From Musical Museums to the Christmas Village: Weekend Events in Rome

The last weekend of November is dedicated to music. The “Museums in Music” event returns to the capital, which is preparing for Christmas with lights and atmosphere. This 15th edition is dedicated to the great Ornella Vanoni, recently deceased. Over 100 performances are scheduled at the Civic Museums and other cultural venues, which will be exceptionally open from 20:00 PM to 2:00 AM on Sunday morning. Symbolically inaugurated by a concert by the Rome Capitale Local Police Band, scheduled for 19:30 PM in Piazza del Campidoglio, the long night of Museums in Music will sweep across the city to the rhythm of a wide range of musical genres—from world music to jazz, from pop to sacred and classical music, from film music to swing—reaching over 50 venues. Over 100 performances are scheduled, including choral and instrumental concerts, performances, ensembles, and small groups, in addition to a rich selection of guided tours, for a program featuring over 150 artists. The special guest of this edition of Museums in Music is the composer and jazz pianist Rita Marcotulli, an internationally renowned artist who will contribute to the memory of Ornella Vanoni by offering a concert at 20:30 PM at the Centrale Montemartini, Omaggio a Ornella, which will retrace the extraordinary career of the Milanese artist. It will be a journey of memories, music, and shared experiences, in which anecdotes related to their friendship and collaboration will alternate with the many songs that have made Ornella immortal: from L’appuntamento to Domani è un altro giorno, from Senza fine to Ti lascio una canzone. Both were written for her by Gino Paoli.

And then another passage through the rhythms of Brazilian music, so loved by Vanoni and a final story in memory of another great composer of Italian music: Pino DanieleFrom one space to another, from one prestigious moment to another. A few meters away, on the stage of the Auditorium of the Ara Pacis Museum, under the artistic direction of Gerardo Di Lella, will instead host the Disney Music Trio Concert, curated by the Nuova Diaphonia Musical Association. It’s a journey through music and magic where adults and children alike will be transported into the enchanted world of Disney fairy tales and their vast musical repertoire, spanning a wide range of genres: from jazz to pop, from symphonic to ethnic music. Among this year’s unmissable events is certainly the double free-entry initiative hosted in the Sala della Protomoteca in the Campidoglio. Performing in the prestigious setting of Palazzo Senatorio will be the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Rome with the show “The Night of the Full Moon,” with Talal Al Zahrani (oud) and Francesca Maria Corrao (voice), based on the verses written by the Saudi poet Prince Bader Abdulmohsen. Following this, the young artists of the “Fabbrica” Young Artist Program of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma will perform a lyrical recital based on the great Italian and European operatic tradition. Sofia Barbashova (soprano), Maria Elena Pepi (mezzosoprano) accompanied on the piano by Electra Aurora PomponioAnother opportunity for visitors is the special opening of Wegil, the Lazio Region’s cultural hub managed by Laziocrea. As part of the ongoing Movie Icons exhibition, dedicated to original Hollywood film artifacts, the venue will offer several free entertainment sessions. At 20:00 PM, DJ Lela Xein will perform a selection of songs from the soundtracks of films featured in the exhibition.

Following, at approximately 22:00 PM, Federico Zampaglione, will retrace the highlights of his musical and artistic career through the performance of some of his most famous songs. But not before receiving recognition for his contribution to cinema, as a horror film director. Following Zampaglione’s performance, the evening will continue with DJ Lela Xein, who will return to the decks to accompany the audience until closing time. Another unmissable opportunity for this 15th edition will be the special opening of Palazzo Madama, seat of the Senate of the Republic, and Montecitorio, seat of the Chamber of Deputies. The Colosseum Archaeological Park will also be participating in the initiative, with the Flavian Amphitheater open from 8:10 PM to 10:50 PM and a double musical performance for visitors: the Vocal Oddity choir and the Sing Up choir. Finally, here is the list of the many Civic Museums of Rome, open and accessible for one euro: Capitoline Museums, Ara Pacis Museum, Trajan’s Market – Museum of the Imperial Forums, Museum of Rome, Centrale Montemartini, Museum of Rome in Trastevere, Villa Torlonia Museums (Casino Nobile, Casina delle Civette, Serra Moresca), Civic Museum of Zoology, Museum of the Forma Urbis, and Celio Archaeological Park. Admission to these museums will be completely free for Roma MIC card holders. And those that are completely free: Napoleonic Museum, Pietro Canonica Museum in Villa Borghese, Carlo Bilotti Museum – Orangery of Villa Borghese, Giovanni Barracco Museum of Ancient Sculpture, Museum of the Roman Republic and Garibaldi Memorial, Casal de’ Pazzi Museum, Villa of Maxentius.

From the Museums in Music to the new season of the Rome Opera which opens in the name of Wagner, tackled for the first time by the three main interpreters involved: the Musical Director Michael Mariotti, director Damiano Michieletto and the tenor Dmitry KorchakAfter a fifty-year absence, this evening, Lohengrin returns to the Teatro Costanzi. Alongside Korchak, the cast includes Clive Bayley (Heinrich der Vogler), Tómas Tómasson (Friedrich von Telramund), Ekaterina Gubanova (Ortrud), Andrei Bondarenko (der Heerrufer des Königs), and, making her debut at the Teatro Costanzi, Jennifer Holloway (Elsa von Brabant). The new production, a co-production with the Palau de les Arts in Valencia and the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, is designed by Michieletto, supported by his usual creative team: Paolo Fantin (sets), Carla Teti (costumes), and Alessandro Carletti (lighting). The dramaturgy is by Mattia Palma. The Orchestra is that of the Rome Opera, as is the Chorus, conducted by Ciro Visco. From classical to pop, two concerts are scheduled at the Palazzo dello Sport, formerly the Palalottomatica. Tonight, Italian singer-songwriter, rapper, and record producer Carl Brave will take the stage. On the 29th, it will be Alfa’s turn, a young singer-songwriter beloved by young people.

Not just music. The exhibition “Greece in Rome” will be held at the Capitoline Museums – Villa Caffarelli in Rome from tomorrow until April 12, 2026. The exhibition is the second in the series “The Great Masters of Ancient Greece,” inaugurated by the exhibition “Phidias,” and dedicated to the rediscovery of the protagonists of Greek art and their legacy in Roman and Western culture. Featuring over 150 works, including sculptures, reliefs, and archaeological artifacts—all original Greek works, some exhibited for the first time—the exhibition recounts the encounter between two extraordinary civilizations, a dialogue that shaped Western taste and aesthetics. A journey that begins with the founding of Rome and spans the centuries up to the Imperial Age, revealing the extraordinary power with which Greek art penetrated Roman society: first through trade and the importation of refined artifacts, then thanks to the conquests of the Eastern Mediterranean, which brought to Rome priceless masterpieces—marble and bronze statues, engraved silver, paintings, and luxurious furnishings. These works, often located in squares, public buildings, and gardens, transformed the face of the city and contributed to the redefinition of Roman aesthetic and cultural models. Even in private spaces, Greek art was synonymous with distinction and power.

Another exhibition will be inaugurated this weekend at the Museum of Rome in Trastevere, in the Piano Rooms, Piero Angelo Orecchioni “With Eyes and Ears,” presenting a wide selection of works, including drawings, paintings, installations, photographs, objects, embroideries, and personal documents. The exhibition aims to explore the hidden and often overlooked essence of dwelling and memory, poetically capturing the most intimate dimension of existence. Through his distinctive artistic practice, Piero Angelo Orecchioni focuses on rediscovering his roots and the sacredness of memories, working with diverse materials and techniques: he erases, embroiders, sews, layers, and combines written word and image, generating a universe of family, intimate, and collective memories. The exhibition is characterized by the variety of expressive mediums employed, from embroidered love letters to photographs, from textile installations to paintings, which dialogue with original documents and a video that enriches and concludes the journey, making it multisensory. In the final section of the exhibition, objects, papers, and erased writings bear witness to the artist’s struggle against oblivion and his stubborn search for reconciliation with the past.

Furthermore, starting Saturday, November 29th, in conjunction with the 15th edition of Musei in Musica, the Rome Planetarium will resume its programming, inviting citizens and enthusiasts to the show “Music among the Stars” starting at 8:00 PM. This show features a journey through constellations and celestial myths inspired by the art of Euterpe, which will launch an adventure that will reach the edges of the cosmos, touching on fascinating astronomical topics, such as the famous interstellar comet 3I/Atlas. The planetarium’s regular programming will resume on Sunday, November 30th, and can be booked through the usual website. From 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, the following shows will take place: “Space Opera” (10:00 AM); “Interstellar – the Voyager Probe Journey” (11:00 AM); “Ring Around the Planets” (12:00 PM); “Interstellar – The Voyager Probe Journey” (4:00 PM); “Return to the Stars” (5:00 PM); “The Starry Night” (6:00 PM). Finally, this Saturday, the 29th, the magic of Christmas comes to Villa Borghese with the opening of Christmas World, returning to the heart of Rome. Inside the park, there are numerous attractions, scenic installations, new musicals, a wide selection of themed food experiences, Christmas markets, over 300 artists, and many other new features.

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