En Plein Air: A guide to Rome’s outdoor Cinemas in 2023

Moonlit Movie Nights in Rome

Nothing says summer in the Eternal City like a movie under the stars (preferably with a gelato in hand). This month, piazzas, lush villas, and Rome’s only island transform into open-air cinemas, showing everything from classic flicks, to kid-friendly favorites.

Read on for our top picks of outdoor flicks in the city.

Cinema in Piazza 2023

From June 2nd to July 16th, Rome’s piazzas are once again being transformed into a movie theater, as the free outside movie festival, “Il Cinema in Piazza,” has returned to Rome for its 9th year. Just like last year, it will be hosted in three locations: Piazza San Cosimato (June 2 – July 16), Monte Ciocci (June 10 – July 16), Casale della Cervelletta (June 8 – July 16). The ninth edition of the festival offers a very rich program; special attention devoted to screenings in the original language (with Italian subtitles) honors the culture of the films by maintaining their authenticity, while simultaneously catering to the diverse tourists and residents living in Rome.

Till July 16, 2023

Piazza San Cosimato); Monte Ciocci;  Casale della Cervelletta in Tor Sapienza

Films shown at 9.15pm

Free entry – no reservation required

ilcinemainpiazza.it

Caleidoscopio @ Casa del Cinema (TBC)

Under the towering pines of Villa Borghese, Casa del Cinema will host its outdoor film festival Caleidoscopio at Teatro Ettore Scola.

From June 9 to September 19, more than 100 free evening events will be held, including screenings, meetings, and special events. Caleidoscopio will feature as many as six international festivals: ranging from Albania (Albania Si Gira!, June 9-12) to Bulgaria (Bulgarian Film Festival, June 24-26), from Israel (Pitigliani Kolno’a Festival – Judaism and Israel in Cinema, June 27-28) to India (Summermela Festival, June 29), to Ireland (Irish Film Festival, July 20-24), to the African continent (RomAfrica Film Festival, July 15-17).

From June 9 to September 19, 2022

Largo Marcello Mastroianni,1 (Villa Borghese)

Films shown nightly, from 9pm onwards

Free entry

casadelcinema.it

Sotto le Stelle dell’Austria

The eleventh edition of “Sotto le Stelle dell’Austria” dedicated to the best of contemporary Austrian cinema, awaits you in the beautiful garden of the Austrian cultural institute from June 20^th to July 5^th. Reservations mandatory via email.

The Program:

• 20 June, 9pm, Alma & Oscar;
• 21 June, 9pm, Sonne;
• 27 June, 8.30pm, Serviam;
• 28 June, 9pm, Matter our of place;
• 4 July, 9pm, Breaking the ice;
• 5 July, 8.30pm, Vera

From June 20th to July 5th

Forum Austriaco di Cultura – Via B. Buozzi 113

8.30, 9pm

Free entry, mandatory reservation via email at prenotazione.forumaustriaco@gmail.com

austriacult.roma.it

Isola del cinema – International Festival of Cinema and Culture (TBC)

This year, L’Isola del Cinema’s annual film festival – one of the capital’s summer peak cultural events in the heart of the historic center – returns in presence to entertain Rome and its visitors in the picturesque setting of the Tiber island. From 21 June to 3 September, in an arch of 75 evenings, the International cinema festival proposes an exciting review of Italian and foreign titles.

The Festival, conceived and directed by Giorgio Ginori, celebrates its 28th edition with previews, unpublished works, awards, competitions, thematic reviews, debates, masterclasses, exhibitions, screenings in original language and many other unmissable events.

From June 21st to September 3th

Isola Tiberina

Everyday from 9.15pm

price vary

isoladelcinema.com

Roma Cinema Arena – Parco degli Acquedotti (TBC)

From July 19th to August 4th, a large summer arena will be held at the Parco degli Acquedotti with a daily review of restored masterpieces, presented every night by special guests. The Rome Film Festival wants, with this review, to remark one of the places that Fellini, Pasolini, Sorrentino have inscribed in the collective imagination, in a neighborhood where two very important film institutions, Cinecittà and the Centro Sperimentale, have their premises. Each film will be presented in its original version; on Saturdays the arena will offer a double screening, at 9:15 p.m. and 11 p.m.

July 19-August 4

Via Lemonia (corner Via Appio Claudio)

9.15pm (on Saturdays double screening, 9.15pm and 11pm)

Free entrance

romacinemafest.it

Cinema al Maxxi (TBC)

Cinema at the MAXXI, the museum of contemporary art and architecture in Flaminio, returns with its 10th iteration, revolving around two formats: Extra Explore (a selection of the most surprising and innovative Italian cinema) and Video Essay Film Festival (VEFF), dedicated to new forms of film criticism. Below is the program:

• Thursday, June 30 (9 p.m.): Il buco, by Michelangelo Frammartino; the director will attend the screening);
• Tuesday, July 5 (9 p.m.): Video Essay Film Festival
• Thursday, July 7 (9 p.m.): Io e Spotty, by Cosimo Gomez, produced by the Manetti Bros;
• Thursday, July 14 (9 p.m.): A Chiara, by Jonas Carpignano; the film will be presented by its lead performer, Swamy Rotolo, who won the 2022 David di Donatello for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance;
• Thursday July 21 (9 p.m.): Small Body, by Laura Samani; winner of the David di Donatello for Best New Director
• Thursday July 28 (9 p.m.): Atlantide, by Yuri Ancarani, one of the most original films of recent years.

30 June – 5, 7, 14, 21, 28 July 2022

Piazza del Maxxi, Via Guido Reni, 4a

9pm

€5

estatealMAXXI2022

Quo Vadis? (TBC)

A date with films dedicated to the history of Rome with QUO VADIS. At the cinema in the heart of Rome, the initiative sees for the first time united two institutions of excellence in Italian culture: the CSC – Cineteca Nazionale, among the major international film archives, and the Colosseum Archaeological Park. From July 1 to 10, in the Temple of Venus and Rome (entrance from Colosseum Square), 10 great historical films will be screened to rediscover the charm of antiquity under the stars of the Capital, in the splendid setting of the Roman Forum. Check out the program:

• Friday, July 1st (9 pm): AVE, CESARE!/ HAIL, CAESAR!
• Saturday, July 2 (9 pm): Cleopatra
• Sunday, July 3 (9 pm): IL PRIMO RE/ ROMULUS & REMUS – THE FIRST KING
• Monday, July 4 (9 pm): DOLCI VIZI AL FORO/ A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM
• Tuesday, July 5 (9 pm): FELLINI SATYRICON
• Wednesday, July 6 (9 pm): ASTERIX E IL SEGRETO DELLA POZIONE MAGICA/ ASTERIX: THE SECRET OF THE MAGIC
• Thursday, July 7 (9 pm): SCIPIONE DETTO ANCHE L’AFRICANO/ SCIPIO THE AFRICAN
• Friday, July 8 (9 pm): SPARTACUS
• Saturday, July 9 (9 pm): TOTÒ E CLEOPATRA/ TOTO AND CLEOPATRA
• Sunday, July 10 (9 pm): QUO VADIS?

1-10 July 2022

Tempio di Venere e Roma, Piazza del Colosseo

9pm

Free entrance, booking recommended on eventbrite.it

fondazionecsc.it

Floating Theatre (TBC)

From August 24 until September 25, The Floating Theatre, the only eco-friendly, zero-impact floating arena immersed in an urban setting, with 150 seats and sound broadcast through wireless headphones, returns for the third consecutive year. Films will be shown in original language with subtitles and will be accompanied by special guests. This year, however, there will be a change of location: if in past years the festival took place at the Laghetto dell’Eur, now the lake of Villa Ada will host the festival. Floating Theatre is conceived by Alice nella Città and produced by AC Playtown Roma in collaboration with Fondazione Cinema per Roma, and is directed by Fabia Bettini and Gianluca Giannelli. Let’s start on August 24 with the Italian premiere of Bullet train, directed by David Leitch. Program includes screenings of The Humans by director Stephen Karam and Memoria by Apichatpong Weerasethakul; and then again, among others, a meeting with former soccer player Beppe Signori, who will present the documentary Fuorigioco – Una storia di vita e di sport, and the premiere of the animated film DC League of superpets, directed by Jared Stern and Sam Levine, introduced by Lillo and Maccio Capatonda, the film’s Italian voice actors.

From August 24th to September 25th

  Villa Ada

Daily from 8.30pm

€6

floatingtheatre.it

Effetto notte (TBC)

Effetto notte is back: 15 days dedicated to the great Italian cinema of yesterday, today and tomorrow, with a special tribute to the great set designer Andrea Crisanti. Eight movies “signed” by Crisanti’s hand, starting with the film chosen for the opening, Nostalghia by Andrej Tarkovskij in the version just restored by the CSC – Cineteca Nazionale. The program includes Salto nel vuoto by Marco Bellocchio, Cadaveri eccellenti by Francesco Rosi, Identificazione di una donna by Michelangelo Antonioni, La finestra di fronte by Ferzan Ozpetek, Una pura formalità by Giuseppe Tornatore, Giù la testa by Sergio Leone and Borotalco by Carlo Verdone. Also more recent movies will be screened, such as Matteo Garrone’s Pinocchio, Paolo Sorrentino’s E’ stato la mano di Dio, Duccio Chiarini’s L’ospite, Chiara Bellosi’s Palazzo di giustizia. The feature films will be preceded by screenings of works by young first-time directors from the Experimental Center of Cinematography. Effetto notte is not only cinema, however. Alongside the screenings there will also be a rich program of concerts and guided tours of the archaeological complex of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme.

From 16 to 30 July

  Area Archeologica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, Piazza di S. Croce in Gerusalemme

Every day at 9:30pm

Free entry

fondazionecsc.it

Arene di Roma (TBC)

Many locations throughout Rome:

ARENA NUOVO SACHER

From June 25th

Largo Ascianghi, 1

9.30pm

Entry Fee €5 – 7

www.sacherfilm.eu

ARENA TIZIANO

From June 11th

Via Guido Reni, 2

9.30pm

Entry fee €3 – 4

www.facebook.com/Cinema-Tiziano-sito-ufficiale-159721814065333/

ARENA GARBATELLA

From June 28th

Piazza Benedetto Brin

9.15pm

Entry fee €5 – 6

www.arenagarbatella.it