Rome, Italy Hotels and City Guide

Rome - Entertainment

Rome has a wealth of superb arts venues, with several of the city's classical attractions serving as incomparable settings for an evening of music, theatre, opera or dance.

The Teatro dell'Opera (opera and ballet) and Teatro Vascello (fringe theatre and dance) host their annual seasons from autumn to spring, after which festivities switch outdoors to historic venues like the Baths of Caracalla, Anfiteatro della Quercia del Tasso, the Basilica di San Clemente, Villa Torlonia, Piazza del Popolo and Piazza del Campidoglio, for a programme of mostly classical Greek and Latin melodrama. The Giardino degli Aranci (Garden of the Orange Trees) at Aventino is also a glorious parkland setting for cultural events offering superb views over the city.

Stunning acoustics are a feature at the newly-built Auditorium Parco della Musica (Music Park) where the city's leading classical musicians from the Academia di Santa Cecilia perform their summer festival. All year-round productions are staged at the Auditorio Pio (classical music) and the Teatro Olimpico (classic ballet and modern dance from the Academia Filarmonica)

The summer-long Estate Romana arts festival, fills parks and piazzas, churches and stadiums, whilst live classical music can also be enjoyed in many of Rome's churches.

Rome has over 80 theatres, with many productions in English. The Teatro di Roma is Rome's official troop, putting on epic productions at the Teatro Argentina; the Teatro Nazionale stages comedy from the Italian Theatre Board; musicals at the elegant Teatro Sistina and classical and contemporary plays at the Teatro Valle and Teatro Quirino.

The ancient ruins of the Forum serve as a beguiling backdrop for the
Miracle Players who perform comedy there each summer; or for a culture-and-theatre excursion visit Ostia Antica.

The RomaEuropa performing arts festival has been compared in scale and quality to Scotland's Edinburgh and Germany's Theatertreffen festivals. Catch it this year for a month from the end of September.

Discounted theatre tickets are available for productions at more than 50 of them. Reductions up to half price are available for daily shows, which can be bought from the Spettacolo Romano ticket office at via Bari. English language theatre plays are staged at Teatro Olimpico, L'Arciliuto Teatro (near Piazza Navona) and the Roman Forum, with international theatre at the Colosseo Ridotto and Teatro Agora.

Jazz music has a loyal following in the city - two of the leading jazz venues are Alexanderplatz and Big Mama, but there are fewer renowned rock music venues.

Romans can be at their expressive best in the traditional neighbourhood enoteche, or wine bar, where they take time to catch up with friends over a coffee, spirit or glass of wine. Birreries, or pubs, have become very popular with younger drinkers in the past decade, with an Anglo-Irish theme prevailing (stout is widely available, for example); whilst ultra-chic cocktail bars playing house, garage, jazz or soul are also on the up.

The cluster of cafés and wine bars between Piazza Navona, Campo de' Fiori and Via della Pace make the area a popular nightspot, along with the Testaccio and Trastevere districts. The increasingly upmarket Trastavere and Testaccio are also on every club goers shortlist.

Three of the best known English-language cinemas in the city are Pasquino, Metropolitan and Warner Village Moderno.

For detailed event listings, check 'Roma C'e' magazine every Thursday, or the monthly 'Time Out Rome.'

Spectator Sports

Football: Soccer (Il calico) has near-religious importance in Italy and leading teams in the country's Serie A league have a history of success on the European stage. Rome's two teams, AS Roma and Lazio, share the Stadio Olimpico at Foro Italico, just north of Rome, for home matches, which are played every Sunday from September to May. The great rivalry between the two sides invariably leads to tightly contested derby matches. Tickets can be purchased from the Stadio Olimpico box office (tel 06 323 73 33) or authorised ticket agencies such as Orbis (tel 06 482 74 03, Piazza Esquilino 37).

Rugby Union: Italy contest the Six Nations rugby tournament along with France, England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland. Italy's home matches are played at the Flaminio Stadium, accessible by metro.

Basketball: Basketball is Rome's second favourite spectator sport after football. The season runs over the winter months and matches are played at the Palazzo dello Sport (tel 06 592 50 06, Viale dell'Umanesimo).

Tennis: May's Italian International Tennis Championships is played on clay at the Foro Italico - tickets can often be bought on the day at the stadium.

Rome Marathon: The 42 km Rome Marathon in late March famously starts and finishes at the Colosseum and passes most of the city's major monuments. June sees the Golden Gala athletics event at Stadio Olimpico.

Cycling: Cycling is another popular sport in Italy and the Giro d'Italia race – which starts in Rome and ends in Milan - is regarded as second only to the Tour de France in prestige amongst European cyclists.

Rome Shopping

If Rome’s classical attractions weren’t enough, the city offers some excellent shopping, particularly for designer clothes, accessories, antiques, crafts and leather goods.

Like most Italians, Romans enjoy their designer labels, which happily tend to be about 20% cheaper than Venice or Milan. Brands like Bulgari, Cartier, Chanel, Armani and Hermes abound on Via Condetti, Via Borgognona, Via Frattina, Via Sistina and around Piazza di Spagna.

Other famous shopping streets include the mile-long Via del Corso, with its variety of choices of leather goods, modern fashion and traditional clothing; high-street fashion on via Nazionale; the streets between Corso and Piazza di Spagna; and Via Veneto – made famous in Fellini’s ‘La Dolce Vita,’ and now full of prestige hotels, elegant cafes and shoe shops.

Naturally there a lots of charming retail discoveries to be made on the narrow streets in Rome's historical centre, particularly the area around the Pantheon and Piazza Navona.

Antique and art aficionados head for Via Margutta, Via del Babuino, Via del Pellegrino and Via dei Coronari, near Piazza Navona; quality antique jewelry can be found Via dei Pettinari; crystal, lamps and modern furniture on Via del Babuino, whilst gift shops and jewelers abound around Trevi Fountain. For best value on fragrances, buy from profumeries.

Many an art gem has been unearthed at the Porta Portese flea markets in Trastevere, held every Sunday morning. Rome’s great food markets include Campo de’ Fiori, Trionfale Market (on Via Andrea Doria near the Vatican museums), Piazza Vittorio and Via Bocca Leone near the Spanish Steps.

Most shops open around 9am or 10am, closing for long lunches and re-opening in some cases at 4pm, closing at between 8pm and 11pm. Boutique stores often close on Monday mornings except in summer when they close on Saturday afternoons. Food shops are usually closed on Thursday afternoons or Saturday afternoons in the summer. Major department and chain stores - now becoming more widespread in Rome though shopping malls are kept in the suburbs - tend to stay open through the day. Rome’s markets are generally open from 7am to 2pm Monday to Saturday: popular markets include Flaminia (Sundays - antiques), Testaccio (art and crafts), Portaportese (flea) and Campo de' Fiori (fruit and veg).

Hotels in Rome, Italy