A local's guide to what's on in Rome in October.

October is one of the best times to visit the Eternal City.

The capital traditionally enjoys an "Indian summer" known as the Ottobrata Romana, a period of usually balmy weather and wine-soaked festivities linked to the vendemmia grape harvest.

After the last of the summer festivals drew to an end in early September, Rome welcomes a new season of cultural events, from free museums and opera to blockbuster exhibitions and live music.

October kicks off with a series of concerts by Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour at the Circus Maximus, his first live shows in Italy for eight years. After three dates at the end of September, Gilmour will play three more concerts at the landmark venue on 1, 2 and 3 October.

The Alcazar Garden in the Caracalla area will celebrate the Ottobrata Romana with street artists, performances and vintage markets, along with a plenty of food and wine, on the weekend of 5-6 October. There is free entry to the event on Viale Guido Baccelli 7, from 11.30 to 21.30 on both days.

State museums and archaeological sites in Rome and across Italy will be open for free on Sunday 6 October. The free landmark sites in the capital range from the Capitoline Museums and the Museo Ara Pacis to Galleria Borghese and Palazzo Altemps.

The 2024 edition of Tevere Day, a week-day festival in celebration of Rome's river Tiber, will take place from 7-13 October. Now in its sixth year, Tevere Day will comprise dozens of free events and activities for all ages including live music, theatre, yoga, rowing, cycling and canoeing as well as food and wine events.

Rome's opera house will stage Peter Grimes, an opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten, in a production conducted by Michele Mariotti and directed by Deborah Warner, from 11-19 October.

On the weekend of 13-14 October, hundreds of noted Italian buildings and historic sites will open to the public for free for Giornate FAI d'Autunno. This annual autumn event organised by the Fondo Ambiente Italiano allows entry into palaces, villas, castles, churches, gardens, theatres and libraries across Italy. For details of the participating sites, many of which are not normally open to the public or are difficult to visit, check the FAI website in the days beforehand.

The 19th edition of the Rome Film Fest runs from 16-27 October, offering cinema fans 12 days of movie premieres, screenings and talks with special guests including Johnny Depp. The film festival will be based at the Auditorium Parco della Musica, which will host the red carpet, with other events also being held in cultural venues around the city. This year's festival is dedicated to legendary Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni on the centenary of his birth.

The EurHop! craft beer festival returns to the Salone delle Fontane in Rome’s EUR district from 18-20 October. The three-day festival is dedicated to craft beer, with 800 varieties by 100 breweries from Italy and abroad.

The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia ushers in its new season in style with music director Daniel Harding making his debut by conducting the academy's orchestra, choir and youth choir in a concert version of Puccini's opera Tosca, to mark the 100th anniversary of the composer's death, on 21, 24 and 26 October.

Rome will open its municipal rose garden on the slopes of the Aventine hill to allow the public a chance to admire the autumn blooms from 24 October until 10 November. During the special 18-day opening the Roseto Comunale will open for free each day from 08.00-17.00. 

Romaeuropa, Rome's cutting-edge arts festival, offers a packed programme of contemporary dance, theatre, music, digital art and events for kids, throughout October. The festival features 100 different shows in 20 venues across the city, with more than 700 artists from around the world.

Some of the many Romaeuropa highlights in October include Voice Noise (12-13 Oct) by Jan Martens, described as a "choreographic homage to the female voice and the most innovative, unknown or forgotten figures of the last hundred years of music history"; to be possessed (18 Oct) by Chara Kotsali, a dance solo is a rehearsal of demonic rituals; and Maldonne (22-23 Oct) by Leïla Ka who creates a "colourful and timeless ode to the girl’s night out", from ancient Greek gynaeceums to Hollywood sleepovers.

Rome is hosting the largest exhibition in Italy ever dedicated to Colombian artist Fernando Botero. The show at Palazzo Bonaparte charts the more than 60-year career of the late artist who is famed for his paintings and sculptures of corpulent figures.

The ninth edition of Rome Art Week, the contemporary art festival of free cultural events in Roman galleries and studios, will take place across the capital from 21-26 October. This 2024 programme features hundreds of events involving artists and curators, including exhibitions, tours and studio visits.

The 12th European Edition of Maker Faire will be held at the Gazometro in Ostiense from 25-27 October. The family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity and innovation is part of the worldwide Maker Movement, with the 2024 programme offering hundreds of talks, children's workshops and hands-on demonstrations.

Finally, for those in search of the perfect pumpkin for Halloween, check out the Fattoria della Zucca, an American-style pumpkin field in Sacrofano north of Rome.