On the first weekend of spring, Sat 20 -Sun 21 March, it will be possible to visit 380 monuments not usually open to the public in 196 Italian cities. The openings, which are free of charge, are organised by the Fondo per l'Ambiente Italiano (FAI), for the XII Giornata FAI di Primavera.

The FAI, which today has 50,000 members, was founded in 1975 as a non-profit organisation to restore, maintain and open to the public a variety of historic, artistic and natural sites. Some of these are owned by FAI, some are received by donation, some it just administers and opens to the public. FAI has arranged the spring weekend for the past 12 years in order to promote public awareness of the Italian cultural heritage.

In Rome the places to visit, that are not normally open to the public are; the Biblioteca Angelica , Piazza S. Agostino 8; Palazzo S. Agostino, Via dei Portoghesi 12; Palazzo dell'Agricoltura, Via XX Settembre 20; Palazzo della Zecca dello Stato, Via Principe Umberto 4; Villa Durante, Piazza della Croce Rossa 3.

There will also be three museums open on Sat 20 March which will be run for the day by young people; The Hendrick Christian Andersen Museum, Via P.S. Mancini 20, which will be run by Class III,IV and V section F of the Liceo Artistico

"Via Ripetta"; The Napoleonic Museum, Piazza di Ponte Umberto I 1, which will be run by pupils from the Scuola Media Statale "Via Renzini" and the Scuola Media Statale "Via della Maratona" and the National Museum of Musical Instruments, Piazza S. Croce in Gerusalemme, 9/a where the young guides will come from Scuola Media Statale "Via Bagnera" Class II section F and the Scuola Media Statale

"I Svevo" class II section B.