Noted Italian buildings open for Giornate FAI di Primavera on 25 and 26 March.

Around 1,00 libraries, palaces, archaeological sites and religious buildings across Italy are open to the public free of charge on 25 and 26 March, for the 25th annual spring open days organised by the Fondo Ambiente Italiano (FAI).

Many of the sites participating in the Giornate FAI di Primavera initiative are not normally accessible to the public.

Some of the Roman treats in store this year include a tour around the the Domus Aurea, Emperor Nero’s golden palace on the Colle Oppio hill; a peek inside the Auditorium di Mecenate, an ancient Roman triclinium on Via Merulana; the 16th-century Palazzo Baldassini on Via delle Coppelle designed by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger; and the Centro Studi Americani on Via delle Botteghe Oscure 32, part of the Palazzo Caetani building belonging to the noble Caetani family.

For those interested in taking a spin outside the capital, there are tours in English of Villa Gregoriana in Tivoli, which can also be visited all year round.

The complete list of participating buildings and monuments, as well as their visiting times, can be seen on the FAI website, and there is an App available to download too.

Similar to Britain’s National Trust, FAI works to preserve and promote Italy’s cultural heritage through education, restoration and annual open days.