This vibrant festival is dedicated to the best in contemporary artistic performance and is a celebrated cultural event. The festival takes places between October and December across several special locations in the city including the main arts venue the Auditorium Parco della Musica.
As you would expect from the city at the heart of the Catholic world, Christmas celebrations in the city are extensive. The 16th-century St Peter's Basilica hosts the celebrations of the birth of Jesus Christ. Every Christmas Eve, the Pope gives his Midnight Mass in St Peter's Square, which is attended by huge crowds of devout Catholics and onlookers and is broadcast to over 40 countries around the world. Due to the numbers of people wishing to attend, please note that you will need to reserve tickets through the Prefettura della Casa Pontificia beforehand.
Each year in March, the city honours the coming of spring at the Spanish Steps by adorning them with over 3,000 vases of azaleas in pink, red and white. The addition of the floral tributes to the already beautiful setting makes for the ideal photo opportunity of the celebration with your significant other.
While it's normal for people to celebrate their birthday, few cities celebrate their birthdays or even know the exact date of their beginning. On 21 April each year, Rome honours its founding in 753BC by Romulus. Modern-day Romans mark the day with live bands on the Piazza del Campidolgio and fireworks above the River Tiber. This is an ideal time to visit as many of Rome's monuments and historical sites offer free entry on this day, as well as the opportunity to experience the triumphant and sparkling atmosphere for yourself.