August is the peak of summer in Rome and many locals flee to the coast or the mountains to cool off during the heat and celebrate Ferragosto, a national holiday throughout the country. For those who stay, there are plenty of activities to keep you busy this month while you enjoy the capital without the usual crowds.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 1 – SUNDAY, AUGUST 6 2-17
CONCERT | Alternative rock at Villa Ada
📅 Tuesday, August 1st
Italian indie band, Fast Animals and Slow Kids, will kick off the month of August with a performance at the Roma Incontra Il Mondo music festival. This annual festival takes place on a peninsula within Villa Ada’s lake, a truly evocative setting.
Tickets: €10
FILM | Rome’s cinema island
📅 Tuesday, August 1st – Sunday, September 3rd
The Isola del Cinema music festival which takes place each year on Rome’s Tiber Island will show Italian and international movies throughout the month of August. This outdoor cinema, located on the banks of the Tiber River, is a beautiful place to catch a flick. See the full calendar of screenings online.
Tickets: €6
BAR | Rooftop drinks
📅 Ongoing through Saturday, September 30th
Lanificio is a woolen mill-turned restaurant and nightclub with a rooftop garden in Rome’s Pietralata district. Each summer, Lanificio hosts a festival of sorts on its roof with DJ sets, live music, a cocktail bar, barbecue and more.
Tickets: n/a, by consumption
MONDAY, AUGUST 7 – SUNDAY, AUGUST 13
CONCERT | Jazz in the capital
📅 Monday, August 7th
Located near Rome’s Ostiense train station, the Casa del Jazz has planned a series of ‘Summertime’ jazz concerts through the month of August. This Monday, catch the Ada Montellanico Quintet which is presenting their new album, ‘Abbey’s Road, an Ode to Abbey Lincoln’.
Tickets: €15
FOOD | Fish&Wine Festival
📅 Monday, August 7th – Sunday, August 13th
Enjoy the catch of the day at Eataly’s Fish&Wine festival where you can taste a number of fish dishes paired with wine. From original pairings to innovative concoctions, you’ll try delicious seafood and taste some of Italy’s greatest wines.
Tickets: €10
THEATER | Swoon over Shakespeare’s sonnets
📅 Wednesay, August 9th – Sunday, August 20th
The Silvano Toti Globe Theatre inside Villa Borghese is a replica of The Globe Theatre in London with stellar performances. See a performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Un Sogno Di Una Notte Di Mezza Estate) translated into Italian for a peek into this fascinating theater.
Tickets: from €10
📍Globe Theatre, Largo Aqua Felix (inside Villa Borghese park)
MONDAY, AUGUST 14 – SUNDAY, AUGUST 20
DJ SET | DJ Set in an oasis
📅 Thursday, August 17th
Nestled within north Rome’s Guide Reni District, Hotel Butterfly is an extensive outdoor garden with curated rooms, verdant courtyards and pop up bars that has an exciting calendar of events this month. Each Thursday a DJ from Goa club plays a DJ-set for an eclectic crowd.
Tickets: free
MUSIC | Performance within ruins
📅 Thursday, August 17th
Castel Sant’Angelo, Hadrian’s ancient mausoleum that sits on the banks of the Tiber River, hosts a number of concerts and events throughout the summer within the Cortile di Alessandro VI as part of Lazio’s Art City summer program. On Thursday, Brazilian artists Anat Cohen and Marcello Gonçalves are playing a concert with clarinet and guitar.
Tickets: €14
CINEMA | Movies at Villa Borghese
📅 Ongoing – through Wednesday, September 6th
The Casa del Cinema, or Cinema House, within the Villa Borghese is screening Italian and international films outdoors throughout the summer. For the full line-up, see the Zero.eu website.
Tickets: free
MONDAY, AUGUST 21 – SUNDAY, AUGUST 27
CLUBBING | Dance in a Field of Strawberries
📅 Monday, August 21st
North Rome’s legendary Boscolo delle Fragole is one of the best summer clubs in the city. Start your week off on the right foot with indie rock and electro during Any Given Monday, a special evening series that has started a movement in Rome.
Tickets: €10
THEATER | The Merchant of Venice
📅 Thursday, August 24th – Sunday, September 10th
The Silvano Toti Globe Theatre inside Villa Borghese is a replica of The Globe Theatre in London with stellar performances. See a performance of The Merchant of Venice (Il Mercante di Venezia) translated into Italian for a peek into this fascinating theater.
Tickets: from €10
📍Globe Theatre, Largo Aqua Felix (inside Villa Borghese park)
MUSIC | Song on an Italian Terrace
📅 Friday, August 25th
The enormous Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II in Piazza Venezia is not only a mausoleum and exhibition space; it also functions as an event space that hosts concerts and performances as part of the Art City summer initiative. This Friday, Core/Coracao for a night of multicultural music and Italian song on the outdoor terrace of this fascinating space.
Tickets: free
MONDAY, AUGUST 28 – THURSDAY, AUGUST 31
CINEMA | Movies in Pigneto
📅 Ongoing – through Sunday, September 3rd
For a taste of Rome’s ‘radical chic’ aesthetic, head over to the Cineclub Alphaville in Pigneto and catch Italian and international flicks, both old and contemporary. The full August program will be released shortly on the Cineclub Alphaville website here.
Tickets: free
THEATER | Palazzo Venezia’s Hidden Courtyard
📅 Monday, August 28th
Located in Piazza Venezia, the Palazzo Venezia museum is often overlooked by tourists and contains a lovely hidden courtyard within it that plays host to a number of events in the summer months. On Monday, see the Italian theater production Pasticceri io e mio fratello Roberto starring Leonardo Capuano and Roberto Abbiati.
Tickets: €10
MUSIC | L’Ektrica
📅 Tuesday, August 29th
Nestled within north Rome’s Guide Reni District, Hotel Butterfly is an extensive outdoor garden with curated rooms, verdant courtyards and pop up bars that has an exciting calendar of events this month. Each Tuesday DJs Esu & Fabrice & George play a L’Ektrica themed night.
Tickets: free
About the author
Livia Hengel is an Italian-American writer, photographer and traveler with a penchant for la dolce vita and a severe case of wanderlust. Originally born in Rome, she spent her life living around the world in Peru, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Turkey and the US before moving back to her city of birth. She is passionate about all things cultural, existential, stirring and beautiful and is happiest when she is contemplating human nature over a glass of wine or wandering off-the-beaten-path in a new city. When she's not traveling around Italy, you can find Livia eating her way through the best restaurants in Rome or keeping up with Instagram. Livia is the author of The HUNT Guide for Rome and also contributes to Spotted by Locals.
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