l Photographs by Francesca Woodman (1958-1981) from a private collection in the USA will be on show at the American Academy in Rome, 7 Feb-31 March.

Woodman was a body artist of the 1970s, completing her studies at the Rhode Island School of Design. The exhibition concentrates on the photographers artistic tendencies, such as using the human body as a vehicle to transmit her message to the public. Although bleak, Woodmans images are arguably curious and questioning.

During her stay in Rome, 1977-1978, Woodman got in touch with the Transavantgarde group. In 1981, at the age of 22, she committed suicide by jumping out of a window in the lower-east side of Manhattan. The same year her photographs taken in Rome were published as Some Disordered Geometries.

American Academy in Rome, Via Angelo Masina, 5, tel.0658461, www.aarome.org. Tues and Sat, 17.00-19.00 and by appointment.

l This year marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. To celebrate the occasion, the Austrian Institute has organised the eclectic event Not only Mozart on 26 Jan at 20.00.

A documentary by Kurt Palm examines Mozarts private life and it will also be possible to browse Palms book on Mozarts beloved cooking recipes.

The exhibition includes photographs and paintings dedicated to Mozart and Mozartian associations as well as compositions written by Austrian Institute scholars. Music by Mozart provides the backdrop to the evening.

Austrian Institute, Viale Giulio Cesare 47, tel.063213483, www.oesterreichinstitut.it.

l The Russian folk ensemble Karavaj will perform Russian music in Rome and Lazio, 18-28 Feb.

Hosted by the Russian Institute, the group Karavaj represents the best of Russian folk art. The word Karavaj means loaf the bread, which along with salt, is offered to welcome visitors to Russia. There are many sayings, proverbs, legends and tales related to bread and salt in Russia. In a wider sense the musicians of Karavaj welcome and introduce everybody to the world of Russian popularsongs. The ensemble was founded in 2000 at the Russian Academy in Moscow by four professional musicians: Olga Danilova (voice), Dmitrij Sazikov (bajan), Andrej Gabov (balalaika) and Aleksej Dubik (balalaika bass). Their repertoire is made up of Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian folksongs as well as songs by Russian composers.

For more information and the programme contact the Russian Institute, Via Farini 62, tel. 064870137, www.italia-russia.it.

l An exhibition of work by Luciano Damiani (set designer), Lila de Nobili (set and costume designer) and Piero Tosi (costume designer) will be inaugurated at the French Academy on 26 Jan at 18.30.

Born in 1923 in Bologna, Damiani started his career working for the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, before moving on to the Piccolo Teatro di Milano and the Teatro di Trieste. Thanks to him set designing became an acknowledged profession.

De Nobilis art tendencies were shaped during her frequent travels from Italy to Switzerland and France. In the 1940s she debuted as costume designer for Vogue and Herms. She then began working with such well-known film directors as Luchino Visconti, Peter Hall and Franco Zeffirelli. In the 1970s de Nobili stopped working for the cinema and found a new love in painting icons at the studio of the Greek artist Yannis Tsarouchis, with whom she worked until she died in 2002.

Born in 1927 in Florence, Tosi soon became known in the Italian cinema. He worked with Franco Zeffirelli, Federico Fellini and Pier Paolo Pasolini. In Tosis art, clothes are considered a part of the character, along with the hairstyle and makeup.

French Academy, Viale Trinit dei Monti 1, tel. 0667611, www.villamedici.it. 27 Jan-2 Apr. 11.00-19.00. Mon closed. Admission ?8, ?4,50 (reduced).

l Russell Maliphants Dance Company will perform One part II, Two Times Three and Push at Teatro Valle in conjunction with The British Council, 18-19 Feb.

Maliphant is one of the most prominent British choreographers of the contemporary dance scene. His art explores the relationship between the movement of the human body, light and music, and focuses on the dancer, who is often transformed into a machine.

Performances at Teatro Valle, Via del Teatro Valle 21, tel. 0668803749. British Council, Via delle Quattro Fontane 20, tel. 06478141, www.britishcouncil.it.

l The Swiss Institute will host an exhibition dedicated to new architectural trends in Canton Ticino, 17 Feb-26 March.

Though a tiny county, Ticino and its architects are known worldwide for the elaboration and application of new architectural ideas. The exhibition focuses on six studies of contemporary architecture carried out by Andrea Bassi, Buzzi and Buzzi, Durisch + Nolli, Luca Gazzaniga and Giraudi-Wettstein studio.

Swiss Institute, Villa Maraini, Via Ludovisi 48, tel. 064814234, www.istitutosvizzero.it. Mon-Sat 11.00-13.00, 15.00-19.00.

l The British School at Rome dedicates the international conference Roma Britannica: Art Patronage and Cultural Exchange in eighteenth-century Rome to Roman art in general, and that of the 18th-century in particular, and its influence on the English-speaking world, 15-17 Feb.

In a series of lectures, around 25 scholars from all over the world will analyse the relationship between Roman and British art over the centuries, including the key role of English patrons in the popularisation and conservation of Roman art.

British School at Rome, Via Gramsci 61, tel. 063264939. For more programme information see www.bsr.ac.uk.