for Christmas with tree and festive lights.

Rome has had second thoughts about the location of the city's Christmas tree which will be set up as usual in Piazza Venezia, and not in Piazza del Popolo, according to reports in local media.

There had been some doubts about this year's tree, popularly known as Spelacchio, and whether Rome would even continue the custom in 2020.

Until very recently Metro C works had taken over its usual place in the heart of Piazza Venezia, and the shadow of covid-19 cast further doubts on the crowd-pleasing festive tradition. This led to talk of a Christmas tree being placed in Piazza del Popolo, however, as Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported last night, the city has decided to retain the tree's traditional site, in front of the Altare della Patria.

One major difference this year, reports Rome daily newspaper Il Messaggero, is that the tree will not be sponsored by Netflix but by the city which has not organised and financed a Christmas tree since 2017.

On that occasion Rome was introduced to a specimen so bedraggled and droopy-looking that it became known as Spelacchio on account of its "manginess," with some local commentators comparing it to a giant toilet brush.

However Romans soon swapped their mockery for genuine affection towards poor Spelacchio, defending the unfortunate tree and covering its threadbare branches with declarations of love and solidarity.

By the time it was taken down, the tree was festooned in hand-written messages, such as “Spelacchio, you will stay in our hearts forever.” The name has stuck ever since.

Separately, Christmas lights are to be installed around the historic centre from Monday 30 November until Saturday 5 December, with Via del Corso partly closed to traffic at night next week.

Rome's exclusive shopping street Via dei Condotti got a head start after its Christmas lights - sponsored by luxury jeweller Bulgari - were switched on last night.

Naples is to rename its stadium after the city's beloved football hero.

The death of Diego Armando Maradona, on 25 November, has plunged the Italian city Naples into mourning for the football legend who played seven golden years with Napoli, leading the club to two Serie A victories.

The Argentine footballer helped Napoli to win its first Serie A league title in 1987, a remarkable feat that saw the team overcome heavyweights Juventus, Inter and AC Milan, going on to win a second Italian league title in 1990 – a feat the club has never matched since.

When news broke that he had died yesterday - after suffering a cardiac arrest aged 60 - Neapolitans took to the streets to mourn their hero who remains revered three decades after he left Napoli.

The city's Stadio S. Paolo turned on all of its spotlights in honour of Maradona. Late last night it was confirmed that the stadium is to be renamed in honour of the footballer who scored 115 goals for Napoli, despite playing primarily in a creative role as an attacking midfielder.

Describing Maradona as "the greatest footballer of all time," Naples mayor Luigi De Magistris tweeted: "Diego made our people dream, he redeemed Naples with his genius. In 2017 he became our honorary citizen. Diego, Neapolitan and Argentine, you have given us joy and happiness! Naples loves you!"

With Italy divided into three covid-19 risk zones, not everyone will celebrate Christmas the same way.

The Italian government is at work to prepare new measures governing the Christmas period - a season normally full of get-togethers and travel - in the new era of covid-19.

Christmas in Italy will be "different but not cancelled," government sources told Italian news agency ANSA, with different rules set to apply in yellow, orange and red zones under the country's new three-tier system.

The new measures, expected by 3 December, will set out rules relating to issues such as Christmas shopping and travel, and even recommendations on how many people can sit down together for Christmas dinner.

However a relaxing of restrictions will depend on "more comforting data" relating to the covid-19 crisis, reports ANSA.

Some of the possibilities being studied by the government include the late opening of shops in the yellow (lower risk) and orange (medium risk) zones until 22.00 or 23.00, to allow people to do their Christmas shopping while controlling the flow of crowds.

In the high-risk red zones, the government is assessing the possibility of people being allowed to travel to loved ones living on their own so that nobody is "abandoned" for Christmas.

Whatever measures the government decides, Christmas in Italy this year will take place without the usual parties and much of the public festivities such as Christmas markets.

Furthermore, all decisions will be tied to the red, orange or yellow zones, meaning that not everyone in Italy will celebrate Christmas in the same way.

"It must be a fairly sober Christmas, because a free-for-all would lead us to a third wave," said virologist Fabrizio Pregliasco of the Università Statale di Milano.

Silvio Brusaferro, president of the Higher Health Institute (ISS), said on 17 November: "What will happen at Christmas will very much depend on how we behave."

On 17 November Italy registered 32,191 new covid-19 cases over the previous 24 hours (up from 27,354 new cases the day before), with 731 coronavirus-related deaths (up from 504 the day before), in the highest daily death toll since 3 April.

There were 208,458 new swabs taken, compared to 152,000 on Monday, so the "rise in new cases was largely due to the higher number of tests," said the director of the health ministry's prevention department, Gianni Rezza.

Rome to display world's most important private collection of ancient art.  The legendary Torlonia Collection, considered by many as the world's most important private collection of ancient marble sculptures, will at long last go on public display in Rome.

The much-anticipated exhibition, which along with the Raphael blockbuster was billed as the show of the year, was originally due to launch on 4 April but the opening was called off due to the covid-19 crisis.

For the last few months the provisional dates of the exhibition

were 25 September until 27 June 2021 but this has now been pushed back again to 14 October until 29 June 2021 (subject to further change).

Palazzo Caffarelli at the city's Capitoline Museums will display 96 pieces from the priceless collection of 620 ancient sculptures in the exhibition The Torlonia Marbles: Collecting Masterpieces.

Torlonia Museum

The former Museo Torlonia opened in 1875 on Via della Lungara in Rome's Trastevere quarter, however in the post-war period access to the palace's 77 rooms was granted only occasionally to experts or visiting dignitaries.

In 1976 the museum closed definitively, to make way for luxury apartments, and the priceless collectionwas moved to the basement of another private Roman palace owned by the aristocratic Torlonia family.

For more than four decades the collection has been kept in storage, despite attempts by successive governments to persuade the noble family to either sell or display the works in public.

Collection to see the light of day

Now, thanks to several years of talks between Italy's culture minister Dario Franceschini and the Torlonia Foundation - the organisation that administers the family’s assets - some of the collection's most important marble and alabaster works will go on public display in Italy, before travelling abroad.

The works have been restored in a project financed by luxury jeweller Bvlgari, and there are reportedly plans in place to find a venue in Rome in which to display the collection to the public on a permanent basis.

For full exhibition details see Musei Capitolini website.

The obligation to wear face masks outdoors throughout Italy will be "evaluated," Italian premier Giuseppe Conte said on 2 October, reports news agency ANSA.

Conte, speaking on the margins of an EU summit, said: "We are in constant contact with the health ministry and the scientific technical committee. At the moment we have not approved any measures in this direction."

The premier's remarks follow an order from the Lazio region, which includes Rome, making the wearing of masks compulsory outdoors as well as indoors in public places, at all times, amid a spike in new covid-19 cases.

The move takes effect across Lazio yesterday, Saturday 3 October, with fines of up to €400 for those who fail to comply with the new rules.

The measure applies 24 hours a day to everyone except children under the age of six, those with disabilities preventing them from wearing masks, and those taking exercise.

Italy hosts a nationwide programme of cultural events to mark the 2020 edition of European Heritage Days which is held in Rome and across Europe on the weekend of 26-27 September.

Dedicated to the theme of education, the 2020 edition of the two-day initiative will include a programme of special happenings at many of Rome’s museums, galleries, libraries, cultural academies and archaeological sites, many of which are staying open late on 26 September with a symbolic entry fee of €1.

The sites opening late include the Roman Forum which will be open from 19.15 until 21.45, with last entry at 21.00. There is no booking required, although visitors must follow the usual covid-19 prevention measures, with the entrance and exit in Largo della Salara Vecchia.

Held annually across Europe since 1991, the European Days of Patrimony initiative is designed to emphasise the common cultural heritage shared between Europeans.

For full programme details see Beni Culturali website.

September 15 to December 13, 2020

Rome's Villa Borghese park will host a free outdoor exhibition project, titled Back to Nature, curated by Costantino D'Orazio.

The park will host a nucleus of outdoor installations among the trees, by internationally known artists such as Andreco, Mario Merz, Mimmo Paladino, Benedetto Pietromarchi, Davide Rivalta, Grazia Toderi, Edoardo Tresoldi, Nico Vascellari.

In addition there will be musical performances and projects by street artists.

Commuters in Rome and across the Lazio Region can expect disruption to public transport services on Friday 25 September due to a 24-hour strike called by the USB union representing workers at ATAC, Roma TPL and Cotral, reports Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

The strike will affect Rome's network of buses, trams, metro and light rail services Roma-Lido, Termini-Centocelle and Roma-Civitacastellana-Viterbo operated by ATAC, as well as bus services provided by Roma TPL and Cotral in the suburbs and greater Rome area.

The public transport strike timetable will be effective from 10.00 to 17.00 and from 20.00 until end of service, with transport guaranteed during the busiest rush hour periods.

Italy marks the national holiday of Ferragosto each year on 15 August, the feast of the Assumption, the day when Catholics believe the Virgin Mary ascended to heaven, body and soul, at the end of her earthly life.

The origins of Italy's Ferragosto, however, date back to Roman times, with the Feriae Augusti introduced as a period of rest by Emperor Augustus in 18 BC.

In the modern-day capital Ferragosto normally means an exodus of Romans as well as the closure of public offices and family-run businesses, restaurants, bars and shops, although larger supermarkets tend to open for a half day.

This year however, due to the covid-19 crisis, things may be busier than usual, as many families can't afford holidays, or don't wish to travel, and many restaurants can't afford to close.

Traditionally Rome residents escape the Ferragosto heat by heading to the beach or the mountains, while those left behind enjoy the city's peaceful streets and parks, the traffic-free roads and the simple joy of finding a parking place with ease.

With the exception of the Vatican Museums, many of Rome's museums and archaeological sites will remain open, and the city's public transport network normally operates according to a reduced "festivi" timetable.

Concerti del Tempietto, Rome's summer-time series of classical music concerts, is held in the archaeological site of Teatro di Marcello every night until 30 September.

This long-lasting tradition of the Rome summer offers audiences a concert each night, ranging from classical and jazz to pop and folk music, by both established and upcoming musicians.

The concerts are preceded by a tour, in Italian and English, around Teatro di Marcello.

For full details including ticket information see Tempietto website.

Metro B closure will affect EUR neighbourhood of Rome.

Rome is to close the Laurentina-EUR Magliana section of the Metro B line, in both directions, from 8 until 23 August to allow for maintenance works.

The closure will mean that EUR Magliana will become the temporary terminal of the B line which normally ends at Laurentina in the EUR district.

Throughout the 16-day closure, which will also see EUR Fermi and EUR Palasport closed, commuters will be served by shuttle buses.
The replacement buses, called MB4, will be active from 05.30 until midnight, running until 02.00 on Friday and Saturday nights.

Passengers on flights to and from Italy can take cabin baggage from 15 July.

Italy has lifted a ban on carry-on luggage in overhead lockers on aircrafts to and from Italy, with effect from 15 July, reports Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano.

The dropping of the ban, which was introduced on 26 June for "health reasons" due to fears of covid-19 contagion, was confirmed on 14 July by Italy's undersecretary for health, Sandra Zampa.

From 15 July travellers will be permitted to bring trolley luggage on board, while those carrying items of personal clothing such as jackets must place them in single-use sterilised containers which will be provided on the aircraft.

Passengers must wear masks on board planes as well as when boarding and throughout their time at airports in Italy.

Rome's Basilica di S. Maria in Trastevere, in the piazza of the same name, was newly illuminated in a ceremony attended by the city's mayor Virginia Raggi on the night of 2 July.

The new illumination system, consisting of 51 floodlights using warm led lights, was installed by the municipal energy provider ACEA in collaboration with the city.

If you want to travel as the Romans do and get a good glimpse of many of the city’s sites, all for a € 1,50 bus ride, then jump on Tram 3.

You can catch it just outside Trastevere station.It will take you to Porta S. Paolo and the Protestant cemetery, one of the most beautiful graveyards in the world, along the side of the Colosseum, past three basilicas – S. Giovanni, S. Croce in Gerusalemme and S. Lorenzo fuori le Mura – within walking distance of Rome’s La Sapienza University and into Parioli, one of the most fashionable areas in town.

The ride ends at the Museo Nazionale d’ Arte Moderna and after a visit to this modern art collection you could then continue to Villa Giulia the world’s best museum of Etruscan civilisation.

From here you can walk through Villa Borghese into the historic centre of the city. The only site you won’t see is St Peter’s but you can do that on Rome’s other famous (or infamous) bus, the 64. But hang on to your possessions as this is a favourite for pick-pockets.

Rome celebrates its patron saints, Peter and Paul, with a public holiday in the capital on Monday 29 June, resulting in a long weekend for many Romans.

This year, due to the covid-19 crisis, there may not be the celebratory events which attract large crowds of people such as the traditional infiorata - the multi-coloured carpet of flower petals - normally held in front of St Peter's on 29 June.

There is also a question mark over the annual Girandola fireworks display that usually lights up the sky at Pincio on the night of 29 June. The tradition once took place at Castel S. Angelo but was moved to Piazza del Popolo several years ago.

The idea of Michelangelo, perfected later by Bernini, the 16-minute firework display was first introduced in 1481. Over the centuries the historic spectacle has inspired writers and artists such as Dickens, Belli and Piranesi.

The annual holiday on 29 June is to mark the liturgical feast in honour of the martyrdom in Rome of the apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul, in a celebration that dates back to ancient Christian times.

The date commemorates the death of the two saints, both of whom are said to be buried at the two basilicas that bear their names: St Peter's and St Paul's Outside the Walls.

Rome is seeking private sponsorship to reopen Tiberis, the city's artificial beach on the banks of the river Tiber, reports online newspaper RomaToday.

Sponsorship proposals must be valued at between €15,000 and €38,000, with a deadline of midday on 3 July.

This will be the third summer that Rome will host the 10,000-sqm riverside space which will be equipped with sunbeds, umbrellas and showering facilities.

However this year there is be a question mark over the beach volleyball courts due to the health regulations aimed at containing the spread of covid-19.

To make up for this - reports RomaToday - there is provision for sponsors to fund an area for dogs as well as a reference to catering, including seating, to replace the food vending machines of previous years.

Located under Ponte Marconi, Tiberis was created in 2018 on reclaimed marshland between the S. Paolo and Marconi districts south of the city centre.

Seen as a 'pet project' of the city's mayor Virginia Raggi, Tiberis is free to visitors and in the first two editions it was open every day until October.

Tiberis is not the first man-made beach on the Tiber: in 2005 former mayor Walter Veltroni launched the Tevere Village beach under Castel S. Angelo, between Ponte S. Angelo and Ponte Umberto I.

When: tomorrow June 18, 2020

Rome commuters can expect disruption to public transport services due to a strike on the evening of Thursday 18 June, from 8:00p.m until midnight.

The four-hour strike will affect Rome's network of buses, trams, metro and light rail services Roma-Lido, Termini-Centocelle and Roma-Civitacastellana-Viterbo operated by municipal transport company ATAC, as well as bus services provided by Roma TPL and Cotral in the suburbs and greater Rome area.

The strike is part of a nationwide action called by the USB union which claims that the government has failed to provide adequate support for the protection, health, safety of transport employees.

Italy will begin to lift more restrictions on Monday 15 June when it enters the third phase of its emergency plan in dealing with the covid-19 pandemic.

The so-called Phase 3, which will open Italy up further after three months of lockdown restrictions, was outlined in the latest decree announced by premier Giuseppe Conte.

Here are some of the main points of the next phase, some of which may be subject to regional variations:

Theatres and cinemas will be permitted to reopen from 15 June, although many cinemas have complained that the restrictions are too prohibitive. There is a maximum number of 200 spectators in enclosed spaces (including each cinema room) and 1,000 spectators for outdoor performances.

Covid-19: Italy maps out recovery as travel ban ends

Summer camps, kindergartens, playgrounds, bingo halls and betting shops can reopen from 15 June.

Non-professional contact sports, including youth team sports, will be allowed from 25 June. Professional sporting events, including the Coppa Italia football match, resumed behind closed doors starting from 12 June.

Nightclubs, fairs and conventions are authorised from 14 July, however those taking to the dance floor - outdoors and in their masks - must stay two metres apart.

The Immuni contact-tracing app, designed to help contain fresh outbreaks of coronavirus, will be rolled out across Italy from 15 June following trial runs in four regions over the past week.

Face masks and social distancing will remain obligatory in enclosed public spaces, with a ban on large-scale gatherings also staying in place.

Rome's Baths of Caracalla reopen to the public on 13 June following a closure of more than three months due to the covid-19 pandemic.

The archaeological site will be open four days a week - Thursday to Sunday - with a circular one-way route, between the gardens and the bath complex, with differentiated exit and entry points.

Online booking is mandatory, with visitors obliged to wear masks and have their temperature taken by a thermo-scanner on arrival. Access is not permitted to those with a body temperature of more than 37.5 degrees.

There will be staggered entry, with a maximum of 40 people per hour (10 people every 15 minutes) to ensure social distance, with hand sanitiser stands placed throughout the site.

This year visitors will be able to enjoy the Baths of Caracalla throughout the summer, with the cancellation of the summer programme of Rome's opera house, called off due to the coronavirus.

The site can be visited Thursday to Sunday 09.00-19.15 (last entry 18.30) by booking in advance via the Coopculture website. For queries contact info@coopculture.it.

Vatican offers token of gratitude to Italy's healthcare staff for their role in the covid-19 crisis.

The Vatican Museums will be free for Italy's public and private doctors, nurses and medical staff for a week as a mark of gratitude for their work during the covid-19 crisis, reports Vatican News.

Healthcare workers will also have free entry for the next two weekends to the Pontifical Villas and gardens at Castel Gandolfo, the pope's summer residence overlooking Lake Albano, which will reopen for weekend visits from 6 June.

The initiative will be valid at the Vatican Museums from 8-13 June, and at the Pontifical Villas over the weekends of 6-7 and 13-14 June.

Visiting the Vatican Museums post-lockdown

The usual visiting procedures at the Vatican Museums have changed significantly since their reopening to the public on 1 June following a closure of almost three months due to the coronavirus emergency.

Visitors are now obliged to wear masks, and have their temperature checked before entry, and advance online booking is obligatory.

For the foreseeable future it will not be possible to buy tickets in person however the Vatican has waived the €4 booking fee for the duration of this phase, whose timelime has yet to be clarified.

There are also new opening hours at the Vatican Museums: Mon-Thurs 10.00-20.00 (last entry at 18.00) and Fri-Sat 10.00-22.00 (last entry 20.00).

The Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo reopen to the public from 6 June, by reservation. The visits will be held on Sat-Sun 10.00-18.00, last entry 17.00, with visitors obliged to wear masks.

The train between Vatican City and Castel Gandolfo remains suspended until further notice.

Rome's city-run museums, which reopened in recent days after being closed for more than two and a half months due to the covid-19 lockdown, will open their doors for free to all visitors on Sunday 7 June.

The move signals a return to the monthly appointment, normally held on the first Sunday of the month, however this time visitors will have to adhere to new rules, chief of which involves obligatory advance booking.

Reservations, which can be made by calling tel. 060608, will see visitors assigned time slots.

New rules for visitors

On arrival at the museum, visitors must wait their turn to enter and maintain social distancing once inside. All visitors will have their temperature measured by a thermoscanner, and access is not allowed for those with a temperature of, or higher than, 37.5.

Access to museums will be direct, by showing your booking either on your smartphone or printed off on paper.

The wearing of masks is compulsory and there will be hand sanitiser available at the entrance and inside the museums.

Rome's restricted traffic areas, or ZTL, will remain open to traffic until 30 August, as part of an order due to be signed by the city's mayor Virginia Raggi.

The order will extend the measures currently in place, until 31 May, which allow full access to the zone a traffico limitato in the historic centre and Trastevere.

The extension until 30 August is part of an effort by the city to help businesses as they struggle with the fallout from the covid-19 lockdown and the absence of tourists.

Thousands of rose petals will rain down into the Pantheon on 31 May 2020 but this year the event takes place behind closed doors.

The spectacular tradition of rose petals fluttering down through the oculus of the Pantheon is scheduled on Sunday 31 May from 10.00 following Mass for the Feast of Pentecost.

However, due to the covid-19 crisis, this year the annual tradition will take place behind closed doors for the first time, broadcast live from the Pantheon's official website, beginning at 10.00.

Hopefully we will be able to return to witness the fascinating spectacle in person next year but in the meantime we can be grateful to modern technology and watch from afar.

The Colosseum Archaeological Park, which in addition to the Colosseum includes the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and Domus Aurea, will reopen to the public on 1 June after a closure of almost three months due to the covid-19 pandemic.

There will be numerous important changes, from tickets and opening hours to healthcare precautions, access and visitor routes.

Safety is the number one priority, according to Parco archeologico del Colosseo, with precautions including a medical-healthcare service in the piazza outside the Colosseum.

All visitors are obliged to wear masks, practice social distancing and must have their temperature taken by a thermo-scanner before entering.

Tickets will be available exclusively online, via the Parco Colosseo website or the CoopCulture website.

There are also new opening hours: 10.30 to 19.15 with last entry at 18.15.

There are now two types of ticket granting entry to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum-Palatine Hill (note that the Domus Aurea remains closed for now): the standard €16 ticket, valid for 24 hours, and the new discounted ticket, the Afternoon Reduced Ticket (ART) which is valid daily from 14.00 until closing time. This ticket, priced at €9.50, is designed specifically with Rome residents in mind.

Tickets are linked to a free app allowing visitors to download route maps, historical content and useful information in advance of their visit.

Booking the Colosseum requires obligatory reservation of time-slots, with two separate routes offered, with staggered entry and single entry point at the Valadier abutment.

There will also be a single entrance to the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill, along Via dei Fori Imperiali, in Largo della Salara/Largo Corrado Ricci, from where visitors can choose four different itineraries, without the need to book time slots.

To mark the occasion and as an act of respect to those who have lost loved ones to the coronavirus pandemic, the Colosseum will be illuminated in the green, white and red colours of the Italian tricolour on the eve of its reopening.

The tour, which began on 25 May with Trento, Codogno, Milan, Turin and Aosta, will fly over all the Italian regions over the coming days, culminating in an aerobatic display in Rome on 2 June, Festa della Repubblica.  To celebrate Italy's national day the jets will fly over the capital as Italy's president Sergio Mattarella places a wreath at the Altare della Patria in the centre of Rome.

The tour, which sees the jets emit plumes of the green, white and red of the Italian tricolour, is designed as a symbolic embrace of all regions during the coronavirus emergency in a sign of "unity, solidarity and recovery."

The tour continues on 26 May flying over Genova, Florence, Perugia and L'Aquila; on 27 May with Cagliari and Palermo; 28 May with Catanzaro, Bari, Potenza, Naples and Campobasso; and 29 May with Loreto, Ancona, Bologna, Venezia and Trieste.

The flyover in Rome on 2 June comes as Italy cancelled the annual military parade in the capital due to the covid-19 emergency.

The Vatican Museums will reopen to the public on 1 June after a closure of almost three-months due to the covid-19 emergency, however the museums will be accessible strictly by reservation.

Visitors will be obliged to wear masks, in compliance with safety guidelines outlined by Italian and Vatican health authorities, as museums in Italy begin to reopen as part of the Phase Two plan in the coronavirus emergency.

Museum authorities are taking precautions to ensure the health of the public, including the installation of thermo-scanners to check the temperature of visitors.

During this emergency period, the Vatican has waived the €4 online booking fee and suspended the usual free entry on the last Sunday of each month.

There are also modified opening hours: Mon-Thurs 10.00-20.00 (last entry at 18.00) and Fri-Sat 10.00-22.00 (last entry 20.00).

In addition to entry by reservation only - to manage the numbers obliged by social distancing - the Vatican Museums will not admit large groups at this time.

The Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo - the pope's summer residence overlooking Lake Albano - will reopen to the public from 6 June. The visits will be held on Sat-Sun 10.00-18.00, last entry 17.00, with visitors obliged to wear masks.

There is also a new open-bus panoramic tour of the Vatican Gardens, with reservations exclusively online.

For full details of all tours, booking details and opening times see Vatican Museums website.

Galleria Borghese is one of Rome's most magnificent museums.

It is also one of the select few to have reopened following a lockdown that saw all of Italy's museums closed for more than two months due to the covid-19 emergency.

Home to the priceless collection of Cardinal Scipione Borghese, the gallery reopened to the public on 19 May and over the course of the day welcomed 100 visitors.

Galleria Borghese is open by reservation only, as per usual, and the timetable remains unchanged: Tues-Sun 09.00-19.00.

Visits will last a maximum of 120 minutes, for 80 people at a time, and visitors must wear masks and maintain social distancing measures.

This reduction in numbers however has the effect of offering visitors the unprecedented chance to admire the museum's treasures in complete tranquility.

The first major museum to reopen in Rome is La Galleria Nazionale, or GNAM, Italy's national museum of modern art, which opens its doors on 18 May, along with the Elliott Erwitt show at WeGil.

May 20 - Capitoline Museums, Palazzo delle Esposizioni (with its Jim Dine show) and Museo di Roma-Palazzo Braschi (with the Canova exhibition extended until 21 June).

The Capitoline Museums will be open exclusively to holders of the MIC museum pass from 19-21 May, and open to all from 22 May, open daily from 09.30-19.30 (ticket office closes at 18.30).

No official reopening date for the Vatican Museums has been released either, although works are being carried out in these days to reopen the museums as soon as possible.

Rome mayor Virginia Raggi announced that certain rules will apply when visiting the city's municipal museums: reservations will be obligatory and visitors will have their temperatures measured by a thermoscanner, with access denied in the case of high temperature.

Hand sanitiser will be available outside and inside museums and visitors will be obliged to wear masks and maintain social distancing measures. Elevators should be reserved for those who are unable to take the stairs.

Outside Rome, the Villa Adriana and Villa d'Este in Tivoli are working towards a reopening on 26 May, while Ostia Antica is set to reopen on 3 June, according to Il Messaggero.

The Colosseum Archeological Park, which in addition to the Colosseum includes the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and Domus Aurea, has a tentative reopening date of 28 May.

Full details, in English, about the reopening of Rome's municipal museums:

https://www.turismoroma.it/en/news/museums-and-libraries-gradually-reopens-starting-19-may?fbclid=IwAR1EF-U9GRlHxW47Dl-7fyeWWneseH-Kjve8wY7dgGmSQoI36G4uACdW2Qo

The Italian government has approved a decree allowing unrestricted travel to and from EU countries from 3 June, without quarantine, as announced by Italian premier Giuseppe Conte last night.

Conte described the move as a "calculated risk" and warned that the "contagion curve" could rise again, but stated that Italy could not afford to wait for a vaccine.

The decree, approved in the early hours of Saturday 16 May, represents a major development in Italy's efforts to relaunch its economy, particularly its devastated tourism sector, as the country eases one of the world's most stringent coronavirus lockdowns.

The decree will also permit travel between Italy's regions - which has so far been tightly restricted - from 3 June. However until then, inter-regional travel is not permitted, unless it is for absolute necessity.

In another significant development, from 18 May it will be possible to travel freely within your region of residence without any need to carry the self-declaration form.

On 18 May Italy will see the reopening of bars and restaurants, museums and hairdressers, with churches reopening for public worship, all under strict regulations and with an emphasis on social distancing.

Italy celebrates Labour Day - known as the Festa dei Lavoratori or Festa del Lavoro - with a nationwide public holiday on Friday 1 May.  The holiday is normally marked in Rome with a large, free May Day concert however this year - due to the coronavirus emergency - the annual "concertone" will not take place in Piazza S. Giovanni in Laterano.  Instead the concert will move to television and radio, with live and pre-recorded performances being screened on Rai3 and on Radio2.

Conte unveils Phase Two plan as Italy prepares to exit lockdown.

Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte has unveiled details of Italy's Phase Two plan in the coronavirus emergency, outlining the gradual loosening of the restrictions in place since the country went into lockdown on 10 March.

The current period of quarantine and restrictive measures expires on 3 May, with Phase Two - "co-existing with the virus" - beginning cautiously on 4 May, with social distancing to remain in place.

Conte thanked Italians for their sacrifice, strength, courage and sense of responsibility in a live address broadcast on the evening of 26 April. However he warned of the risk that the coronavirus curve could rise again, stating that it was fundamental for the public to maintain social distancing measures.  "If you love Italy keep your distance," said Conte who added that the price of protective face masks would be reduced and fixed at 50 cent.

From 4 May people will be allowed to move around within the region in which they live, with greater freedom for outdoor excerise and the chance to visit family members, all while maintaining social distancing.

However the ban on travel between different regions of Italy remains in place, except for proven reasons of work, health or emergencies.

Gatherings of any kind, private or public, will remain strictly banned. Public parks, gardens and villas can reopen from 4 May but mayors will have the power to close them if necessary.

People can go walking and jogging away from their home so long as they practice social distancing: two metres apart for joggers, one metre for walkers.

Trade - Factories and building sites can reopen from 4 May however public construction projects can get back to work from 27 April, as can manufacturing and wholesale trade related to exports.

Retail - The commerical sector including clothes shops will reopen on 18 May, with strict rules on social distancing.

Museums, galleries, libraries and places of culture are to reopen on 18 May.

From 4 May restaurants and bars will be allowed to operate a take-away service - in addition to home delivery which is already permitted. However Conte warned that this didn't mean people could gather or eat outside the premises.  The government has identified 1 June as the date when bars and restaurants can reopen.

Hairdressers - Barbers, hairdressers and beauty salons can reopen on 1 June.

Transport - Protective face masks will be mandatory for commuters on public transport, with restricted numbers on buses and trains especially during rush hour.

Sport - Professional athletes including Serie A footballers can resume individual training on 4 May, with group training to begin again on 18 May.

Funerals - From 4 May funerals can be attended by a maximum of 15 mourners, while respecting social distancing measures and wearing protective masks.

Schools - Conte confirmed that Italy's schools will reopen in September, as he outlined in an interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica earlier the same day.

Rome's public transport is carrying out tests on how to control the flow of commuters during Italy's post-lockdown phase of the coronavirus crisis, reports Italian news agency ANSA. The experimental measures, which begin on Friday 24 April, come as Italy prepares to face the so-called Phase Two, of "co-existing" with the virus, which is expected to begin on 4 May.  The tests will be conducted at several metro stations where passenger numbers will reportedly be controlled according to time slots, with signs directing commuters to designated routes and informing them of the social distancing measures they are required to follow.  A similar approach will be tested on certain bus lines, with staff on hand to control the numbers of people getting on board.

The objective is to reduce crowds at rush hour, with Sky TG24 reporting that the numbers on buses will be limited to a maximum of 30 people, with a maximum of 300 per metro carriage.

Italian newspaper La Repubblica reports that commuters on buses will be encouraged to keep a distance of one metre between each other, with drivers permitted to skip stops if the bus has reached a capacity.

La Repubblica also reports that the wearing of masks is encouraged but they are not obligatory, ostensibly due to their lack of availability. Commuters will also be urged to purchase tickets online as much as possible, wash their hands regularly, avoid touching their face while travelling, and follow the designated paths at metro stations.

Rome's mayor Virginia Raggi recently promoted the use of bicycles and electric scooters in the capital, citing the vastly-reduced traffic and improved air quality during the lockdown.

Known as Natale di Roma, the annual birthday celebration is based on the legendary founding of Rome by Romulus in 753 BC.For the last two decades the event has been marked in Rome with the re-enactment of historical events and ancient rituals, gladiator fights and a grand parade featuring more than 1,500 costumed participants. However this year, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, these popular events - usually held over several days at the Circus Maximus - will not take place.  The pageant is organised each year by the Gruppo Storico Romano, an historical dramatic society which brings history to life by re-enacting battles, historic events, and displays of ancient theatre and dance in the city centre. This year the group's members - in full costume - are celebrating Natale di Roma online, with live performances and archive footage being screened each day on the Gruppo Storico Romano Facebook page.

Phase 2 could begin on 4 May but Italy's schools may not reopen until autumn.

The second phase in Italy's Coronavirus emergency could last between "six and eight months", an Italian health expert warned on 8 April, reports Italian news agency ANSA.

The government is currently in talks with its panel of medical experts as it draws up Phase Two of the nationwide lockdown - termed as "living with the virus" - which is expected to see a gradual loosening of stringent restrictions in relation to production, particularly regarding strategic supply chains involving food, pharmaceuticals and healthcare.

The government will reportedly hold discussions with representatives of the business sector and trade unions on 9 April with a view to mapping out how and when to start getting companies back to work.

The current lockdown measures are in place until 13 April and in recent days Italy's Coronavirus curve has started to descend.

If this positive trend continues in the coming days it could allow some minimal relaunch of industrial activity, respecting social distancing measures, from 14 April, reports Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore.

Italy's small and medium-sized businesses face failure unless they resume work in May, the head of small business group Confindustria, Carlo Robiglio, told ANSA, adding: “If we go beyond the summer with restrictions of this type, the risks become extremely heavy.”

The loosening of quarantine measures for the general population, maintaining strict social distancing, could be introduced from 4 May, according to speculation in the Italian media, however nothing is certain yet.

Smart working is expected to be strongly encouraged, while there would be alternate shifts for those who gradually return to offices, reports Il Sole 24 Ore, however it is unlikely that restaurants, bars or parks will reopen any time soon.

ANSA reports that schools in Italy are expected to reopen in September, but only for "online revision."

Physicist Alessandro Vespignani was quoted by Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano as saying: "It will be a summer with planes and without travel. We will not return to full normality by July or August", adding that “it is a process I see lasting for the next six to eight months.”

And despite an encouraging fall in new cases of people being hospitalised for Coronavirus, Italian premier Giuseppe Conte continues to urge caution.

In an video-interview with German magazine Bild, Conte stressed that scientists have advised against lifting restrictions too quickly for fear of sparking new outbreaks, while ANSA quotes Rome university physicist Federico Ricci Tersenghi as saying that the infection curve is not falling in some regions of Italy.

"The situation is and remains very serious. And it cannot be underestimated. We are in the middle of a battle" - warned Italy's health minister Roberto Speranza on 7 April - "The only weapon we have is social distancing, of respecting the rules. We must not think that we have already won the war."

Rome's major train stations including Termini, Tiburtina and Ostiense will soon be checking the body temperature of arriving passengers, the city's mayor Virginia Raggi announced on Facebook.

Describing it as a "fundamental initiative to contain the spread of the Coronavirus", Raggi said the measure was being introduced in collaboration with the Medical Association of Rome.

More than 20 doctors will work "free of charge" at the train stations, Raggi said, joining the volunteers of Rome's civil protection agency and the Italian Red Cross.

The mayor said that the presence of doctors was essential, in case those being tested required a more in-depth medical assessment, at specially designated isolated areas in the railway stations.

"The entire operation is the result of institutional coordination and the generosity of the doctors, women and men who fight this battle on the front lines every day" - Raggi said - "Only by respecting the rules, with prevention and controls, will we be able to overcome the emergency as soon as possible."

Watch the 'pink' supermoon rise over the Eternal City in live webcast.

A supermoon - the biggest and brightest moon of 2020 - will be visible over Italy on the night of 7 April.

Compared to standard full moons, supermoons can appear between seven and 14 per cent larger and up to 30 per cent brighter, despite being 356,000 kilometres away.

This year, due to Italy's lockdown, people will be unable to go to the traditional vantage points, such as the Gianicolo or Monte Mario, but don't fear as the rising moon can be watched live online.

The Virtual Telescope, a free webcast, will show the moon as it rises above the Rome skyline. The online webcast will begin at 17.00 on 7 April 2020.

What is a supermoon?

Supermoon is not an astronomical term. It was coined in 1979 by astrologer Richard Nolle and has since become used widely by the media.

Astronomers would call the phenomenon a perigean full moon. This means a full moon occurring near or at the time when the moon is at its closest point in its orbit around Earth.

The three colours of the Italian flag, green, white and red have been appearing on monuments all over Italy, as well as abroad, to support the country during its COVID-19 crisis.

In Rome three key monuments are lit up at night, the government's offices at Palazzo Chigi, the Senate and the Campidoglio, the centre of Rome's city government. They will stay lit until the end of the crisis.

Two other Roman landmarks have also turned on the national colours; the decommissioned gasometro in Ostiense, which is also an important icon for many Romans, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The Colosseum, which is illuminated on all sorts of important occasions, may soon follow suit.

There have been similar illuminations with the flag from north to south Italy; Turin, Milan, Verona, Florence and Bari in the south. Some of these were first lit up to mark the date of Italy's unification on 17 March 1860 but have continued since.

Other countries have also supported Italy with the country's flag illuminating their own national icons. It has been seen in Paris, Sarajevo, Mostar, Tirana, Jerusalem, Dubai, Rio de Janeiro and New York.

On 19 March, the United States State Department sent a Global Health Advisory to United States citizens, warning them to return to the U.S. or prepare to remain abroad for an indefinite amount of time.

After this advisory was announced, many Americans flocked to airports all over the world, in hopes to get home before the boarders officially closed. For any travelers hoping to get back to their home country from Rome, here’s what you should expect:

Getting to the Airport

Rome’s roads are practically deserted of both people and cars. However, the small amount of people, who have left their houses to venture out into a restricted world, are being routinely stopped by police officers. Unless you are willing to take public transportation, a taxi is the best way to get to the airport. This is the only way to avoid being questioned by the police. Taxis will be waved through these checkpoints.

If you plan on taking a rental car to the airport, prepare to be stopped. You can prepare by having the proper documentation on hand and giving yourself plenty of time to get to the airport. Most airlines have suggested that passengers arrive at least three hours before check-in. So, depending on how you plan on getting to the airport, be sure to factor in your traveling time.

Arriving at the Airport

The Fiumicino Airport is typically very busy. However, the airport is the perfect example of how the world has changed since the Coronavirus began to spread. Only a few people stand on the sidewalk, smoking a cigarette or talking on the phone. Cars don’t line the curb anymore. Only a few people are lugging their suitcases through the Fiumicino doors.

Checking in Your Bag

A green rope separates you from the airport employees. Each one of them wears a mask. The masks and the distance between you and the employees makes it hard to hear. The rope separating you from the counter makes it hard to place your checked bag on the scale. However, the airport employees will help you the best that they can. Once your boarding pass is printed and your bag is checked in, you will receive a paper asking you several questions: “Have you been in any of the following countries? If yes, when was the last time you were in that country?” “Have you come in contact with a person known to have Coronavirus?” “Have you experienced the following symptoms within the last two weeks?” You will need this paper to enter the United States.

Going through Security

Going through security is typically stressful and chaotic. Most of the time you stand in line for 10 to 15 minutes waiting for the next bin to open. However, the airport was empty and going through the security checkpoint was extremely easy. There’s no reason to rush, as you put on your coat and place your electronics back in your bag.

After Security

This is the point where things start to get hectic. After security, a barricade of police will stop you, before moving on to passport control. They will ask you where you are going, why you were in Italy, how long you have been in Italy for and a myriad of other things. Then, they will ask you to fill out a form. This form will ask you basic information. It is basically a written version of the verbal interview that you just went through. After filling out a form, put on some hand sanitizer and hand in your paper. An Italian police officer will sign off on it, and then you can move on.

Passport Control

Before you can walk up to the counter and get your passport stamped, you will be tested for the virus symptoms . The test is fairly simple. It consists of stopping, standing still while they take your temperature and waiting for the operator to wave you through. If you wear glasses, you will be told to take them off for a more accurate reading. If you pass the test, you will be sent through passport control.

This is another place that typically puts us standing in a long line, waiting to go through. However, the lines for airport control were similar to the lines to go through security. There wasn’t a line and getting your passport stamped is the easier part of the airport journey.

Boarding the Plane

Getting on the plane is even simpler than before. There isn’t a long line for boarding. However, you will be required to wear a mask, once you get past the gate. Airport masks aren’t comfortable and strongly resemble toilet paper. The mask is folded in half, with two holes cut out at either end. If you are made to put on a mask like this, don’t unfold it. Airport personal will ask you to fix it.

Once the mask is on your face, you will not be able to take it off, until you exit the air plane in America. This mask must remain on your face throughout the airport and on the entire flight.

Rome's elderly residents will soon be able to avail of a new service which will see Roman taxi drivers make home deliveries of food and medicine, free of charge.

The "Taxi Amico" scheme, which takes effect from 23 March, has been hailed by Rome's mayor Viriginia Raggi as an "incredible gesture of solidarity".

The Prontotaxi 066645 service is designed specifically for the elderly who are unable or afraid to leave their homes during the nationwide lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The initiative, which comes after other Roman taxi drivers offered their services for free to doctors treating Covid-19 patients at Rome's Spallazani hospital, follows a similar project launched by Milan taxi drivers.

On 19 March Italy's death toll from the Coronavirus pandemic reached 3,405, a number which surpasses the 3,245 fatalities recorded in China.

No more 24-hour food shopping in Rome.

All food shops and supermarkets in Rome and across the Lazio region now have shorter opening hours, following an agreement reached between trade unions and regional authorities, reports Italian news agency ANSA.

The move is part of measures to reduce the number of people going outside during the nationwide quarantine, due to the Coronavirus, as well as taking into account the working conditions of the roughly 300,000 people employed in the supermarket sector in the Lazio region.  The new timetable for food shops is 08.30 to 19.00, Monday to Saturday, closing at 15.00 on Sundays.

The measure, which extends to shops that are normally open 24-hours a day, also prohibits people travelling far distances from their home to go shopping.

Supermarket managers are obliged to control the flow of customers, guaranteeing adequate interpersonal space and ensuring that workplaces are sanitised.

The move comes as Eurospin outlets in the capital have started taking the temperature of their customers, according to a report in Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

Rome resumes work to connect Metro B to Metro C at Colosseum.

A large section of Rome's Metro B will close at 21.00 instead of 23.30 each night - from 2 March until 6 August - as the city begins the second phase of construction works to connect Metro C with the Metro B station at the Colosseum.

The early closures affect the Castro Pretorio-Laurentina section of the B line, comprising 13 stations including Colosseo and Termini, both of which are used heavily by tourists.

Rome's public transport company will provide 'MB' shuttle buses from 21.00 to 23.30 each night, and until 01.30 at weekends.

The Castro Pretorio-Rebibbia and Castro Pretorio-Jonio (B1) sections will operate as normal throughout this time.

In addition to five months of closing early, this section of the B line will close completely for nine weekends: 14-15 and 21-22 March; 18-19 April; 2-3, 9-10 and 23-24 May; 6-7 and 27-28 June; 25-26 July. Shuttle buses will be active on these weekends from 05.30 until 01.30.

Rome's public transport company ATAC says that the Metro B line will run as normal, with extra services, to cater for special events such as Primo Maggio (Labour Day), UEFA 2020 and major concerts.

The works are to allow for the creation of a tunnel connecting the existing Colosseo station on the B line to the new Fori Imperiali station on the Metro C, whose opening is scheduled in 2023.  For full details of closures see ATAC website.

A great festival dedicated to Italian craft beers: this will be the ideal opportunity to discover the best Italian and international labels, combined with delicious Street Food proposals. Everything will be enriched by beer-themed meetings and live music, for a weekend not to be missed!

DAYS AND HOURS OF THE 2020 EDITION

Friday 28 and Saturday 29 February | From 18.00 to 02.00

Sunday 1st March | From 12.00 to 23.00

Where: Eataly Roma - Piazzale 12 Ottobre 1492

Rome celebrates Carnevale by opening its city-run museums for free on 25 February, Shrove Tuesday, known in Italian as martedì grasso.

The free opening covers all municipal museums however an entry fee still applies to the exhibitions Canova: Eterna Bellezza at Palazzo Braschi and C’era una volta Sergio Leone at the Ara Pacis.

The initiative does not apply to state museums or archaeological sites in Rome.

Hearts with love messages illuminate Rome street

Rome's Via Borgognona lights up with love.

For the second year in a row, the street in the heart of Rome's historic centre is illuminated with red hearts to celebrate St Valentine's Day.

Traders on the exclusive shopping street near the Spanish Steps, who also fund the street's Christmas lights, have replicated their Valentine's Day tradition but with a surprise.

The interior of each coloured heart in this year's S. Valentino installation features lyrics from a romantic song.

Shopkeepers on the street say that last year's initiative attracted a multitude of tourists and locals who were "pleasantly impressed by the intense and romantic red colour of the lights."

Rome's central Barberini metro station, which has been closed since its escalator collapsed on 21 March 2019, will reopen after almost 11 months, at 05.30 on Tuesday 4 February.

Barberini will however only open to commuters exiting the metro station, not entering, according to an announcement by the city.

Raphael's tapestries will hang under Michelangelo's frescoes for one week.

For one week the great tapestries designed by Raphael will return to the Sistine Chapel as the Vatican celebrates the 500th anniversary of the death of the High Renaissance master.

The 10 tapestries, which will be hung at eye level along the chapel's wall under Michelangelo's frescoed ceiling, will be on display from 17-23 February 2020.Commissioned by Pope Leo X in 1515, the tapestries' designs, or cartoons as they were known, depict the lives of Saints Peter and Paul.

They were completed by Raphael while he was busy decorating the Stanze (also called the Raphael Rooms), presiding over the construction of St Peter’s Basilica, and painting portraits and altarpieces.

The tapestries, which are normally preserved in the Vatican's Pinacoteca, were woven over a four-year period in Brussels, using silk, wool and gilded silver thread.

Apart from a few hours on 14 July 2010, when four of the 10 tapestries were shown briefly in the Sistine Chapel, the series of tapestries was displayed there just once - for one week in 1983 - on the 500th anniversary of Raphael's birth.

Entry to the Vatican Museums will be free on 23 February, in what is likely to be the last chance to see the tapestries in the Sistine Chapel for a very long time.

Raphael 500 celebrations

Rome is playing a central role in the world's 2020 celebration of Raphael, who spent the last decade of his life in the Eternal City.

A blockbuster show at the Scuderie del Quirinale will feature 200 masterpieces - at least 100 of them by Raphael - in what is being described by Italy's culture ministry as an "unprecedented" exhibition.

On each day of 2020, Italy is placing a red rose on the tomb of Raphael who died aged 37 and is buried in the Pantheon.

Rome mayor Virginia Raggi has defended the city's plan to install a protective barrier around the Trevi Fountain, saying that it would not impede the view of the Baroque monument or affect the tradition of flinging coins into its waters.

Raggi said the barrier would be similar to structures already in place around certain Roman fountains such as the Turtle Fountain in Piazza Mattei, or the Fountain of the Four Rivers by Bernini in Piazza Navona.

Describing the plan as "common sense", Raggi said the barrier would allow police to concentrate on curbing illegal trading in the surrounding piazza which the city recently rid of souvenir stands.

However several noted experts disagree strongly with the plan, as reported in Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica. The most trenchant of these critics is the architect and historian Paolo Portoghesi who finds the proposal "truly foolish", according to La Repubblica.

Portoghesi believes it is sufficient to have officers on duty to tell tourists how to behave, forbidding them from sitting on the edges of the actual fountain, "but installing a barrier seems a frightening offence to the beauty of a masterpiece that gives itself generously to those who observe it."

Urban planner Vezio De Lucia is also against the proposal, comparing it to the ban on sitting at the Spanish Steps, which has resulted in "everyone sitting at the Barcaccia" fountain below.

"The problem of pressure from tourism exists, in Rome as in Venice, as well as in many other art cities" - De Lucia told La Repubblica - "but it cannot be solved with these ideas of false decorum."

The Trevi Fountain was also in the news in recent days after plans were unveiled to open a secret balcony above the 18th-century landmark.

Rome commuters can expect a 24-hour transport strike on Monday 3 February, in what will be this year's first strike by employees of the city's public transit company ATAC.  The strike action will affect Rome's buses, trams, metro and light rail services Roma-Lido, Termini-Centocelle and Roma-Civitacastellana-Viterbo, operated by ATAC, with the city's night buses at risk on the night between Sunday and Monday.  The public transport strike timetable follows the usual routine and will be effective from 08.30 to 17.00 and from 20.00 until end of service, with transport guaranteed during the busiest rush hour periods.

Starbucks, the American chain of coffee shops, is to open an outlet in Rome near Vatican City, in 2020.

The arrival of Starbucks follows several years of rumours, however the company is now advertising senior management positions at its new outlet on Viale dei Bastioni di Michelangelo.

The coffee shop will be located in the former Maraldi bookstore - according to food website Gugsto.it - in a large premises overlooking Piazza del Risorgimento.

The Starbucks outlet, which was initially due to open in Rome last autumn, will be strategically placed near St Peter's and the Vatican Museums, catering for the hordes of tourists who visit the area each day.

Rome installs 34 new stolpersteine memorials.

Rome will install 34 new brass cobblestone memorials to victims of the Holocaust at various locations throughout the capital, from the historic centre to the suburbs, on 13 and 14 January.

The memorials will be dedicated to Jews and partisans, including women and children, who were either deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi concentration camp or killed at the Fosse Ardeatine in Rome.

The cobblestone-sized memorials are known as stolpersteine in German, or literally translated “stumbling stones”, and are installed outside the last chosen place of residence of victims of the Holocaust.  Rome's newest stolpersteine will be installed by German artist Gunter Demnig in the Jewish Ghetto as well as in districts including Prati, Flaminio, Centocelle and Boccea.

Demnig installed the first stolpersteine in Cologne in 1995, and since then about 50,000 have been installed on streets throughout Europe.

The project has been active in Rome for the last decade.

Rome’s Mausoleum of Augustus is set to reopen to the public this spring.  The monumental tomb of Rome's first emperor is destined to become a major draw for tourists, after decades of abandonment, and is expected to be open for free.

Constructed in 28 BC, the mausoleum is the capital’s largest circular tomb and has been closed to the public for around 80 years.

The structure was used as a concert hall in the late 19th- and early 20th century and narrowly escaped demolition by Mussolini in the late 1930s.

Over the years the monument has been the subject of numerous stalled renovation projects, one of which would have seen it ready in 2014 in time to mark the 2,000th anniversary of the death of Augustus.

The mausoleum is located in Piazza Augusto Imperatore, beside Via Ripetta and Richard Meiers’ Ara Pacis museum, which contains Augustus’s Altare della Pace, to commemorate the peace created by the emperor.

Rome to swap sampietrini for asphalt on several major streets.

Rome's traditional cobblestones or sampietrini are to disappear from 68 streets in the centre, including several thoroughfares with heavy traffic, as part of a programme of major infrastructure works in 2020.

The roadworks will see cobblestones replaced with more traffic-friendly asphalt, while the sampietrini removed will be laid in 113 pedestrian streets such as Via dei Condotti as well as the central Via del Corso.

The first street to have its sampietrini removed will be Via IV Novembre, which links Via Nazionale to Piazza Venezia, with works set to begin in mid January.

This will be followed by the removal of cobblestones from Viale Aventino while later in the year Via Nazionale will also lose its sampietrini.

Roman drivers have a love-hate relationship with the basalt cobblestones which, although characteristic of the city, are dangerous for motorini - particularly in the rain - as well as being bumpy to drive over in cars and buses.

La Befana, which falls each year on 6 January, is a public holiday across Italy.

Italians celebrate the religious feast of the Epiphany, or the more popular folklore version of La Befana, on Monday 6 January 2020.

It is a public holiday across Italy and marks the official end of the Christmas season.

The 35th edition of the Viva la Befana event takes place on Via della Conciliazione, leading up to St Peter's, on the morning of 6 January, before the Angelus with Pope Francis at midday.

Comprising costumed figures, camels and horses, the parade is designed to combine Christian values with the folklore that the day evokes in Italy.

In Rome, according to tradition, children hang stockings by windows or fireplaces in anticipation of her visit to receive sweets if they’ve been good or coal if they have misbehaved.

As a national holiday, public offices will closed, with most schools reopening on 7 January. State museums and archaeological sites in Rome and across Italy will be open however.

The post-Christmas sales season in the capital and the Lazio region begins the day before, on 5 January, and continues over the subsequent six weeks.

Italy's state-run museums and archaeological sites are open free of charge on the first Sunday of every month, with the next edition of Domenica al Museo taking place on 5 January 2020.

Rome's civic-run museums are also free on 5 January - for residents of the capital - for information see Musei in Comune website.

American marching bands and cheerleaders celebrate New Year's Day in Rome.

More than 1,000 musicians from some of America's best-known high school marching bands will stage a free, family-orientated parade in central Rome on 1 January 2020 to celebrate New Year's Day.

The 14th edition of the annual event involves US marching bands joining forces with renowned Italian musical folk groups to perform alongside majorettes from Italy and Croatia, folk groups and historical re-enactors.

Beginning in Piazza del Popolo at 15.30, the parade will run along Via del Corso, Via Frattina, Piazza di Spagna, Via del Babuino and Via di Ripetta in a colourful extravaganza lasting over two and half hours.

On New Year's Eve all metro services in Rome run until 02.30 at night (early hours of 1 January), substituted from 02.30 until 08.00 with night buses.

Due to street closures in the Circus Maximus area, those who wish to reach the Festa di Roma celebrations on New Year's Eve are advised to take the Metro B to Circo Massimo station.

On New Year's Day, 1 January 2020, the entire public transport network resumes at 08.00 and follows the normal festivo timetable.

Rome has banned the use of firecrackers, bangers, rockets and other explosive material from 31 December until midnight on 6 January 2020.  Those who fail to comply with the New Year legislation, signed by the city's mayor Virginia Raggi, risk fines of up to €500 in addition to having their fireworks confiscated.  The ban on petardi and botti, which was announced on 30 December and covers the entire area of Rome, excludes the use of safer and less noisy fireworks.  The mayor says the order is in place for the safety of Rome residents, particularly children, as well as to avoid negative effects on pets and damage to the city's archaeological heritage.The city will hold its official fireworks display over Circus Maximus as part of the Festa di Roma celebrations.

31 Dec. The ninth edition of the We Run Rome event takes place on the streets of the capital on New Year's Eve, from 14.00-18.00.There are both competitive and non-competitive versions of the 10-km course, which starts and finishes near the Baths of Caracalla, as well as 5-km fun run at 14.15.

Runners can register in advance, either online or in person at the We Run Rome offices on Via dei Monti della Farnesina 77.

24 Dec-19 April. Palazzo Bonaparte, Rome's newly-opened exhibition venue in Piazza Venezia, presents I Love Lego, from Christmas Eve until 19 April.

Described as an "exhibition for children of all ages", the colourful show features minutely-reproduced scenes, covering dozens of square metres, made using the most famous bricks in the world.

The I Love Lego show will take place concurrently with the ongoing Secret Impressionists exhibition.

Rome is to close the Cornelia station on the city's Metro A line on 30 December to allow maintenance work on the station's lifts and escalators.

A bus shuttle service, MA13, will connect commuters to the Valle Aurelia station for the duration of the works whose scheduled completion date has not been announced.

Cornelia will become the third station on the city's Metro A line to close, following the closure of Baldo degli Ubaldi and Barberini, the latter of which has been closed for the last eight months.

Barberini had been due to "half open" in time for Christmas but this date has been pushed into next year, possibly 8 January according to local media reports.

Coca-Cola returns to support Banco Alimentare and celebrates 30 years of activity of the non-profit organization - which since 1989 has been recovering and distributing food surpluses in Italy - with an exceptional tour.  Coca-Cola will be alongside Banco Alimentare with the project "Share the magic of Christmas", an invitation to rediscover the spirit of this period of the year and the importance and pleasure of sharing through simple gestures of generosity. The iconic Coca-Cola truck will cross Italy, with 5 stages from North to South, one planned also in Rome.

Coca-Cola Christmas Village in Rome: when and where

The first stop of the Coca-Cola Christmas Village will be December 1 in Milan: in via Luca Beltrami, the red truck will shut down the engines to give an unforgettable experience to those present, with Gospel choirs, Christmas tree, Santa Claus in the flesh and a series of Christmas-themed activities.  But the Coca-Cola truck is also coming to Rome. On December 14th, from 11 am to 9 pm, the magical Christmas village by Coca-Cola will take shape at the Porta di Roma shopping center.

The Village will also be an opportunity to discover the joy of doing something for others, with the Coca-Cola Christmas Market, a solidarity market of Coca-Cola gadgets, whose proceeds will be entirely donated to Banco Alimentare.

Architectural Digest ranks Via dei Coronari among the ten most beautiful streets in the world.

Rome is home to one of the world's top ten most beautiful streets - Via dei Coronari - according to the influential US publication Architectural Digest.

Located in the heart of Rome's historic centre near Piazza Navona, Via dei Coronari is a colourful 500-m long stretch of road flanked by buildings dating mainly from the 15th- and 16th centuries.

As a mediaeval pilgrim route, the street once accommodated traders of sacred medals, wreaths and religious crowns, from which it takes its name.

Rome’s municipal museums come to life with live music with the 2019 edition of the Musei in Musica initiative on the night of Saturday 14 December.  A selection of the capital's museums and cultural venues will stay open late and host live music events from 08:00 p.m to 02:00 a.m.

Entry costs just €1 and is free to holders of the city's MIC museum pass.

Last entry is at 01:00 a.m, for more details see the city’s museum website.

Christmas shopping in Rome need not be a stressful experience, with gift ideas for everybody if you know where to look and don't leave it until the last minute!

The city's main shopping streets in the centre include Via del Corso, Via Cola di Rienzo, Via Appia Nuova and Via Nazionale, while for high-end clothes boutiques there is always Via dei Condotti and surrounding streets.

For the duration of the Christmas shopping season in Rome, the city has an annual Linea Shopping network of shuttle buses serving the historic centre, from 7 December until 6 January, with the limited traffic zone extended one hour.

While central Rome has major department stores such as Rinascente, Zara and Coin, (Primark won't be here until next Christmas), many people prefer to head to the shopping malls out of town, such as Euroma2, Porta di Roma, Roma Est, Castel Romano and Parco Leonardo.

However it is important not to forget the artisan craft studios, toy shops and independent bookstores, many of which are located in the warren of side-streets around Campo de' Fiori.

Rome's Christmas markets generally begin on the holiday weekend of the Immacolata (the feast of the Immaculate Conception) and vary from traditional to trendy.

There is even a Christmas Wonderland fair offering festive traditions from around the world.

For Christmas decorations the city's favourite is Vertecchi with branches in Via della Croce in the centre as well in Flaminio and EUR. There is also the aptly-named Mr Christmas at Galleria Alberto Sordi on Via del Corso.

Christmas trees can be bought in select garden centres around Rome while the artificial variety can be purchased in the ciy's larger department stores such as Leroy Merlin.

And just remember that the post-Christmas sales begin on 5 January. But in the meantime: Happy Christmas shopping in Rome!

Due to popular demand, Rome's rose garden on the Aventine hill will remain open from 1-3 November, from 09.00 until 17.00 each day, during the long holiday weekend.

Visitors will be able to admire the autumn blooms of the 1,200 varieties of rose growing in the garden which overlooks the Circus Maximus.

State museums and archaeological sites in Rome and across Italy will be open for free on Sunday 3 November thanks to the ever-popular Domenica al Museo.  The free entry scheme which takes place every first Sunday of the month from October to March, has attracted some 15 million visitors since it was introduced in the summer of 2014.  The upcoming edition of Domenica al Museo takes place in tandem with the monthly free entry for Rome's city-run museums, for residents of the capital.  In July 2018 Rome introduced the €5 MIC card granting the capital's residents unlimited access to municipal museums for one year.  The museum pass has proved extremely successful, with the sale of almost 90,000 cards since the scheme was introduced last summer.

14 Sept. Italy's national Etruscan Museum at Villa Giulia opens late on Saturday 14 September with a free interactive show telling the history of the Etruscan civilisation through music, lights and historical re-enactments.  Entitled Etru in Rock, the show at 20.30 is a collaboration between the navy military band and the Gruppo Storico Romano who together bring to life the story of the Etruscans.  The concert is free and the entrance to the museum is at a special discounted price of €5. There are 300 seats available and after the show there will be a tour of the museum led by archaeologists.

For information contact mn-etru.comunicazione@beniculturali.it.

Construction works to connect Rome's Metro C with the Metro B station at the Colosseum will result in the Laurentina-Castro Pretorio section of the city's B line closing at 21.00 for three months.

The early closures will be in place from 9 September until 7 December, with the stations between Laurentina and Castro Pretorio closing at 21.00 instead of 23.30.

This section of the B line, comprising 13 stations including Colosseo and Termini, will also close completely for five weekends: 21-22 and 28-29 September, and 5-6, 12-13 and 26-27 October.

Substitute buses will be available for the duration of the works which are to allow for the creation of a tunnel connecting the existing Colosseo station on the B line to the new Fori Imperiali station on the Metro C, whose opening is scheduled in 2023.

More early closing times are expected in 2020, from February until June, and again during the summer of 2021.

Metro C is a driverless 19-km line which currently comprises 22 stations. It runs from Pantono in east Rome to S. Giovanni, where it connects with Metro A and Termini.

The connection at the Colosseum is crucial as it would see Rome's third subway connect to Metro B.

News of the upcoming Metro B closures coincides with the reactivation of the entire Metro A line on 26 August, following partial closures caused by upgrading works over the summer.

Saturday 31 August, in the magical location of the Filarmonica Gardens, the traditional Lantern Festival returns. A suggestive and romantic appointment, which will involve young and old.  At 200 meters from Piazza del Popolo, precisely in Via Flaminia 118, everyone will be able to hang their lantern on the centuries-old trees of Flaminio Garden, a unique garden in the heart of Rome. Thus, a large light installation will give a fairytale atmosphere.

To accompany the Lantern Festival 2019 will be the craft market, good music, live shows and even good things to drink and eat.

Each year Italy marks the national holiday of Ferragosto on 15 August, the feast of the Assumption, the day when Catholics believe the Virgin Mary ascended to heaven, body and soul, at the end of her earthly life.  The origins of Italy's Ferragosto, however, date back to Roman times, with the Feriae Augusti introduced as a period of rest by Emperor Augustus in 18 BC.  In the modern-day capital Ferragosto means a virtual exodus of Romans as well as the closure of public offices and family-run businesses, restaurants, bars and shops, although larger supermarkets are usually open, at least for a few hours in the morning.

Traditionally Rome residents escape the Ferragosto heat by heading to the beach or the mountains, while those left behind enjoy the city's peaceful streets and parks, the traffic-free roads and the simple joy of finding a parking place with ease.

Many of the city's museums remain open, including the Colosseum, with the Baths of Caracalla and Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna (GNAM) opening for free. However the Vatican Museums will be closed on both 14 and 15 August.

Rome's public transport network will be operating to a reduced "festivi" timetable, with the Metro A, B and C open from 05.30 until 23.30. Commuters should also note that the central stretch of the Metro A line will be closed for works from 14-19 August.

A journey in which you will witness a particular multi-projection: walls and ceilings will come alive around you while on the ground a large model of the city will light up to show the evolution of Rome over the centuries. This immersive projection will tell you 2700 years of the history of Rome in 27 minutes, through the eras that built the identity of the eternal city. You will have the illusion of flying over the city over the centuries, moving into monuments, palaces, churches and squares.
To complete the visit you can activate 4 large interactive models that will allow you to re-discover the history of some exceptional masterpieces: the Imperial Forums, the Forum of Augustus, the Mausoleum of Hadrian and the Basilica of Saint Peter.
The spectacular projections and animated models will make you perform a unique and exciting experience and experience first-hand the evolution of this extraordinary city.

Where: Cinema Augustus
When: until the 31st of December 2019
Website: welcometo-rome.it

Piazza del Popolo lights are linked to maternity ward in Rome hospital.

A public art project in Rome’s central Piazza del Popolo celebrates the "universal event of birth", according to its organisers the MAXXI Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI secolo.

Entitled Ai nati oggi, the installation by artist Alberto Garutti revolves around the square's lampposts being connected to the maternity ward at Rome's Gemelli hospital.

Each time the light pulses it signifies the birth of a baby.

The installation involves a button being pressed at the Gemelli on the occasion of every birth, upon which the light from the lampposts increases for about 30 seconds before returning to its regular power.

MAXXI says the installation - in place between July and the end of this year - is dedicated to each new arrival and all the newly-born babies that day in Rome.

Tourists sitting on Spanish Steps face fines of between €250 and €400.

Sitting on the staircase at Rome's Spanish Steps has been banned, according to Italian news agency ANSA.

The move is reportedly part of the raft of strict new regulations which recently became available to the city's local police force.

The 18th-century steps, known as the Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti, are classified as a monument, meaning that sitting or lying on them is prohibited.

Those caught in breach of the new ban face a fine of €250, which can rise to €400 if the steps are dirtied or damaged, according to ANSA.

In 2015 the steps underwent a €1.5-million restoration, funded by luxury jeweller Bulgari.

The baroque-style stairway, which comprises 136 travertine steps, connects Piazza di Spagna with the Trinità dei Monti church above.

Each year on 5 August Rome's Basilica di S. Maria Maggiore celebrates La Madonna della Neve (Our Lady of the Snows) by recreating a miracle snowfall during the height of summer.

According to legend, a fourth-century Roman couple wished to donate their possessions to the church, and prayed for divine guidance. On the night of 4/5 August in the year 352 the Virgin Mary appeared to the couple in a vision, telling them that a miracle would reveal a site where they should build a new church.

That same night — so the story goes — a miraculous fall of snow landed on a hill in the Esquiline district of Rome. Pope Liberius is said to have travelled to the snow-covered site, tracing an outline of the planned church whose construction was financed by the wealthy couple.

Although there is no historical basis for the story, the event is still celebrated every year at the basilica with a light show on 5 August, usually between 21.00 and midnight. The highlight of the evening is the surreal spectacle of snow-like foam and suds falling from the sky.

The 26th edition of Rome’s annual world music festival, Roma Incontra il Mondo, returns to the shores of the little lake in the Villa Ada park this summer, from 18 June until 5 August.

The festival area opens each night at 20.00 so that the public can enjoy food and drink from the ethnic food stalls before the music kicks off at 22.00.  For ticket information and full programme, which is constantly being updated, see festival website.

20 July - 14 September

This summer visitors can enjoy the magical gardens and fountains of a flood-lit Villa d’Este in Tivoli, outside Rome, on Saturday nights as well as a week of late openings in August.

Villa d'Este and its spectacular water gardens can be visited until 11:45 p.m. on the following dates: 20 and 27 July; 3, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 24 and 31 August; 7 and 14 September.

The ticket office closes one hour earlier than closing time. For full details see Villa d'Este website.

The Teatro dell'Opera di Roma summer season at the Baths of Caracalla presents Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet, choreography by Giuliano Peparini, one-time assistant to Roland Petit and artistic director behind the Italian popular television programme Amici di Maria De Filippi on Canale 5. The work's full title is Romeo e Giulietta – Ama e cambia il Mondo and it was first performed in Verona and then in Rome in 2013 and was part of last year's Caracalla festival. www.operaroma.it.

Electric scooter sharing is now a reality in Rome following the go-ahead from Italy's transport ministry regarding the circulation of new forms of urban micro-mobility on city streets.

The e-scooter sharing scheme is provided by American companies Lime and Bird, with the latter operating as Bird Rides Italy in collaboration with Italy's Enel X.

Lime and Bird are both present in more than 100 cities worldwide, and usage is limited to one person per scooter, for users aged 18 or over. Rental costs €1 to unlock the scooters, or monopattini in Italian, followed by a rate per minute, with maximum speeds of around 25km per hour.

The arrival of the e-scooters in Rome follows continued bad press for scooter sharing companies worldwide.

In New Zealand a Lime scooter user was killed in a road accident on 24 June while Parisians are protesting the multiple cases of scooter users crashing into pedestrians and the careless parking of the two-wheeled "trottinettes" on pavements.

Notwithstanding Rome's problematic sampietrini, the electric scooter sharing companies will attempt to succeed in a city where several bike-sharing shemes have failed in recent years.

The fountains and surprise water jets of the Ninfeo degli Specchi, or Nymphaeum of Mirrors, are flowing once again - after 300 years - thanks to the ongoing restoration of Rome's Palatine Hill by the Parco Colosseo archaeological park.  

Now modern-day visitors can experience the fun of being sprayed unexpectedly by "rain" thanks to newly-installed water jets, hidden once more at the nymphaeum.

Rome's Repubblica metro station is to reopen at 05:30 a.m. on Wednesday 26 June, after being closed for eight months, following the collapse of the station's escalators on 23 October.

Announcing the news via Twitter, the city's mayor Virginia Raggi apologised for the "inconvenience that citizens and traders have had to face in recent months due to the extraordinary maintenance work."

However it has been reported in local media that only four of the six escalators will reopen on 26 June, while traders complain that they have lost 70 per cent of their business over the last 246 days.

The accident in October occurred when one of the station's escalators failed, causing it to accelerate excessively, dragging down dozens of people at speed.

The Roman church of S. Ivo alla Sapienza, designed by Baroque genius Francesco Borromini between 1642 and 1660, opens to the public on Friday 21 June, for one day only.

The 17th-century building, normally closed to the public, will be open from 09.00-13.00 and from 14.00-18.00.

The church, located near Piazza Navona in the historic centre, is widely regarded as a masterpiece of the Baroque era.

June 15, 2019

In the enchanted scenery of the Aventine Hill is the Grand Priory of the Order of Malta, one of the Roman possessions of the ancient knightly Order. The property is known to most for the famous door, with the keyhole that perfectly frames the dome of Saint Peter, a unique attraction that recalls Romans and not!

With a special permit, Rome ad Hoc will take you to discover the wonders that hide behind that door ... You will discover the church of Santa Maria del Priorato, recently restored and reopened to the public: an eighteenth-century jewel and the only architectural work of the famous engraver Piranesi . The church, rich in stuccos and allegories, is a grandiose celebration of the secular Order of Malta.

After visiting the church you will be immersed in the scents of a lush garden, rich in the most diverse floral species, from which you can enjoy a privileged view over Rome.

Appointment h. 9:15 in p.zza of the Knights of Malta (mandatory entry 9:30 am). Cost of guided tour, including entrance ticket and hire of the radio guide: € 16 adults; from 10 to 18 years € 11; children under 10 € 1 for radio rental (optional). Duration: 1 hour and a half

To book send an EMAIL: romaadhoc@gmail.com, leaving name, number of participants and a telephone number. Alternatively you can call us at the numbers: 324 5815028 - 324 0950351 (preferable email). Reservations required. "

13 June-2 Sept. Celebrating 25 years, this quality cinema event lights up the Isola Tiberina in the middle of Rome's river Tiber each evening over the summer, from 13 June until 2 September. Under three sections: Innovation, Environment and Tourism, the 2019 edition of this multi-faceted festival includes 80 nights of screenings, encounters, masterclasses and discussions with important figures from the world of film. The festival's programme comprises films by emerging directors, independent cinema, documentaries and major international productions, including cult classics and films screened in their original language. There will also be parallel cultural events dedicated to music, literature, photography and poetry with cinematic connections. The festival's world cinema section, Isola Mondo, will feature independent international movies, organised in collaboration with embassies and foreign cultural institutions.  Novelties this year include virtual reality cinema and a special event in honour of the late film director Sergio Leone on the 90th anniversary of his birth.

Where: Isola Tiberina,Roma

Tickets June 16, 2019

Ed Sheeran in concert in Rome. The British singer-songwriter, one of the most interesting and appreciated on the world scene, stops off in the capital: Ed Sheeran will play in Rome on June 16th 2019 at the Olympic Stadium.

Ed Sheeran in concert in Rome

A concert expected for the thousands of Ed Sheeran fans who will therefore be able to enjoy his successes in the heart of the Eternal City.

The race has already started for Ed Sheeran's tickets in Rome: the general sale is open from Thursday 27 September to 11am on TicketOne.

21 June-13 Oct. Rome’s Shakespearean festival at the Silvano Toti Globe Theatre returns to Villa Borghese for its 16th edition.  The four-month festival devoted to Shakespeare is once again under the artistic direction of popular Roman actor Gigi Proietti, with a packed programme of Italian-language productions, ending with a performance in English.

Rome’s Globe Theatre is a full-scale timber reproduction of Shakespeare’s Globe, copied from the original oak and thatch designs, and almost identical to the one that stands on London’s South Bank.

The festival attracts around 65,000 spectators each year, and all shows are in Italian with the exception of the final production.

For full programme and ticket details see Globe website.

The 73rd celebration of the Festa della Repubblica marking Italy’s national day takes place in Rome and across Italy on 2 June, however the fact that this year it takes place on a Sunday will make no difference to the closure of public offices and schools.

The public holiday is held in commemoration of the day in 1946 when Italians voted in favour of a republic and against the monarchy which had been discredited during world war two.

The 2019 ceremonies in Rome begin on 1 June, the day before the main event, with the solemn changing of the guard at the Quirinale palace at 15.00.

At 09.15 on 2 June Italy's president Sergio Mattarella will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Piazza Venezia.

This is followed at 10.00 by the inspection of a major military parade comprising thousands of members of Italy’s army, navy and police forces, taking place along Via dei Fori Imperiali.

A highlight of the parade is the Frecce Tricolori, a popular aeronautical display featuring fighter jets flying in formation over the Colosseum, emitting plumes of the three colours from the Italian flag.

Another annual novelty on 2 June is the opening of the gardens at Palazzo Quirinale, free of charge, from 15.00-19.00. Visitors will be accompanied by music performed by bands comprising members of the Italian air force, police, navy and army.

Museums

All city-run museums will be open for free as will the following state museums and archaeological sites: Galleria Nazionale, the Etruscan Museum at Villa Giulia, Crypta Balbi, Palazzo Altemps, Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Baths of Diocletian, Ostia Antica, and the Baths of Caracalla.

Street closures

Streets in the vicinity of the Colosseum, Circus Maximus and Piazza Venezia will be closed, with traffic restrictions beginning on 29 May. The Colosseo and Circo Massimo stations on the Metro B line will also be closed on 2 June.

For full event details see the Festa della Repubblica website while for more on the transport situation see city website.

27 March-22 Sept. Palazzo Braschi hosts an exhibition comprising photographs of Rome spanning from the birth of the medium in the mid-19th century up to the present day.  The earliest images on display illustrate the topographical, historical and social aspects that characterised the final years of papal Rome as well as the emergence of the profession of the photgrapher and the beginning of the photograph's role as a souvenir for tourists and pilgrims.  The images in the exhibition are the work of both Italian and foreign photographers including Britain's Robert Macpherson and James Anderson

For details see Palazzo Braschi website.

The 2019 edition of Notte dei Musei is scheduled on Saturday 18 May, with the late opening of Rome's state, municipal and private-run museums, galleries, monuments and archaeological sites, from 8:00p.m until 02:00a.m, with last entry at 01:00a.m

There is a symbolic entry fee of €1, which includes free performances of live music, theatre and dance, however certain venues such as participating foreign academies are completely free.

This is the 11th year that Italy has been involved in Museum Night which has taken place annually across Europe since 2005.

Full details of the Rome programme can be found on the Musei in Comune Roma website

Visitors will have free access to the Parco del Colosseo - the archeological park incorporating the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and Roman Forum - on select days in 2019.

The openings are part of a package of up to 20 days of free admission to state museums and archaeological sites, which included the week-long Settimana dei Musei in March, introduced by Italy's culture minister Alberto Bonisoli.

The first free day at the Parco del Colosseo is on 9 May. This is followed by another seven free openings in 2019: on 5 June, 29 June, 23 September, 4 October, 4 November, 22 November and 18 December.

Visitors should note that the sites included in the S.U.P.E.R. (Seven Unique Places to Experience in Rome) ticket will be closed to the public on free days.

These seven Palatine sites include the Criptoportico Neroniano, Museo Palatino, Aula Isiaca - Loggia Mattei, Casa di Augusto, Casa di Livia, Tempio di Romolo and S. Maria Antiqua.

For full visiting details see the Parco del Colosseo website.

On Wednesday 1 May, Labour Day, Italy dedicates a public holiday to its workers in celebration of the Festa dei Lavoratori.

The annual national holiday is marked in Rome with a large, free May Day concert in Piazza S. Giovanni in Laterano, beginning at 15.00 and lasting until around midnight.

The 2019 concert has a diverse line-up including Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Carl Brave, Daniele Silvestri, Ex-Otago, Ghali, Ghemon, Motta, Negrita and Subsonica.

Organised by Italy's main trades unions, the annual Primo Maggio 'concertone' is now in its 29th year and will be broadcast live on Italian tevelevision channel RAI 3.

The event will cause numerous street closures in the area. Those wishing to reach the concert venue by Metro A should get off at either Manzoni or Re di Roma, as the S. Giovanni station will be closed.

All city-run museums in Rome will be shut on 1 May, including the Capitoline Museums, as well as the Vatican Museums. 

The following state museums will be open: Galleria Borghese, Palazzo Barberini, Galleria Corsini, Galleria Nazionale, Etruscan Museum at Villa Giulia, the four Musei Nazionale Romano (Palazzo Altemps, Crypta Balbi, Terme di Diocleziano, Palazzo Massimo) and the Baths of Caracalla.

Chiostro del Bramante, which has extended it current Dream exhibition until August, will also be open.

For full details of Primo Maggio concert website.

Friday night visits to the Vatican Museums from April to October.

The Vatican Museums will be open every Friday evening, from 19.00-23.00, from 26 April until 25 October.

Online booking is mandatory, with last admission at 21.30 and exit from the museums beginning 30 minutes prior to closing time.

The visit includes the Pio-Clementine museum, the Egyptian museum, the upper galleries, the Raphael rooms, the Borgia apartment, the collection of modern religious art, and the Sistine Chapel.

As in previous years, the popular Friday night initiative will be enriched with a special concert programme.

For full details including ticket prices see Vatican Museums website.

On 25 April Italy celebrates the 74th Festa della Liberazione which marks the country’s liberation from German occupation and fascist rule at the end of world war two.  A public holiday across Italy, all state schools and offices are closed on Thursday 25 April, as well as many shops.  Traditionally the day is marked in Rome with a ceremony in the morning at the Altare della Patria, attended by Italian president Sergio Mattarella.

At 09.30 supporters of the Associazione Nazionale Partigiani d’Italia (ANPI) will walk from Largo Benedetto Bompiani in the Ardeatino district to Piazza di Porta S. Paolo, by the Piramide Cestia monument, resulting in numerous bus detours, road closures and parking bans along the route.

The fact that this year's Festa della Repubblica falls on a Thursday means many people in Italy will take Friday off to create a "ponte" (bridge) or four-day weekend.

The Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, Italy's national gallery of modern art, is open for free on Easter Sunday, 21 April.

The gallery is also open for free on 25 April for the Festa della Liberazione, or Liberation Day.

The ruins of Emperor Nero's first palace, known as the Domus Transitoria, have opened to the public following a decade of restoration and structural works.  Located on Rome's Palatine hill, the sprawling palace dates to 54 AD and was built underground so the bloodthirsty emperor could beat the summer heat.  The walls and ceilings of the luxurious palace, opulent even by Roman standards, were adorned with gold leaf, inlaid marble, frescoes, mosaics, precious gems, coloured marbles and mother of pearl.  The ruins can be visited from Friday to Monday, between 09.00 and 18.00, by groups of 12 people at a time.

Address: Palatine Hill, 00186 Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy

The park in Rome's Villa Torlonia contains a fairytale house dedicated to owls.  Hidden away in the grounds of Villa Torlonia - off the tourist trail - is a remarkably unexpected building that seems to have fallen straight out of a fairytale.  Known as the Casina delle Civette, or the little house of the owls, this curious complex was designed originally, in 1840, as a "Swiss cabin" for Prince Alessandro Torlonia.

Visitors should note that although entry to the surrounding park is free, tickets for the Casina delle Civette must be bought at the Villa Torlonia palace, which is much nearer the main entrance than the little house of the owls.

Open Tues-Sun 09.00-19.00. For full visiting details see Villa Torlonia website.

Don’t forget to set your watches and clocks forward one hour at 02.00 Central European Time (CET) on Sunday 31 March.Central European Summer Time (CEST) will be with us until the last Sunday of October, which falls on 3 November this year.  The only country in Europe not to make the most of extra daylight hours during the summer is Iceland which stays on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) all year round.  However it could be one of the last times that Europe is required to change its clocks. The European parliament has backed a proposal to stop the obligatory twice-yearly clock change from 2021. The 28 member states will be required to choose either permanent summer time or winter time but must co-ordinate their choices to minimise risk of economic disruption in cross-border trade.  There are currently three different time zones in the EU: three countries operate under GMT (UK, Ireland and Portugal), 17 have Central European Time (GMT+1) and eight have Eastern European Time (GMT+2).

27 March-22 Sept. Palazzo Braschi hosts an exhibition comprising photographs of Rome spanning from the birth of the medium in the mid-19th century up to the present day. The earliest images on display illustrate the topographical, historical and social aspects that characterised the final years of papal Rome as well as the emergence of the profession of the photgrapher and the beginning of the photograph's role as a souvenir for tourists and pilgrims.

Place : Museum of Rome

Schedule: From 27 March 2019 to 22 September 2019

from Tuesday to Sunday 10.00 am to 7.00 pm the ticket office closes at 6.00 pm

Closing days: Monday (except for Monday 22 April 2019 - Easter Monday - when the museum will be open to the public) and 1 May

For more details visit: www.museodiroma.it

Visitors to pick-your-own garden to be given clear instructions this year.

Tulipark, a 26,000-sqm flower farm in the Prenestino-Labicano area of east Rome, opens on 21 March, when visitors will be allowed to pick their own tulips for purchase.

Tulipark will be open daily from 09.00-19.00, probably until the second half of April, depending on the availability of its tulips.

For full visiting informaion and updates see https://www.tulipark.it/.

The Baths of Caracalla will open free of charge for eight days during 2019 as part of the Io Vado al Museo initiative involving free entry to state museums and archaeological sites.

The first free day will be 22 Marchon the occasion of World Water Day, with two free guided tours scheduled at midday and at 15.00.

The next free day will be 8 April, to mark the birth of Castor and Pollux as well as the anniversary of the death in 217 AD of Emperor Caracalla.

The bath complex will open for free again on 21 April for Rome's 2,772nd birthday, known as Natale di Roma, followed by holidays for Festa della Repubblica on 2 June and the Feast of Peter and Paul, Rome's patron saints, on 29 June.

The Baths of Caracalla will be free to visitors for Ferragosto, on 15 August, before Italy's free museums days begin again in October (every first Sunday of the month from October to March).

Two further special free days take place at the baths site on 4 November, for National Unity and Armed Forces Day, and again on 17 December, on the occasion of the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia.

Each spring many Romans mark the Japapese tradition of hanami, an ancient custom of admiring the beauty of cherry blossoms, in the park at the laghetto in EUR.  In 1959 Japan donated 2,500 cherry trees to Italy to decorate the lake in the southern EUR suburb.

The blossoming period is generally from mid-March until the start of April when the flowering trees begin to lose their blossoms.

While there, don't forget to pay a visit to the nearby waterfall gardens.

WHERE: Parco Centrale del Lago, Passeggiata del Giappone, Roma, RM, Italia

March 15, 2019

The Gruppo Storico Romano stages an historical re-enactment of the dramatic events that occurred in Rome on the Ides of March, culminating in the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC.The event is being staged at 2:00p.m on Friday 15 March at the Largo Argentina archaeological site, which is about to undergo a €1 million restoration project funded by luxury jeweller Bulgari.

The re-enactment of Caesar's murder is followed by a funeral procession to the Temple of Divus Iulius in the heart of the Roman Forum.

This unassuming site marks the spot where Caesar was cremated, and is located to the eastern side of the central Forum area. Each year people commemorate Caesar's death by leaving flowers inside the temple.

For details of the Ides of March events see the Gruppo Storico Romano website.

Where: Largo di Torre Argentina, 00186 Roma RM, Italia

Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne, a Renaissance palace fronting onto Rome's Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, opens to the public each year on 16 March, for one day only, from 07.00-13.00.

The one-day opening relates to the death, on 16 March 1583, of the 14-year-old Paolo Massimo, who was brought back to life briefly by S. Filippo Neri in the chapel which was created inside the boy's bedroom.

Built for the old Roman Massimo family in 1532-1536, and designed by celebrated architect and painter Baldassarre Peruzzi, the building is founded on the remains of three adjoining palaces ruined during the Sack of Rome in 1527.

The exterior of the palace is characterised by its curved façade with six Doric columns incorporating the foundations of the stadium, or odeon, of Emperor Domitian. The palace's interior contains elaborately-decorated ceilings, featuring coffering and frescoes by artists such as Daniele da Volterra.

The façade, which had been blackened by traffic along Corso Vittorio Emanuele, was restored in 2002. It was saved from the post 1870 demolition to widen the street, then called the Strada Papale, during the building boom that followed the unification of Italy but was then right on the edge of the new thoroughfare. Today the best view of the palazzo is on the Campo de' Fiori side of the pedestrian crossing to Palazzo Braschi and Piazza Navona.

The Massimo family still resides in the palace to this day.

March 17, 2019

For many it is synonymous with hope, luck or money (three elements all desirable); for the Irish it is the color of the heart, of the mother earth, of the meadows. The green, in short, is the perfect color to best celebrate St. Patrick, patron saint of the island of Ireland. For this reason some of the most important monuments of the world will be green in the evening of 17 March.

The Colosseum lights up green for San Patrizio

Global Greening is the name of the initiative launched by the Irish Tourism and now in its tenth edition, which is growing year by year. There are many interesting new sites that are confirmed or added this year to the list of places that will light up in green.

There is also the Colosseum: the Flavio Amphitheater will be tinged with green on the occasion of Saint Patrick, giving the city of Rome a magical and festive atmosphere.

Around the world, the Victoria Falls, The Eden Project in Cornwall, the walls of York, The Cotton Tree in Sierra Leone, the statue "Chiu" in Nairobi, the Nation Towers in Abu Dhabi, the castle of Beaulieu on the banks of the Loire, the Atakule tower in Ankara and, in Italy: Castel Nuovo (Maschio Angioino) and Castel dell'Ovo in Naples, the Albornoz Fortress in Orvieto, the Terrazza Mascagni Gazebo and the city Cisternino in Livorno, the Palazzo ex Convento dell'Annunziata in Matera, the Sala dei Bronzi di Riace in the Archaeological Museum of Reggio Calabria, will join the Irish Green Global Initiative for the first time.

Every Thursday the Galleria Borghese is open extraordinarily even in the evening from 7p.m to 9p.m. The reservation is mandatory by calling the number +39 06 32810 or by sending an email to info@tosc.it

In addition, last minute tickets are always available, showing up at the ticket office half an hour after the start of the visit.

Next dates of Thursday evening visits to the Galleria Borghese:

Thursday, February 28th

Thursday 7 March

Thursday, March 14th

March 9, 2019

Guided tour of the Baths of Caracalla and Circo Massimo. It will be possible to enter the second largest thermal complex of ancient Rome, after the Baths of Diocletian: the great Baths of Caracalla.

Appointment at 11.00 am on Viale delle Terme di Caracalla - Entrance ramp Archaeological site outdoor area - Look for the Violet flag Roma Caput Tour logo, 10 minutes maximum waiting time for registration

Duration Guided Tour about 2 hours (Terme + Circo)Terme di Carcalla entrance € 0.00 for all for the week of free museums from 5 to 10 March. Cost of guided tour € 10.00 (adults), € 5.00 (children 5-13 years) € 2.00 rental of earphones (if the group exceeds 30 people)

Reservation Required by writing to info@romacaputour.it or by sending a text message to 0039 333 4854287 specifying the title of the visit, Name, Surname, Telephone number, number of people, e-mail of reference.

March 8, 2019

Guided Tour - IL FORO ROMANO,

to know the beating heart of ancient Rome

Opening with FREE ENTRANCE for the Culture Week

After more than two thousand years, the archaeological area of ​​the Roman Forum continues to amaze visitors from all over the world for the richness and the multiplicity of its monuments.  Public space par excellence, embellished by emperors and prominent figures of political life in the Roman era, preserves buildings that are fundamental for understanding and reliving the history of the city, such as the Arch of Titus, the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, the Basilica of Maxentius, the Arch of Septimius Severus, the House of the Vestal Virgins.

The visit will be held by Dr. Emanuela Sarracino, Archaeologist and Tourist Guide

Appointment: 2.30 pm at the ticket office of the Roman Forum in Largo Romolo and Remo.

Cost of the visit: € 9 (includes the rental of earphones)

On the occasion of the 2019 Culture Week, the admission ticket is free

ATTENTION: LIMITED PLACES! OBLIGATORY RESERVATION:

CELL. +39 328.8071534 emanuela.sarracino@gmail.com

The first Friday, March 1, reopens the La Romana ice cream shop in via Ostiense 48. The store, which has been closed for a period, for a redesign of the interior is now ready to welcome new and loyal customers.

Reopening of the La Romana ice-cream parlor

And so, the much-appreciated ice cream parlor in Rome invites everyone, the first Friday of March to celebrate the reopening in a greedy way. In fact, a tasting of the 'house' specialties is scheduled starting at 16:00.

Visit www.gelateriaromana.com

On March 2, 2019

Scheduled a fascinating walk through the alleys of Rome, to discover how the Carnival was born, how it was lived by the population and how the city was transformed on the occasion of this holiday. Tales and testimonies will be read to enter 100 percent in the atmosphere of the Carnival, where each model is subverted and where we will find popes and great artists try their hand at games and fun with special effects!

It is advisable to bring with you a candle, of any size, as long as it is easy to transport to relive one of the most traditional moments of the party together !! Ready to take a dip in history and relive the true Roman Carnival?

Mask disguise optional and welcome!

Appointment: Saturday, March 2 at 15.45 in Piazza del Campidoglio, climbing the stairs on the right

Event contribution: 10 euros

Booking to the activities is mandatory and it is necessary to reach the minimum number of 5 participants in the 24 hours before the guided tour, otherwise the event will be canceled.

For information and reservations: info@radiciassociazioneculturale.it / 329.1755086.

For those who are not members of the Radici Association: it is advisable to pre-fill the application form, print it and deliver it on the day of the event.

Free opening every last Sunday of the month.

The magnificent and vast Vatican Museums represent one of the largest and most interesting museum complexes in the world.

Therefore, take a good dose of patience, because the queues are long enough, but will certainly be paid back inside.

From 9 am to 2 pm the doors of the Vatican museums will be open for free to all without reservation. (closing time 12.30)

How to get there:

The Museums are located in Viale Vaticano in Rome, within the Vatican City State. Being in the heart of the capital are easily accessible, here's how to reach them:

From Termini Station:

Metro Line A towards Battistini, stops: Ottaviano-Musei Vaticani; Cyprus (for both 10 minutes on foot)

Metro:

Suggested stops are Ottaviano-S.Pietro-Musei Vaticani; Cipro

Recommended buses: 49; 32; 81: 982: 492: 990

Tram: 19, get off at Piazza del Risorgimento

Car: Paid parking in Viale Vaticano and surrounding areas.

The events of 23rd and 24th February

From the first Carnival events to events dedicated to Italian gastronomic excellences. From vintage and particular markets to guided tours: the weekend in Rome on February 23rd and 24th is full of events to take into consideration to spend two days full of fun, culture or food.

Here are some of the events:

The first edition of Formaticum arrives in Rome, the market exhibition dedicated to Italian rarity, aimed at cheese lovers, operators in the sector, restaurateurs, but also all the curious, who can taste and buy products directly from the producers, without intermediaries.

Network Markets, on Sunday 24 February, opens the door to 'Facciamo Rete', a project dedicated to small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the food sector.

WHERE: Eataly - Piazzale XII Ottobre 1492 00154, 00154 Roma

WHEN: Thursday 24 January 2019 – Sunday 27 January 2019

Cost: FREE

On the occasion of the 12th anniversary of the opening of the first Eataly, the feast of fresh stalls returns. Four days in which we discover the typicality of the departments of Eataly, with free show cooking, workshops taken care of by experts in the sector, culinary activities.

At the Leonardo Da Vinci Museum Experience the events for the 500th anniversary of the death of the Genius

"The whole world is preparing for the celebrations of the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo Da Vinci. The date of May 2, 2019 will mark the fifth century since the death of the greatest genius of all time, a global event ready to involve millions of visitors with a schedule of exhibitions and initiatives that will unfold throughout the planet until 2020. "

Hard Rock Cafe Rome celebrates its twentieth anniversary by thanking all its guests.

Monday, December 10, the party begins in the morning: those who present between 11 and 12 can buy a Legendary burger at 98 cents. Who was born on December 10, 1998 or performs a T Shirt Hard Rock Cafe Rome receives a tribute from the rock shop.

Address: Via Vittorio Veneto, 62a

Happening on December 8 & 9, 2018

Craftsmanship and creativity, in all their forms, will be the protagonists that will make the arrival of parties magical. Find the perfect, unique and handmade gift from over 100 desks.

The Wave Market Christmas Edition is the ideal way to wait for Christmas, experiencing a special moment of carefree and sharing good food, Christmas sweets, exhibitions, music, in the company of the best artisans, designers, illustrators, publishers and local producers from all over Italy .

Where: Lanificio 159 - Via Pietralata 159

Time: From 10:00 a.m - 9:00 p.m

For the first time in Italy, the long-awaited, international multimedia exhibition is finally arriving in Rome. The French Impressionists – Monet to Cézanne pays homage to the French artists who changed the history of art thanks to their new approach towards the external world and the surrounding nature, and their way of representing immediacy and fluidity through an incredible use of light and shadow.

Visit https://www.impressionistiroma.it/en/

On Novemer 9 and 10, 2018

From Eataly returns Eataly Wine Festival 2018: the great event dedicated to wine with a special focus on small producers who with dedication produce wines of excellence often rediscover forgotten flavors, becoming custodians of the territory in which they operate.

Eataly, through the nursery project, is always at the side of small producers, constantly looking for new excellences in the sector. An unmissable event for lovers of niche wines, to taste or even to buy at advantageous prices. An opportunity to discover the techniques and origins of each individual label told by the producers themselves.

To expect more than 200 labels of Italians and more!

Eataly Roma Ostiense

Wednesday 31st October 2018

The Factory Club will transform for a night into a magical location with ghosts, witches and spirits. The most terrifying and frightening night of the year is going to be as always enveloped by the charm of the Factory.

visit www.halloweenroma.it for more info.

October 28th 2018

A Chestnut Festival returns to Percile. On October 28, Percile, a pretty village in the upper Aniene Valley, recently entered into the "Most Beautiful Villages of Italy", completely immersed in the protected Regional Park of the Lucretili Mountains Park, welcomes citizens and hikers for a 'teaches the tranquility, the excellent gastronomy immersed in an oasis of peace, history, traditions and joy with musical entertainment.

An enchanted village between culture, history, environment and traditions, open to the public Palazzo Borghese (xvi sec.) With clothes, objects and the evocative and innumerable testimonies of an ancient route.

The squared stone, an element that distinguishes the peculiar paving of the streets of Rome, has inspired the shape of our tasty glazed semifreddo that is produced in an exclusive laboratory inside the ice cream shop invia Principe Eugenio, 65.

The literary appointments at the Palazzo del Freddo G. Fassi, the historic Esquilino ice-cream shop, continue. Thursday 11, at 6:30p.m, Sala Giuseppina will welcome the eclectic journalist Michele Ruschioni for the presentation of the book Braciami ancora - the Barbecue Tribe.

Friday 12, at 6p.m, the protagonist will be B-Hop, the first magazine with a very high percentage of good news that integrates the themes of inner growth with social and cultural action.

Free entry.

This will be followed by tasting of Sanpietrini Fassi.

Back to Rome Via Japan, the Japanese street food festival. On October 12th, 13th and 14th the Officine Farneto will turn into a crowded street in Tokyo, with 15 real Japanese izakaya and 15 chefs coming from all over Japan, each one will bring his specialty, each one will bring his story.

For more info, visit viajapan.it

Rome like Bavaria: Oktoberfest arrives in the capital. Until October 7, the Palacavicchi awaits you with rivers of beer, shows and Bavarian specialties.

Every day from 7.30 pm the party is served: beers, shin, sausage, wurstel and menus dedicated to children. A small Bavaria near Rome. Strudel and Sacher cake will make the evening sweeter.

The appointment with Oktoberfest at the Palacavicchi is until 7 October.

Place: Via Ranuccio Bianchi Bandinelli, 130

For more info. visit www.oktoberfestroma.com

5 October 2018

Between the tracks of a railway yard of 1925, make yourself comfortable: dinner is served. In one of the most evocative areas of the Ex Dogana, a long social table for 90 lucky people, in an evening of cooking in unusual places.

Each time a different train will take you to different regions of Italy: the journey of October 5 is among the flavors of Sicily.

Where: Ex Dogana - Viale dello Scalo S. Lorenzo, 10

Event happening on September 29 - 30, 2018

In the splendid setting of the Rocca Abbazia di Subiaco, two gastronomic excellences will merge for two days of great charm. "Truffle and chocolate in the residence of Lucrezia Borgia" is the event - organized by the cultural association Subiaco Culture and Nature - which for the first time will animate, on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 September, the city of monasteries in the province of Rome.

Let yourself be delighted by unique dishes prepared by professional chefs or stop for a quick burger at our street-food corner. Book your complete meal online for € 21 and avoid the queue!

Happening ONLY on September 27, 2018

Rome never ceases to amaze. In the heart of the capital, around an area of ​​just over a block, the city is still told in the succession of all its historical eras. From antiquity to the Middle Ages, from the Renaissance to the Napoleonic invasion up to the regulating plan of 1909, the area of ​​the Forum of Augustus and the adjacent Piazza del Grillo still bears on its shoulders stories and legends of the city of Rome.

Reservations are required

 APPOINTMENT: Piazza del Grillo, half an hour before the start of the visit for those who still have to register for the Esperide association, a quarter of an hour before for registered members.

 CONTRIBUTION OF THE VISIT: 10 euros for those who still have to register, 6 euros for those already registered. To add the entrance ticket to the House of the Knights of Rhodes for 5 euros. For groups of at least 12 participants, the use of headsets may be included at a cost of 1.50 euros.

 TO RESERVE: email address info@esperide.it; telephone: 3394750696 - 3498926716 - 3331125444

 HOW TO ARRIVE: Metro B, Colosseo stop, Atac bus lines 75, 87, 85, Fori Imperiali stop

For more info. visit www.esperide.it

Extraordinary opening of the Ossuary Garibaldino Mausoleum on the occasion of the Presa di Porta Pia. The monument will be open to the public at extraordinary opening for the whole day. The event is promoted by Roma Capitale, Department of Cultural Growth - Capitoline Superintendency for Cultural Heritage.

Opens only for tomorrow September 20, 2018 from 8 a.m - 8 p.m

Visit romatoday.it for more info.

Returning from the holidays, Enoteca San Lorenzo is immediately on the road: a food and wine trip along the excellence of the wines of the Italian regions and the foods that best accompany them. a path between 6 cellars for as many regions, in which each of them will be combined with a taste of local specialties.Three experts from the A.I.S. (Italian Sommelier Association) will be present to make you from Cicero on this journey among the delights of the palate.

On September 18 - 20, 2018 at 7p.m

Place: Ex Dogana Viale Scalo San Lorenzo

The politics, ambition, wealth, justice, devotion and sacredness of Rome are expressed simultaneously in the Forums, the heart of the City.  Starting from the Campidoglio, where the elegant architectures designed by Michelangelo are the background to the famous statue of Marcus Aurelius, we will descend towards one of the most famous streets of the capital: via dei Fori Imperiali.

Walking along the way you will recall the splendours, the glories and the triumphs but also the refined elegance of the Roman architecture witness, even today, of the immense power of the Roman Empire.

Appointment is on September 7, 2018 at 9p.m in Piazza del Campidoglio, under the statue of Marcus Aurelius

(end of the visit: Colosseum)

Cost of guided tour: € 10, € 5 for children under 18, free for children under 10 years, and possible rental of the radio guide € 1.50 per person.

Duration: about 2 hours.

To book send us an EMAIL: romaadhoc@gmail.com, leaving name, number of participants and a telephone number. Booking is required.

Seventh villa by extension in Rome, was born from an idea of ​​the rich banker Giovanni Raimondo Torlonia, who wanted to transform what had previously been a vineyard, first owned by the Pamphilij and then the Colonna, in a villa worthy of the rank of his family. Visiting the wonderful park, made of small and mysterious places, with insertions of furnishings recalling the ancient, as well as the opulent Casino Nobile and the bizarre as fairy-tale Casina delle Civette - which is the only example of the Art Nouveau glass museum in Italy - you can appreciate this green lung located in the city center that is an oasis of tranquility, a place for meeting and leisure, very popular and appreciated.

Appointment at 4.15 pm Via Nomentana 70, internal obelisk.  Not suitable for 4-legged friends

Participation fee: € 8.00; affiliated € 7.00; students and under 26 € 6.00; minors for free, if accompanied; free replicas if accompanied by a payer. payment methods: on site

When: August 31, 2018 at 10 p.m.

Where: SANTANERA - Via Flaminia 7500

An unusual event, innovative, in an extraordinary location, where past and future converge and merge into a timeless present.

From 27 August to 2 September, the first edition of the oenological event of the city of Nettuno, organized by Proloco Forte Sangallo, in collaboration with the Restaurateurs of Neptune

Program NETTUNO WINE FESTIVAL

Monday 27 August to Sunday 2 September

12:00-2p.m Tasting menu at the 30 restaurants participating in the initiative

8p.m - 9:30p.m Tasting menu at the 30 restaurants participating in the initiative

Sunday 02 September

5 p.m: -11p.m Tasting of the square with free tasting tables of wine and finger-food in the streets of the city center

NOTE: Only adults can participate in the Piazza tasting.

For information and reservations you can call 338.2024807 from 11a.m to 7p.m

The Leonardo Da Vinci Experience Museum in Via della Conciliazione in Rome will host the world's only reproduced copy of the Archangel Gabriel by Leonardo Da Vinci, the first painting by the Tuscan genius discovered and announced by Ernesto Solari, a world-renowned Leonardian scholar.

The exhibit is until the 30th of September 2018.

Where: Museo Leonardo Da Vinci Experience

Via della Conciliazione,19

Every 9 a.m - 7:30 p.m

When: 14 agosto 2018

Where: Lungomare Amerigo Vespucci, 112

A unique atmosphere, made up of light installations, laser shows, acrobats, jugglers, fire shows, bright fairies, special fluorescent effects. It is the Festival of Light at the Coral Club of Ostia.

One night is magical and enchanted Ferragosto in the splendid setting of the Corallo discotheque c / o Bettina di Ostia factory.

Starts at 9 p.m with buffet aperitif

On July 27, 2018 

The rare and magnificent spectacle of the longest total eclipse of the Moon of the century and of the contemporary great and luminous opposition of Mars, in the extraordinary context of the Colosseum's Archaeological Park: an event of exceptional beauty, unique in the world. On 27 July, after almost three years of absence, the magnificent spectacle of the total eclipse of the Moon returns to Italian skies. And it will do so in great style: on this occasion, in fact, the Moon will be at the maximum distance from the Earth and will reach the center of the Earth's shadow, generating an eclipse with a total phase of about 103 minutes, the longest of the 21st Century.

The Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities, the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum and the Virtual Telescope Project have prepared for July 27, from 9.00 pm to 12.00 pm an extraordinary evening of public observation from a place of incommensurable archaeological value, cultural and historical: the Temple of Venus and Rome, a few meters from the Flavian Amphitheater and the Arch of Constantine.

Where: Piazza Colosseo 
Time: 9p.m

The "Case Romane del Celio", located on the Clivo di Scauro between the Coliseum and the Circus Maximus, lies below the Basilica of Saints John and Paul on the slopes of the Caelian Hill. The houses were opened to the public in 2002.

The houses, known also as the home of the martyrs John and Paul, contain more than four centuries of history and attest to the coexistence and transition between paganism and Christianity.

The frescoed rooms, originally shops and storerooms of a multi-storied working class building (insula), were in fact transformed during the 3rd century AD into an elegant upper class residence (domus). Within the rooms, you can admire some of the most beautiful frescoes of Late Antiquity.

The legendary bitterness of the two pillars of Roman baroque told in the streets and squares that see them as protagonists. Borromini: sober, elegant, mathematical and introverted. Bernini: sumptuous, rich, spectacular and enchanting. Different interpretations of the baroque, different ways of approaching life; yet their art and their lives intertwined to weave one of Rome's most fascinating stories.

On July 19, 2018 at 9:00p.m.
Appointment at Piazza della Chiesa Nuova, statue of Metastasio, 20.45.
Suitable for 4-legged friends!
Contribution visit: free contribution, you decide the amount!

Booking required. We remind you that to book it is not enough to "participate" on Facebook; Entries must be submitted via the form available on the website: www.associazioneculturalecalipso.com, via e-mail (prenotazioneazionsoipgo@gmail.com) or by telephone (3398346689), SMS or WhatsApp, with the names of the participants and communication of possible participation of minors or holders of reductions + telephone number as a reference.

July 13, 2018

Extraordinary evening opening on Friday

A place of extraordinary charm that we can see under a very special light ... thanks to the prolonged opening we can enjoy the archaeological area at sunset and complete with a suggestive path under the first stars of the evening!

GENERAL INFORMATION:

Appointment: h. 7.00 pm in Largo Marguerite Yourcenar, 1, in front of the archaeological area. Maximum punctuality is recommended for the correct execution of bureaucratic procedures and the organization of the visit.

Participation fee: guided tour € 10 (2018 members) - € 12 (non-members) + € 10 admission ticket to the site.

Duration: approximately 2h15.

Minimum of participants 10 people, maximum 20.

Reservations required by Thursday 12 July, h. 17:00. After this time it is advisable to call to check the availability of the seats and the actual conduct of the guided tour.

TO PARTECIPATE please visit blogspot.it

July 7, 2018

An evening of magic in the gardens and rooms of one of the most beautiful abodes of the Italian Renaissance: Villa d'Este at night.

Built in 1572, at the behest of Cardinal Ippolito II D'Este, Villa D'Este is famous all over the world for its fountains and water features, a unique hydraulic engineering work that still leaves thousands of visitors are open.

Travel program and booking methods.

6 pm: Appointment in Piazzale del Verano, possibility of payment directly on board

18.15 hours: Departure for Tivoli.

7 pm: Arrival in Tivoli, possibility of Aperitif with Tu Bevi and Io Guido or free visit of Tivoli.

8 pm: Appointment at the entrance of Villa d'Este, entrance and start of the guided tour.

10.45 pm: Meeting at the Coach and Departure for Rome.

11.30 pm: Arrival at Piazzale del Verano

HOW TO BOOK?
To book you can buy the ticket on www.tubevieioguido.it for € 18

WHAT INCLUDES THE TICKET?
The ticket includes the return journey aboard a private GT coach and a guided tour of about two hours.

NOT INCLUDED: Entrance to Villa d'Este, ENTIRE 8 € / REDUCED 4 €

You will board historic locomotives and trams 'restored and subtracted to the degradation of time and forgetfulness', and you can admire the collection of documents, photographs and objects, which testify how the work was done on the railway lines, while the ATAC staff will tell the important story, but a bit 'forgotten transport on iron in Rome and its hinterland: Ostia Lido, Viterbo, Fiuggi and the Castelli Romani.

Finally, it will cover the history of Italian cinema, filmed on board trains or between meetings and farewells in Rome's stations.

Visit organized in collaboration with BIT Regeneration

The event is free, but participants are required to present themselves with a validated ATAC ticket or with a monthly / yearly ATAC ticket.

The reservation is mandatory, and is essential to receive confirmation and to be notified in the exceptional case of cancellation or change of schedule.

INFO & RESERVATIONS

info@romaslowtour.com

July 1, 2018

On the occasion of the last free Sunday in museums before the summer break, Radici offers an underground walk (and not only) to Crypta Balbi, the only Italian museum that arises from an archaeological research carried out on an entire block: a museum of urban archeology that documents the history and evolution of that space and its use destinations over the centuries.

Where: Museo Nazionale Romano - Crypta Balbi -Via delle Botteghe Oscure, 31

Time: 5 p.m.

Visit www.radiciassociazioneculturale.it for more information

The Italian Fireworks Championship arrives at Cinecittà World. The best national pyrotechnic companies will compete in three evenings of fire to give life to an unprecedented event in the panorama of outdoor shows.

Where: Via di Castel Romano

When: June 28, 29 and 30, 2018

Visit www.cinecittaworld.it for more info.

The "Wind Summer Festival" is back!!!

On 22, 23, 24 and 25 June, in fact, the great music will be staged in Piazza del Popolo in Rome and starts at 8p.m - FREE admission with the usual summer event that will see important Italian and international artists alternating on stage and will decree the soundtrack of summer 2018.

On 21 June, from 4.00 pm to midnight, Rome lights up for a party evening. With the Music Festival of Rome 2018, music can reach everywhere: in outdoor places, in the courtyards, in the streets even more unknown, in the corners and in the most unexpected places. Everyone is invited to play, sing and participate in simple ways, everyone can collaborate to organize events!

WHERE: 
Village Celimontana
Via della Navicella, 12

Visit the official website www.villagecelimontana.it
FREE Entrance!

WHEN: June 16, 2018
WHERE: Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta

In the enchanted setting of the Aventine Hill there is the Grand Priory of the Order of Malta, one of the Roman possessions of the ancient Knightly Order.
The property is known to most for the famous door, with the keyhole that perfectly frames the dome of St. Peter, an attraction that recalls Romans and not!

With a special permit, Rome ad Hoc will take you to discover the wonders hidden behind that door ... the church of Santa Maria del Priorato, an eighteenth-century jewel and unique architectural work by the famous Piranesi engraver and a lush garden, full of the most diverse floral species , which offers a privileged view of Rome. In this period also, due to an ongoing restoration of the church (of which you can only admire the facade) we will have the opportunity to enter the Magistral Villa, visiting the most significant environments, including the hall where the Knights of Malta elect the Grand Master of the Order!

Appointment 09:00 am in the piazza of the Knights of Malta (compulsory admission 09:15 am)

Cost of guided tour, including admission ticket: € 15 adults; 10 to 18 years € 10; free for children under 10 years + possible rental of the radio guide 1.50 € per person.

Duration: 1 hour and a half

To book call us at the numbers: 324 5815028 - 324 0950351 or send us an email: romaadhoc@gmail.com, leaving name, number of participants and a telephone number.

Booking required.

WHEN: From June 8, 2018 to September 2, 2018

The event that offers a rich cultural and entertainment program on board the river to enrich the summer of the Eternal City.

All cultural initiatives will be implemented without any public contribution. Admission to the event and all its cultural initiatives is FREE.

A pleasant guided walk in the Trevi district to discover famous places and hidden corners, ambitious papal projects and popular anecdotes. The common thread will be the water of the ancient Virgin Aqueduct, protagonist of the first part when we descend to a depth of more than 7 meters near the Trevi Fountain to admire an important Roman complex, the Vicus Caprarius, called "City of Water" ": a real neighborhood, which includes an insula with tabernae, a public building and a cistern.

WHEN: FRIDAY 08 JUNE 09.30 PM

Appointment 15 minutes before the start: In front of the Church of SS. Vincenzo and Anastasio (in front of Trevi Fountain)

Participation fee: € 20 reduced agreement, Imperial card and / or WeKard, € 22 full, € 16 under18, € 6 under 10

Reservations required

For more info: www.iviaggidiadriano.it - ​​3343006636 - 0651960876
Method of payment: cash at the guide

Between history and legends, the promenade unfolds in the heart of the Sant'Angelo district. The Ghetto is a fundamental element in the cultural and religious tradition of Rome. 

Everywhere you can see the successive buildings of the medieval and renaissance epochs that are huddled and literally infiltrated in the ancient arches or high up on the top of the theater, as is the case of the Savelli fortress. Next to the monumental ruins of antiquity, here are the mansions of the powerful Cenci and Santacroce, both involved in famous crimes, and the miserable houses of the Jews forcibly deported to the "claustro". Through the series of papal bulls - now more tolerant other times restrictive - life flows in the Ghetto, which is endowed with autonomous structures parallel to those of the "Christian Rome".

Appointment: Sunday 10 June at 9.30 in front of the Portico d'Ottavia

Duration: 2 1/2 hours - 3 hours

Cost per person (including radio earphones for listening to our Guide):

Members € 13.50, non-members € 17.00

OBLIGATORY RESERVATION:
mail amicideltevere@unpontesultevere.com; Mobile. 3397448084 - 3395852777

June 2, 2018

Highlight of national celebrations is Frecce Tricolori aeronautical display in Rome.

The 72nd celebration of the Festa della Repubblica marking Italy’s national day takes place in Rome and across Italy on Saturday 2 June, resulting in the closure of public offices and many businesses.

The public holiday is held in commemoration of the day in 1946 when Italians voted in favour of a republic and against the monarchy which had been discredited during world war two.

Ceremonies in Rome begin on 1 June, the day before the main event, with the solemn changing of the guard at the Quirinale palace at 15.30.

At 09.15 on 2 June Italy's president Sergio Mattarella will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Piazza Venezia. This is followed at 10.00 by an inspection of the major military parade comprising thousands of members of the state’s army, navy, police forces and the foresty corp, taking place along Via dei Fori Imperiali.

A highlight of the parade is the Frecce Tricolori, a popular aeronautical display featuring a series of fighter jets flying in formation over the Colosseum, emitting plumes of the three colours from the Italian flag.

Another annual novelty on 2 June is the opening of the gardens at Palazzo Quirinale, free of charge, from 15.00-19.00.

On the day of the parade, streets in the vicinity of the Colosseum and Campidoglio are normally closed, with traffic restrictions beginning the night before. The Colosseo and Circo Massimo stations on the Metro B line are also usually closed on 2 June.

For full event details see the Festa della Repubblica website while for more on the transport situation see the Roma Mobilità website.

June 2 & 3, 2018

Once again this year the well-established tradition of children's infiorata is repeated, an event that involves many young people from the Genzano area involved in the realization of paintings and rugs on Via Bruno Buozzi, a few meters from the historic Via Livia where the 9th, 10th and 11th June, the 236th Infiorata will be staged.

The initiative is actually only the culmination of an intense year of work by young Genzanesi who over the past few months have met the Infioratori Masters and the Leaders who have made available their experiences and knowledge to make known and use the techniques of the extraordinary art of flowering. If it is true, in fact, that the art of infiorare is learned in the field, it is equally true that it is necessary to have an approach to this experience knowing styles, ways of design and materials, in such a way as to express their artistic sensitivity.

And so, after this long journey, on the 2nd and 3rd of June the boys will delight in the creation of the flowered paintings ready to surprise everyone and color the town.

An extraordinary journey that allows the public to immerse themselves completely in the wonders of the Sistine Chapel, discover its history and secrets and live an unprecedented experience, thanks to the innovative way of enjoyment: immersive 270 ° projections, live performers, original music of great impact and spectacular scenic effects. A theatrical and technological plant unique in the world returns the power of a masterpiece of the History of Art and humanity in a story that leaves the audience breathless.

Tickets that can be bought in advance on www.giuduniversale.vivaticket.itand at the box office in Via della Conciliazione, 4, open every day.

The show is still ongoing until the 31st of May 2018.

Experience the emotions of history combined with the incredible strength of street theater. An appointment not to be missed, reliving the mysteries of the Ancient Urbe; from the Campidoglio to the Fori Imperiali we will be looking for cursed stories told by the illustrious protagonists of the past ...

EVENT DETAILS:

WHEN: Friday 25 May, 9.00 pm (participants meeting 15 minutes before).

ROUTE: From Piazza del Campidoglio along Via dei Fori Imperiali.

DURATION: 2 hours approx.

Route indicated for each age. No equipment required. A comfortable pair of shoes is recommended.

RESERVATION is REQUIRED. LIMITED SEATS.
Visit www.iservitoridellarte.com for more info.

A guided tour to discover the Museum - with an exclusive afternoon opening - kept inside the imposing Porta San Sebastiano, the ancient Porta Appia, with a spectacular final view of the city from the ancient turrets.

When: May 12, 2018, Saturday at 5:30 p.m

Where: Via di Porta San Sebastiano, 18

Duration of visit: 1h and 30min

Participation fee:

- € 15.00 + expenses

- € 12 euros + expenses for those in possession of the Parco del Parco Card

- Free participation for children up to 14 years

Reservation is a MUST.

For more info.: www.eventbrite.it

Vatican Museum at Night!

Every Friday, from April to October the Pope’s Museums open their doors after dusk too, from 07.00 p.m. to 11.00 p.m., to allow visitors to enjoy an evocative and unusual nocturnal atmosphere.

Useful information about Night Openings:

Period: April, May, June, July, August, September, October.

Day: Friday.

Hours: from 7.00 pm to 11.00 pm (last admission at 9.30 pm).

Concert start time: 8.00 pm.

Admission booking and guided tours: mandatory online.

Visit this link: http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/visita-i-musei/scegli-la-visita/musei-e-collezioni/musei-vaticani-e-cappella-sistina/-i-aperture-notturne--i---visita-libera-musei-e-cappella-sistina.html

Get ready for a real adventure to discover an ancient village abandoned for over two hundred years: a bell tower, an old mill, several houses and some say ghosts too and much more is Galeria Antica, one of the most famous ghost towns of Central Italy. And this is only the beginning of this itinerary "Adventure & Nature" which continues with the discovery of the Caldara di Manziana and another little surprise. Prepare your best walking shoes, I'll be walking but it's worth it ..

ATTENTION THIS IS AN "ADVENTURE & NATURE" ITINERARY: IT IS OBLIGATORY TO COME WITH TREKKING SHOES OR GYMNASTIC SHOES FROM THE MOMENT THAT IN THE PRESSES OF THE MANZIAN'S CALDARA THE LAND CAN BE FANGED.

HOW TO BOOK:
To book you can buy the ticket on our website for € 20 (€ 15 for Under 30 using U30 DISCOUNT CODE).
Alternatively, write an SMS / Whatsapp at 340 9781861 indicating the number of seats - destination and pay € 23 directly on board the coach on the day of departure. For info on how to book and how to buy visit https://www.tubevieioguido.it/avventura-e-natura/galeria-antica-e-caldara-di-manziana/.

The ticket includes the return journey aboard our coach, the guided tour of Galeria Antica and Caldara (not mandatory) and the drinks that will be served during the Pic Nic (water, wine, coke ..)

WHAT: SPRING BREAK 10 HOUR PARTY IN ROME!
WHERE: Viale dello Scalo San Lorenzo, 10
WHEN: April 25, 2018

Spring Break 10 hour Party in Rome - 10 hours of happiness at Ex Dogana!!

A huge outdoor party, the first of the year, with a wall of amplifiers created specifically to play the best of tropical, dub and electronic sounds.

A railway station of 1925, converted into an outdoor club on the tracks, under the first sun. And again, a large vintage market, and the barbecue festival, to satisfy all appetites. Here, now let's make it a reality.

Entrance Fee information:

From 12:00 to 14:00 is FREE ADMISSION.
From 2:00 to 6:00 pm: € 7
From 18 to the end: € 10.

Rome Christmas 2018: at Circo Massimo re-enactments, music and activities
April 21, 2018 (Saturday)

The Roman Historical Group celebrates the Christmas of Rome at the Circus Maximus. A great event with the intent to remember, with a series of initiatives, the origins of the city that as a small settlement, founded on the Palatine, became the Caput Mundi, or the largest city in the world then known whose domination lasted more than one thousand years.

Rome still arouses unparalleled charm and admiration in the world and the aim of the Roman Historical Group is to keep this interest in the city alive.

In ancient times, Rome has been a crossroads of different cultures and the association intends to reinforce this feature by involving reconstruction groups from all over the world and in particular from those areas where the link with the Roman world is still very much alive in the cultures and in the places of origin.
The Christmas of Rome at the Circus Maximus then aims to bring the Romans and tourists closer to the world of ancient Rome and its origins also involving the pupils of the Roman schools with the programming of recreational and educational moments dedicated to them.

What to do in Roma tomorrow(April 16,2018)?

The causes between technology and reality. LIGHTS AND WAVES RHAPSODY. Tale in music with three voices, with orchestra.

The story is the most extraordinary discovery in physics of the last 100 years: the first detection of gravitational waves emitted by the collision between black holes and the fusion of neutron stars, which took place in perfect synergy between very different instruments. It will be the narrating voice of three researchers from the Italian research organizations involved to tell, from different and complementary points of view, the story of a discovery that has changed the image of our universe. The narration will be accompanied by the music inspired by the theme performed by an exceptional jazz trio with the contribution of the orchestra of the Santa Cecilia Conservatory.

Monday, 16/04/18, 21.01

Auditorium Parco della Musica - Sala Petrassi

viale Pietro de Coubertin, 30,

00196 ROMA

Ticket: 3€

Book your tickets on the link below.

http://www.ticketone.it/tickets.html?affiliate=FMR&doc=erdetaila&fun=erdetail&erid=2146834

THIS SUNDAY IN ROMA!
WHAT: "A chef's brunch at the Central Market."
WHERE: Roma Termini (Inside the Central Station, Via Giovanni Giolitti, 36)
WHEN: April 15, 2018 (Sunday!)

At the Central Market every Sunday the chef Oliver Glowig page will propose, in his restaurant on the first floor of via Giolitti 36, "A chef's brunch".

A little 'breakfast, indeed, substantial breakfast. A little 'lunch, indeed, appetizing lunch.

Oliver Glowig's brunch will consist of ready-made dishes and delicacies prepared on the spot or ordered à la carte. A tasty, tasty, inviting menu, made of Italian specialties and more, for adults and children.

The next appointment with the chef's brunch is on Sunday, April 15, 2018, from 12:00 to 16:00. The cost of brunch is 28 euros for adults and 14 euros for children.

For information and reservations
info.tdv.mercatocentrale@gmail.com or 0692949916

What to do in Roma tomorrow(April 13,2018)?

ARCHITECTURE AND COLORS OF ANTICHITY: THE AUDITORIUM OF MECENATE.

The auditorium of Mecenate
"In the heart of the Esquilino district there is a small jewel of the Roman era. Walking along via Merulana it is possible to come across a semi-underground hall that hides inside the wonderful frescoes, the only remaining part of the architectural complex that belonged to Mecenate, a famous statesman and collaborator of Augustus. The site, now well preserved as a whole, consists of a large hall with a semicircular apse on the bottom, today covered by a modern canopy but once characterized by a vaulted roof. Inside there is an important and beautiful pictorial decoration (1st century AD) preserved both inside and above the niches, where there is a long frieze on a black background with Dionysiac scenes and miniature gardens. Similar depictions were also found in the niches that enliven the side walls and the curved wall of the background, frescoed internally as if they were open windows on gardens full of fountains and animated by small birds in flight. The room that, at the time of discovery was hypothesized as an Auditorium, was later identified as a nymphaeum, a place of convivial and cultural meetings. The finding on the exterior plaster of the apse of some verses of an epigram by the Greek poet Callimachus on the effects of love and wine is further evidence of a use in this sense. The discovery of the complex took place in 1874 when, following the proclamation of the city of Rome as the Capital of the Kingdom of Italy, numerous excavation works were carried out in that area for the construction of the emerging Esquilino district.

For further information visit: http://esperide.it/13-aprile-2018-architettura-e-colori-dellantichita-lauditorium-di-mecenate-ingresso-speciale/

Reservation is mandatory

APPOINTMENT: Largo Leopardi, half an hour before the start of the visit for those who still have to join the Esperide association, a quarter of an hour before for registered members.
CONTRIBUTION OF THE VISIT: 10 euros for those who still have to register, 6 euros for the already registered (see section regulations). To add the entrance ticket to the Auditorium of 6 euros in full, 5 euros reduced. For residents in Rome Capital 5 euros in full, 4 euros reduced. For groups of at least 12 participants, the use of headsets may be included at a cost of 1.50 euros.
TO BOOK: email address info@esperide.it; telephone: 3498926716 - 3331125444 - 3384682333.
HOW TO GET THERE: Atac bus lines 75, 16, 714, Merulana / Brancaccio stop.

For four weekends, from 7 to 28 April, the Studios open to visitors the places where cinema comes to life.

Exceptional admission to the public in: scenographic departments, equipment, Cinegarden and historical buildings.

For more information about the list of schedules, visit their website at www.cinecittasimostra.it

Italians celebrate the religious feast of the Epiphany, or the more popular one of La Befana, on Saturday 6 January. It is a publicholiday across Italy and marks the official end of the Christmas season.
The 33rd edition of Viva la Befanaevent along Via della Conciliazione, leading up to St Peter's, at 10.00 on 6 January. Comprising costumed figures, camels and horses, the parade is designed to combine Christian values with the folklore that the day evokes in Italy.

Mayor of Rome announces plans to redevelop Tiber river.

Rome will have an artificial beach on the banks of the river Tiber next summer, according to plans announced by the city's mayor Virginia Raggi on 14 December.
The proposal envisages transforming 10,000 sqm of riverside land near Ponte Marconi into a sandy beach – based on the Parisian model – with the addition of sporting areas.
The plan to reclaim the once abandoned land, between the S. Paolo and Marconi districts south of the city centre, is part of a wider redevelopment project to make the Tiber "more usable" for Rome residents.
Acknowledging that Rome's river does not represent "a living and pulsating part of the city unlike many European capitals", Raggi said the beach initiative is the first step in the Tiber's "path of recovery."
Central to the plan is the establishment of a special Tiber office to allow for collaboration between the numerous authorities responsible for the upkeep of the river, pooling information across a range of issues including the environment, dredging, security, flooding, cycle paths, illegal camps and dumping.
Raggi said her administration is also looking into the installation of a 12.5-km riverside cycle track to connect the capital with the coast at Fiumicino. Other projects being examined include weeding riverbanks and disinfecting for mosquitoes using biological methods.
This is not the first time that Rome will have a man-made beach on the Tiber: in 2005 former mayor Walter Veltroni launched the Tevere Village beach under Castel S. Angelo, between Ponte S. Angelo and Ponte Umberto I.

The capital's best known Christmas market, the Befana at Piazza Navona, returns on 2 December - not without controversy - after three years. Below is a selection of traditional and alternative festive markets around Rome to make your Christmas shopping easier and help you find original presents for all ages.

Christmas tree and crib will remain in St Peter's Square until 7 January.

The Vatican’s giant nativity scene and Christmas tree will be unveiled officially in St Peter's Square at 16.30 on 7 December, according to a report by Vatican Radio.

This year's crib scene has been donated by the ancient Abbey of Montevergine in the Campania region of southern Italy. The crib backdrop and two-metre-high terracotta figures, complete with 18th-century Neapolitan costumes, were produced by local artisans. 

The Christmas tree, a 28-metre-high red fir, has been donated by the archdiocese of Elk, in north-eastern Poland. The tree will be decorated with clay stars and baubles, designed and made by young cancer patients from several Italian hospitals, as well as a number of children from the earthquake-hit areas of central Italy. 

The crib and tree will remain in St Peter's Square until 7 January.

Thanksgiving is not a holiday widely celebrated in Rome but there are some places offering traditional food and festivities on Thursday 23 November. The American Episcopal Church of Rome, St Paul’s Within the Walls, celebrates Thanksgiving with a Supper the evening before the holiday, at 19.00 on 22 November. On the day itself, America’s Catholic Church in Rome, St Patrick's, hosts a special Thanksgiving Day Mass at 10.30 at its new home on Via Boncompagni 31. This is followed by the community's traditional Blueberry and Cranberry Muffin reception.

The American International Club hosts its annual Thanksgiving Dinner, complete with pumpkin pie and live music, for members and guests, at Palazzo Montemartini. Reservations required.  

Hard Rock Cafe, the American-style bar and grill on Via Veneto 62, hosts a special all-night-long turkey menu, with live music by the 7 Hills Gospel Choir, booking required. Mama’s at Via Bellagio 2, offers traditional Thanksgiving favourites, as does Vivi Bistrot at two of its locations in Villa Pamphilj and Piazza Navona.

Thanksgiving is also celebrated at The Perfect Bun at Largo del Teatro Valle 4, the Abbey Theatre on Via del Governo Vecchio 51/53; the award-winning Scholars Lounge on Via del Plebiscito 101; and the Highlander on Vicolo di S. Biagio 9. If you fancy an extra-special Thanksgiving treat, try Imàgo, the restaurant at the exclusive Hotel Hassler at the top of the Spanish Steps.

For those who would prefer to cook at home, the Castroni chain of shops stock many of the ingredients needed for a Thanksgiving dinner. Meanwhile those who wish to buy a turkey are advised to order it from the butcher about a week in advance, specifying the size required.

Please note that the US embassy in Rome is closed to the public on Thanksgiving Day.

9.6 million international tourists expected to visit Rome in 2017.

Rome ranks in 12th place on the 2017 Top 100 City Destinations survey, according to statistics compiled by market researcher Euromonitor International.

The Italian capital is predicted to draw 9.6 million international tourists by the end of 2017, representing a growth of 1.8 per cent compared to last year's figure of 9.4 million visitors.

Hong Kong retains its crown as the planet's most visited city for the ninth consecutive year, with 25.7 million international tourists expected in 2017, despite a predicted 3.2 per cent drop from its 26.55 million visitors in 2016. In second place is Bangkok (21.25 million in 2016; 23.27 expected in 2017) followed by London (19.19 million last year; 19.8 expected this year).

Although Rome is the third most visited European city - after Paris in seventh place with 14.26 million visitors expected this year -  it only attracts half the number of foreign tourists that flock to London.

The three other Italian cities on the list are: Milan in 27th place with 6.8 million, Venice in 38th place (5.2 million) and Florence in 44th position with 4.9 million tourists.

The survey coincides with Italy's participation as "Official Premier Partner" at the World Travel Market (WTM), currently taking place in London, in an effort to capitalise on its growing tourism sector which recorded a 16 per cent increase in arrivals in 2016.

Addressing the event, Italy's ambassador to the UK Pasquale Terracciano said the development is thanks to spreading tourism around the country, away from the traditionally popular regions of Campania, Tuscany and Veneto.

Ambassador Terracciano also credited the positive statistics with the southern Italian city of Matera becoming the 2019 European Capital of Culture, as well as efforts to promote Italy's borg

Norwegian offers cheap flights from Rome to US later this year.

Low-cost airline Norwegian is to offer cheap flights from Rome's Fiumicino airport to three US destinations, beginning later this year.

Norwegian, the third largest low-cost carrier in Europe, will fly between Rome and Los Angeles and New York from 9 November, and San Francisco from 6 February next year.

Initially there will be four weekly connections to New York/Newark, with prices beginning at €179 one way, and two connections per week to Los Angeles, with one-way fares starting at €199. There will be two weekly connections between Rome and San Francisco/Oakland, with prices starting from €199.

The Oslo-based company said that 115,000 transatlantic tickets are already available for purchase from 31 May, and that the frequency of flights is expected to increase over time, according to the daily Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

infografica. Source Corriere della Sera

Piramide Cestia wins Europa Nostra heritage conservation award.

Rome's Piramide Cestia pyramid celebrates winning this year's Europa Nostra award for heritage conservation by opening for free guided tours throughout Wednesday 1 November.

The tours, in Italian, are programmed every half an hour from 09.30 until 16.00 and must be reserved in advance via the Coopculture website.

The 2,000-year-old monument underwent a €2 million restoration between 2013 and 2014, funded by Japanese entrepreneur Yuzo Yagi who made his fortune by importing Italian clothes to his Yagi Tsusho chain of fashion stores in Japan over the last four decades.

The Egyptian-style pyramid stands in the middle of a busy junction between Piramide train station and the city’s Non-Catholic cemetery, opposite the fortified Porta S. Paolo.

Dating from the first century BC, the 36-metre high pyramid was built as a tomb for the powerful Roman magistrate Caius Cestius. Experts believe that the monument has evaded collapse over the centuries because it was incorporated into the Aurelian walls in the years 271-275.

The Europa Nostra prize was launched by the European Commission in 2002 to celebrate and promote best practices related to heritage conservation, management, research, education and communication.

We want to announce that we do have already security lockers (€1.00 for 6 hours only) where you can use for a day or even in a couple of days. :) check it out upon arrival in our hostel. 

Public holiday in Italy on 1 November.

All Saints’ Day, or Ognissanti, on Wednesday 1 November is a public holiday in Italy, resulting in the closure of offices and schools, and public transport runs according to its Sunday schedule.

The celebration of All Saints’ is followed by All Souls' Day on 2 November, a Catholic tradition of mourning the dearly departed. In Italy this is a particularly important day, when people gather to visit family graves.

The city’s three main cemeteries, Verano, Flaminio and Prima Porta, are open each day from 07.30-18.00. 

The Non-Catholic cemetery in the Ostiense-Testaccio district is open all day on 1 November, from 09.00-17.00, with last entrance at 16.30.

There are also increased bus services in the vicinity of the city’s cemeteries until 2 November.

For details about visiting Rome’s cemeteries see website.

Electric-powered cars to race around Rome's EUR in April.
Rome's southern EUR suburb will host the upcoming Formula E race, organisers announced in the district's Nuvola conference centre on 19 October.
Scheduled on 14 April, the race will begin on Via Cristoforo Colombo and the 2.8km circuit will take in numerous EUR sites such as the Palazzo dei Congressi, the Salone delle Fontane, the Obelisco di Marconi and the Nuvola convention centre.

The presentation of the circuit took place in the presence of the city's mayor Virginia Raggi who said that the E-prix proved that "Rome is not a museum but a leader in innovation". 
The electric cars emit almost zero emissions and are powered by batteries charged by glycerine.
The fully-powered car can run for just 25 minutes, meaning drivers must change vehicles roughly half way through the Formula E race which lasts about 50 minutes.
However despite the car’s environmentally-friendly credentials, it is still capable of considerable speed – up to 225km per hour, or 0-100km in three seconds.

ATAC and Roma TPL to hold 24-hour strike in Rome on Friday.

A 24-hour strike by Rome's public transport company ATAC is programmed on Friday 29 September, from 08.30 to 17.00 and from 20.00. ATAC workers are also engaged in a separate four-hour strike from 08.30-12.30.

Both strikes will affect Rome’s buses, trams, metro and light rail services Roma-Lido, Roma-Viterbo and Termini-Centocelle.

Employees of Roma TPL, the capital’s suburban bus company, will also adhere to the 24-hour action on the same day during the same times.

Services at both ATAC and Roma TPL will run as normal during rush-hour times: until 08.30, and from 17.00-20.00.

For details see city website.

Come and join us in our free happy hour everyday!! :D

Come and see our new reception, common room, and reserve our newly 4 bed mixed dorm with shared facilities.

We are currently building our new reception, new rooms and new common area are soon to be open. Please watch out! :)

Metro A line reopens four days ahead of schedule.
Rome's Metro A line returned to full service on the morning of 31 August, four days ahead of schedule, following a month-long partial closure to facilitate the completion of the S. Giovanni Metro C station, which is expected to open this autumn.
The closure of Metro A, which involved substitute buses for the seven central stations between Termini and Arco di Travertino, was unpopular with Roman commuters particularly over a perceived lack of adequate warning.
However the closure was defended as a "necessary sacrifice" by the capital's transport councillor Linda Meleo, of the anti-establishment Movimento 5 Stelle.
The reopening of Metro A coincides with an announcement that the entire Metro C line will be closed for testing during the weekend of 9-10 September.

Probe into Rome water authority as capital braced for water rationing.
The president of Rome's water management company ACEA is under a criminal investigation following complaints from the public prosecutor in Civitavecchia about the environmental state of Lake Bracciano, an important source of potable water for the capital.
On 28 July officers from the ecological unit of the carabinieri seized documents relating to Bracciano water withdrawls from the office of ACEA president Paolo Saccani who could face charges of environmental offences.
The investigation comes as the order from the Lazio Region to stop pumping water into Rome from the much-diminished lake takes effect from midnight on 28 July. ACEA had appealed to the Water Court to block the Lazio Region's ordinance however on 27 July the courts ruled that ACEA was responsible for finding solutions to the problem facing the drought-hit capital.
The ruling came three days after ACEA first raised the prospect of turning off the water supply for eight hours a day in rotating districts of the capital. The proposal, which could reportedly affect 1.5 million residents, presents a serious public health risk according to Italy's health minister Beatrice Lorenzin.
Describing the situation as "critical", Italian environment minister Gian Luca Galletti said that Lake Bracciano finds itself in the middle of the "most grave water emergency ever recorded in central Italy."

Photo Corriere della Sera

Rome summer public transport timetable coincides with Metro A closure.

Rome’s public buses, metro and trams are following a reduced summer timetable from 31 July until the end of August, in time for the reopening of the city’s schools.

The move is to facilitate the summer holidays of employees of Rome bus company ATAC and will see a 19 per cent reduction in services across the ATAC fleet.

The reduced summer timetable coincides with the partial closure of Rome's Metro A line, with seven station closed between Termini and Arco di Travertino from 31 July until 3 September, to facilitate Metro C works.

Italian health ministry places Rome at highest heat risk level.
As Italy's heat wave intensifies, the Italian health ministry has put Rome on red alert on 1 and 2 August, according to news agency ANSA.
Rome has been classified as "Level 3-Red", the health ministry's highest heat risk level, along with Frosinone, Pescara and Campobasso.
From 2 August the warning will be applied to a further 12 Italian cities: Bari, Bologna, Bolzano, Brescia, Cagliari, Florence, Latina, Milan, Naples, Perugia, Rieti and Viterbo.Temperatures of around 40 degrees Celcius are forecast for the end of the week.The ongoing drought has led to water shortages and wildfires across the country, not least of all around the capital, and has also had a devastating effect on the nation's farming sector.

Traditional Christmas trees, decorated with ornaments, and thousands of lights, graced the landscape at Piazza Venezia, and the Colosseum in Rome.

From 5 to 8 December 2015 Lungotevere Maresciallo Diaz will host the event Food Truck On Ice in Rome, where the public can taste the most delicious street foods of Italy, enjoy ice skating and have fun in the playground. The best craft beers and mulled wine accompany the dishes offered by food truck, minivan, street food car. Between street food and music the audience will also be able to discover the best gifts browsing through the many shops of traditional market from all over Italy.