Discover the best things to do in Rome in March.

March in Rome heralds the arrival of spring and milder temperatures, making it a perfect time to visit the Eternal City. Here are some tips for the best events and things to do in Rome in March 2024.

Go museum-hopping for free

State museums and archaeological sites in Rome and across Italy open their doors for free on Sunday 3 March. The free landmark sites in the capital range from the Galleria Borghese (reservations required) to Castel S. Angelo while a new entry on the list is the Forma Urbis Museum where visitors can walk across a glass floor over the surviving fragments of a famed marble map of ancient Rome.

Six Nations Rugby

Rugby fever returns to Rome thanks to the 2024 Six Nations tournament. The Azzurri will take on Scotland at the Stadio Olimpico on 9 March, the second of two games in Rome. The Capitoline Museums offer free admission to Six Nations Rugby ticket holders that weekend. For those who can't make it to the stadio, there will be no shortage of rugby coverage in the city's pubs as well as plenty of "third half" fun.

Beware the Ides of March

Rome marks the Ides of March and the assassination of Julius Caesar on Friday 15 March with a historical re-enactment of that fateful day in 44 BC. The free event will be staged by the Gruppo Storico Romano in the archaeological area at Largo di Torre Argentina which opened to visitors for the first time last summer.

Rome Marathon

The 2024 edition of the Maratona di Roma, hailed by many as "the most beautiful marathon in the world", takes place on Sunday 17 March. The 42-km race begins and ends near the Colosseum, taking in dozens of landmarks, from the Roman Forum to the Spanish Steps. There is also a non-competitive 5-km fun run in the Circus Maximus area and a charity relay race.

St Patrick's Day in Rome

Also on 17 March is St Patrick's Day which is marked in Rome each year by the city's Irish community along with Italian and international friends of Ireland. The Irish Club of Rome will mark the occasion by throwing a St Patrick's Day party at Lyo on the night of 16 March, with food and drinks as well as live music and a dj to entertain revellers until the wee hours.

Exhibitions in Rome

The big new exhibition in town is The floating world. Ukiyoe. Visions from Japan at Palazzo Braschi, devoted to the world of Ukiyo-e, a genre of Japanese art that flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Other popular exhibitions in Rome currently include Escher at Palazzo Bonaparte, Rino Gaetano at Museo di Roma in Trastevere and Emotion at Chiostro del Bramante.

Colossus of Constantine

Gaze up at a modern-day reconstruction of the ancient Colossus of Constantine, a staggering 13 metres high, recreated using 3D modelling technology. The gigantic reconstructed statue of the seated emperor looms over the gardens at Villa Caffarelli, part of the Capitoline Museums complex, and can be visited for free.