A local's guide to the best events and things to do in Rome in June.
June is one of the best times to visit Rome as the temperatures are usually warm but not scorching and many events at night are held outdoors. The month is bookended by two public holidays, with plenty happening in between in the Eternal City.
Here are some tips for the best things to do in Rome in June 2024.
Festa della Repubblica
June kicks off with the Festa della Repubblica, a national public holiday, which falls on a Sunday this year. Now in its 78th edition, the annual event commemorates the day in 1946 when Italians voted in favour of a republic and against the monarchy. Rome will host a military parade near the Colosseum and a fly-past by the Frecce Tricolori jets which emit plumes with the colours of the Italian flag. Another novely on 2 June is the free opening of state museums and archaeological sites including the Colosseum where firefighters will unfurl a giant Italian tricolour.
Strawberry festival in Nemi
The 91st edition of the annual strawberry festival takes place in the town of Nemi in the Castelli Romani, just south of Rome, on Sunday 2 June. The popular Sagra delle fragole begins at 10.00, leading up to the main event - the distribution of free strawberries - at 18.00. The day-long festival is enlivened with numerous parallel events, including live music, flower shows, exhibitions and kids’ events.
Caracalla Festival
Rome's opera house stages more than 60 events at its summer festival among the ancient Roman ruins at the Baths of Caracalla, from 3 June until 10 August. The Caracalla Festival spans 60 evenings under the stars and incorporates a range of genres including opera, symphonic music, dance, theatre, cinema and pop concerts. This year the festival is dedicated to the great Italian composer Puccini, on the centenary of his death, with productions of Tosca and Turandot among the highlights.
Ancient Rome comes to life thanks to the Viaggio nel Foro di Cesare project, a multimedia display screened at the Forum of Caesar every night this summer. The show uses videomapping technology to conjure up portrayals of life in Rome at the time of Julius Caesar, with commentary available in eight languages including English. Spectators enter the archaeological area near the base of Trajan's Column before making their way through a tunnel under Via dei Fori Imperiali to the Forum of Caesar.
Film fans can look forward to watching movies on the big screen under the stars again this summer with the return of Il Cinema in Piazza. The 10th edition of the free festival takes place from 1 June to 14 July in three different locations. In addition to its base at Piazza S. Cosimato in Trastevere, the festival will return to Parco della Cervelletta in Rome's eastern Tor Sapienza suburbs and Monte Ciocci park at Valle Aurelia. Films are screened in their original language with subtitles in Italian, while Italian movies are shown with subtitles in English.
Rome celebrates its patron saints Peter and Paul with a public holiday in the Italian capital on 29 June. The annual event includes a religious procession at the Basilica of St Paul's Outside the Walls and an infiorata floral display in front of St Peter's. However the main attraction for most people is the spectacular fireworks display, known as the Girandola, in the sky over Castel S. Angelo at 22.30. The idea of Michelangelo, perfected by Bernini, the tradition dates to the 15th century.
Cover photo: Daniele de Gregorio / Shutterstock.com.
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