What’s on in Rome this Fall 2023: events to mark on your calendar
After a summer marked by intense heatwaves, autumn is arriving to provide some relief. With days that are still warm and bathed in sunlight, accompanied by cooler evenings, fall offers an ideal opportunity to explore Rome. While the city is not as crowded and overwhelmed by tourists as during the summer, its calendar remains packed with a diverse range of events. In addition to the return of annual fixtures, there are also exclusive one-time events unique to Rome, like the Ryder Cup and newly inaugurated museum exhibitions to experience.
If you find yourself in Rome during the autumn season, here’s a comprehensive overview of the best events in autumn in Rome that deserve a spot on your calendar.
FESTIVALS
Romaeuropa Festival
September 6 – November 19
Various Locations
romaeuropa.net
One of the most prestigious festivals of Italy, Romaeuropa Festival, returns from September 6 to November 19 to enrich the capital’s city once again with all kinds of events. A program filled with performances of dance, theatre, music, cinema and digital arts and even specific activities for kids, there is something for everyone. For a period for over two months these events will be hosted by different cultural hotspots in the city – such as Mattatoio, Teatro Argentina, and Villa Medici. As is the case every year, the festival brings together different arts and cultures of five continents to interact and to unite diverse perspectives and artistic expressions. As such, the festival’s participants are a blend of well-known icons on the one hand – among them director Ivo van Hove and the French hiphop icon Bintou Dembélé – and some new and refreshing names on the other hand. To make sure you don’t miss out on anything and to stay up to date, have a look at the offical website of Romaeuropa.
READ MORE ABOUT ROMAEUROPA FESTIVAL
Festa del Cinema di Roma
October 18 – 29
Auditorium Parco della Musica
romacinemafest.it
Once again, this autumn, the Eternal City, stands in the spotlight with the 18th edition of its Festa del Cinema, from October 18 to 29. The main event takes place at Auditorium Parco della Musica, adorned for the occasion with an infinite red carpet, but the festa also spreads to other evocative locations in the capital. In addition, as an autonomous body, but which runs parallel to the Festa del Cinema there is Alice nella Città devoted to the younger audiences.
The festival offers screenings of the best films of 2023, restored masterpieces, but also tv series, videoclips and video art exhibits. Finally, a part of the festival is dedicated to ‘encounters’, where the audience has the opportunity to listen to insightful conversations between world-famous filmmakers and hear about the backstage of their cinematic debuts. Keep up to date with the program and bookings by regularly checking the event’s website.
READ MORE ABOUT FESTA DEL CINEMA DI ROMA
Maker Faire Rome
October 20-22
Fiera di Roma
makerfairerome.eu
Maker Faire Rome, the annual fair dedicated to innovation, technology and creativity returns to Rome from October 20th until October 22nd. Bringing together innovators, makers, researchers, teachers and students from all over Europe, ideas and inventions are explored, shared and exchanged in areas as diverse as digital manufacturing to robotics, from e-sports to big data and from aereospace to augmented reality. Held at the Fiera di Roma, there will also be an EdTech Area, an interactive space designed to stimulate creativity through workshops and educational activities.
This interaction between arts, science, and technology offers visitors a way to explore and discover how technology can support and stimulate creativity. Apart from sharing knowledge and technological innovations, Maker Faire Rome also invites to establish business relationships. A unique and interesting event, this is definitely one to check out.
Roma Jazz Festival
November 2-26
Auditorium Parco della Musica, Monk, Casa del Jazz
romeing.it/roma-jazz-festival/
Back for the 47th edition, this year the Roma Jazz Festival will be held between November 2 and November 26 in multiple locations across Rome. The theme of this year’s festival is Transition. It gives the opportunity to discover how contemporary jazz in recent years has become a unique and constantly evolving fusion of many musical genres and how the hard line between jazz, electronic music, rap music and pop music has softened. Contemporary jazz has become a fertile ground for exploration and personal expression, allowing artists to create new and ever-evolving jazz music. The line-up includes: Ibrahim Maalouf, John Scofield Trio, Avishai Cohen Trio, Judith Hall, and many others.
READ MORE ABOUT ROMA JAZZ FESTIVAL
SPORT
Ryder Cup
September 25 – October 1
Marco Simone Golf & Country Club
rydercup.com
From September 25 to October 1, the 44th edition of the Ryder Cup will take place in Rome. For the first time in history, the Ryder Cup, the most important men’s golf tournament, will be hosted in the Eternal City. Played between the best players of Europe and the United States, this popular international golf competition can be attended at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, just outside Rome. The first official game was played in 1927 and was named after Samuel Ryder, a British entrepreneur who provided the trophy as a donation. Since then, the tournament has taken place every two years, alternating between cities in Europe and the United States.
With all the regular tickets already being sold out (premium tickets are still available), hurry up and don’t lose your chance to see some of the world’s best golf players play. Also still available are tickets for training sessions, being held from September 26 – September 28.
READ MORE ABOUT RYDER CUP IN ROME
EXHIBITIONS
Helmut Newton. Legacy.
October 18 – March 3, 2024Ara Pacis Museum
arapacis.it
Here is one of the most anticipated exhibitions in Rome of the season. From October 18, the Ara Pacis Museum will be entirely devoted to the legendary and influential fashion and glamour photographer Helmut Newton. The exhibition Helmut Newton. Legacy showcases about 250 photographs of the German-Australian photographer, among them not only iconic images but also many unpublished and never seen before works. Together with polaroids, contact sheets and archival material, it makes it possible to follow the creative process of his work.
The many shots displayed, show the path of the photographer’s life and career, from the very beginning to the final years of production. You will be taken along the different chapters of his life, from the forties in Australia, to the sixties in France, and the seventies in the United States. In particular, the exhibition focuses on the fashion services considered revolutionary at the time. Unique for the Ara Pacis Museum, it offers a dozen photographs taken by Newton in Rome, not presented in earlier expositions.
Escher
October 31 – April 1, 2024
Palazzo Bonaparte
mostrepalazzobonaparte.it
Exactly 100 years after his last visit to Rome in 1923, Escher returns to Rome, being the protagonist of the largest and most complete exhibition ever devoted to him in Palazzo Bonaparte. Known all over the world and admired not only by art and design lovers but also by enthusiastics about mathematics, geometry, and science, the exposition will appeal to a broad public. With about 300 works to be seen, this is an extraordinary opportunity for the public to once again be mesmerized and deceived by Escher’s exclusive engravings and lithographs. For more information and tickets, take a look at the official website of Palazzo Bonaparte.
The touch of Pygmalion. Rubens and sculpture in Rome
November 14 – February 18, 2024
Galleria Borghese
galleriaborghese.beniculturali.it
On November 14 the Borghese Gallery opens its doors to the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens. Considered one of the most influential artists of the Baroque – and one of the most important painters of European art history in general – the Borghese Gallery dedicates an exhibition to him which investigates the consequences of his trip to Italy in the beginning of the 17th century. The main objective is to emphasize the exceptional contribution made by Rubens to a new conception of the ancient, on the concepts of natural and imitation, on the thresheld of the Baroque. The exhibition offers the public the great opportunity to see the great Berninian groups, the ancient statuary, and modern sculptures in direct relation to the paintings and drawings of Rubens.
Rome Art Week 2023
October 23 – 28
Art galleries and open studios in Rome
romeartweek.com
The annual Rome Art Week is set to return this year during the final week of October, featuring hundreds of exhibitions in galleries, alternative spaces, and open studios of artists. With the primary objective of spotlighting the contemporary art scene in Rome, this nonprofit initiative is a collaborative effort involving art spaces, institutions, and artists, all working together to provide emerging artists and curators with fresh venues to showcase their artistic explorations and make them accessible to a wider audience.
Another crucial aim of Rome Art Week is to shine a light on the role of the curator, a figure often underestimated but pivotal within the art world. In addition to this, the event endeavors to raise awareness about the importance of curators. To explore the full array of events taking place, please visit the Rome Art Week website, which features a comprehensive calendar and an interactive map.
