What’s on in Rome this month?

Breathtaking astronomical events, Rome’s birthday, flowers, air shows and more . There’s so many things to do in Rome this April 2023!

Without wasting a lot of time, let’s dive into these super exciting things to explore in the city! 🤩

Things to do in Rome in April 2023

6th-9th April – Arch of light at the Pantheon

Between April 6th and 9th 2023, the sun light will enter the Pantheon and point exactly at the arch above the main door. This phenomenon was discovered in 2014 by Marina de Franceschini and Giuseppe Veneziano thanks to their archaeoastronomy studies. The light will be positioned as in the photo above at around 1PM. How fascinating!

Are you looking to make your Rome trip special? Are you looking for something fun, unique, personal? Our in person experiences grew from the legacy of our media content online. We won’t dwell on academic frills, only on insider’s knowledge with the fun storytelling of a local expert. Check our private and semi-private experiences here

Easter – April 9th

For those who will be in Rome on Easter and would like to attend the Pope’s Easter mass in St Peter in the Vatican – you need to submit a request to the Vatican by March 23rd.

Here’s the link where you can find all the instructions: https://www.vatican.va/content/romancuria/it/uffici/prefettura-della-casa-pontificia/struttura.html
You need to download the form and send it to the email written in the form by March 24th.

Largo Argentina archaeological site – new opening!

Largo Argentina is mostly known for its cat colony – the biggest cat colony of the city of Rome. But many people still ignore that this was the place where Julius Caesar was assassinated on the Ides of March of 44BC! This archaeological site in the middle of a trafficked road junction, could only be seen from above, from the modern street level.

Good news is – works have been in progress to make this area accessible to everyone. It seems like we’ll be able to visit this area and walk on the same Ancient Roman street level from April 2023! We look forward to that!

Rose Garden Spring reopening from April 21st

The Rose Garden of Rome opens twice a year for some weeks, during Spring and Autumn. this is when the roses bloom. This Spring 2023 the Rose Garden of Rome will be reopening on April 21st.

The 1100 species of roses hosted in this garden are coming from many different parts of the world, including, for example, China and Mongolia! Each rose plant has a little tag at the bottom with name, year and country of origin, so you can play and search for the furthest country or the oldest species. We are always so amazed by how many species of roses you can actually encounter here, many of them are so peculiar and unique and we’ve have never seen before.

And to make things even more special, the ancient Roman ruins of the Palatine hill in the background!

Entrance is free and does not require any booking or tickets.

The Azaleas on Spanish Steps

Every year, for Rome’s birthday, the Spanish Steps are dressed in a beautiful and colorful carpet of azaleas for the whole month of April. One of the most elegant and photogenic moments for Piazza di Spagna.

Rome’s birthday – April 21st

On April 21st of the year 753BC, Rome was founded. How old is Rome going to be this year? 2776 years old! On April 21st there is going to be an historical reenactment performed by the Gruppo Storico Romano. For now we know it will take place between April 20th and 23rd at the Circo Massimo. We’ll update this article when we’ll know more about it.

Liberation Day – April 25th

Each year, on April 25th, we celebrate Liberation Day, which marks the anniversary of when the Allied Troops freed Italy from the Germans in 1945.

On this day, solemn celebrations take place at the Vittoriano, the altar of the Fatherland. The President of the Italian Republic poses a crown of flowers by the tomb of the Unknown soldier, while the Frecce Tricolore fly over the skies of Rome. It is quite a beautiful moment.

Usually the space around this event is fenced by the police and if you want to attend you’ll have to be ready to stand in the crowds for some time. Usually the best places where to see the Frecce Tricolori from are Piazza Venezia, via del Corso, Piazza del Popolo and higher viewpoints such as the Gianicolo hill.

When Rome was a Republic – exhibition at the Musei Capitolini

This exhibit at the Capitoline Museums tries to give an overview about the transformation of the Roman society across 5 centuries, from the beginning of the Republic to the birth of the Empire. In case you didn’t know the Roman legacy started first as a monarchy, then it became a Republic, to the become an empire. This exhibit focuses on the Republican period, to give you an idea, the times of Cicero, Caesar and so on..

Majority of the artifacts which you can see in this exhibition are usually not visible to the public, because they are usually kept in the deposits (did you know that the deposits are sometimes more crowded of artifacts than the museums themselves?!).

This exhibit started on January 13th and will last until September 24th. More info here: https://www.museicapitolini.org/en/node/1012211

This exhibition can be perfectly combined with the “Wonders of the Capitoline hill” itinerary included in our Video Guide.

Van Gogh exhibition in Palazzo Bonaparte

Palazzo Bonaparte since last October hosted an incredible exhibition dedicated to Van Gogh and his works.

The exhibition includes 50 Van Gogh artworks, including Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait, as well as documentation of Van Gogh biography.  

The exhibition takes place in Palazzo Bonaparte, which used to be the residence of Napoleon’s mother in Rome.

Website: https://www.mostrepalazzobonaparte.it/mostra-van-gogh.php#

Get to know Medieval Rome, the unsung side of the Eternal city (extended until April 16th!)

Too often when visiting Rome we tend to focus on history moments such as Ancient Rome, Renaissance and Baroque. And what about those centuries between the fall of the Roman Empire and the rebirth of the Renaissance? This April 2023 take the chance to discover the Medieval period, when Rome fought to stand back on its feet.

There are some marks of Medieval Rome around us, but not as much. Because the medieval ruins and buildings were considered something not valuable, and destroyed to either be replaced by something more modern, or to bring back to light the ancient Roman ruins.

This exhibit focuses on the medieval period of Rome, which characterized so much the way the city looks like today.

This exhibit was so good that it was extended until April 16th! (It was supposed to end in February). You can find it in the Museo di Roma of Palazzo Braschi, in Piazza Navona.

Website: https://www.museodiroma.it/en/node/1011574

Live a unique experience with us!

If you want to make your April Rome trip special and looking for something fun, unique, personal… you’re in the right place!

Our in person experiences grew from the legacy of our media content online, meaning that we focus on discovering the authentic side of Rome. We won’t dwell on academic frills, only on insider’s knowledge with the fun storytelling of a local expert. Our experiences include the hidden gems of Trastevere, Centro Storico and the heart of Ancient Rome. You can find them all here!