February 2025 in Rome: discover and experience Rome from 1 to 28 February 2025

Every month Rome dresses up in new colors, offering a wide range of different visiting opportunities: a rich cultural and entertainment program in a city with a millenary history that amazes for its majesty, but that also hides corners of beauty and treasures that are less known to the public. Discover with us the main events organized in Rome in February and follow the suggestions thought up by our editorial staff to experience and admire the city, even along less beaten paths.  

• Roma Live events in February

• New entries and special events in February

• Rome free/low cost in February

• The events of the Jubilee​ in February

• Rome with kids in February

• Do you know that…?

• The days of Rome: key dates in the city’s history and traditions in February

• The many facets of Rome: places of the ancient Rome, papal Rome and modern Rome to (re)discover in February

• Itineraries and curiosities: our tips for February 

Roma Live events

Roma Live is the calendar for experiencing Rome at 360°, a multimedia container dedicated to unmissable events for those living in the city and for tourists. Check here all the events for the month of February sponsored by Roma Capitale and/or of international importance, and choose from the exhibitions, sporting events, concerts, theater shows, festivals, ballets and dance performances scheduled until 28 February. Please note: information available in this section is being updated constantly.

New entries and special events

• Guinness 6 Nations Rugby 2025 - In the 2024 edition, the Italian team achieved its best ever result, finishing the Six Nations with 11 points following two victories against Scotland and Wales, the draw with France and the bonus point won against England. For all fans of great rugby, in February the Italian national team coached by Gonzalo Quesada returns to the field in Rome’s Stadio Olimpico and celebrates the twenty-fifth anniversary of its first participation in the tournament with two super matches: against Wales on 8 February and against France on 23 February.
• Munch. Il Grido Interiore - The Inner Scream - His unique style and direct and powerful painting are able to communicate emotions, thoughts and anxieties. From 18 February, the 100 works (paintings, drawings and lithographs) on display at Palazzo Bonaparte, all from the Munch Museum in Oslo, tell the story of the artistic and private universe of the Norwegian painter Edvard Munch, an undisputed protagonist in the history of modern art, between the 19th and 20th centuries, Symbolism and Expressionism, and a refined interpreter of the most secret and obscure part of the human soul.
• I Farnese nella Roma del Cinquecento. Origini e fortuna di una collezione - The Farnese Family in 16th century Rome. Origins and Fortune of a Collection - In 1534, when the cultured, intelligent and energetic Alessandro Farnese ascended the papal throne under the name of Paul III, Rome was still showing the wounds of the devastation wrought seven years earlier by Charles V’s Lansquenets. The numerous initiatives promoted by the pontiff for the urban and architectural renewal of the Petrine See changed the face of the city, but Paul III was also responsible for the most important collection of art and antiquities in 16th century Rome, continued by his heirs. The more than 100 masterpieces on display at the Capitoline Museums from 11 February recount the period of its greatest splendor, between the first decades of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century.

Rome free/low cost

An astonishing “open-air museum” is a perhaps overused expression but one that inevitably comes to mind when walking around Rome. Austere or sumptuously decorated churches and aristocratic palaces, courtyards and cloisters, elegant squares and secret piazzas, monumental fountains or curious-looking fountains, marbles and stones with a history stretching back thousands of years – even if you have a limited budget, the city does not skimp on its wonders. As for the sites and monuments that charge a fee, on 2 February, like every first Sunday of the month, both the national cultural sites and the museums run by Roma Capitale open their doors to the public free of charge. Please note: in some cases, reservations are required, so always check in advance the websites of the museums. On 23 February, as on every last Sunday of the month, you can visit the Vatican Museums at no cost from 9 am to 2 pm (last admission 12.30 pm). On all other days, with the exception of Monday, you can explore 8 small museums with free admission – small but with valuable collections ranging from prehistory to ancient sculpture, from the Risorgimento to Napoleonic relics and modern and contemporary art.

As always, the city cultural and entertainment program for the month of February offers events and activities at no cost. Examples include the exhibitions Il Paese della biodiversità. Il patrimonio naturale italiano at the CNR headquarters (booking required), Il colore del silenzio. The Colour of Silence at the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone and En Scène: Yves Saint Laurent at the Fondazione Nicola Del Roscio; the films in the original version of the Some Like it Classic festival at Palazzo delle Esposizioni (Straight shooting on 4 February and The Long Goodbye on 18 February); the conferences of the Light on Archeology cycle at the Teatro Argentina (2 and 16 February); and the Chinese New Year's Festival for the Year of the Snake 2025 in the Piazza Vittorio gardens (8-9 February). You can also find other suggestions on the cultureroma website.

The events of the Jubilee

In February the Jubilee will continue with a number of events dedicated to specific categories: the Jubilee of the Armed Forces, Police and Security Personnel (8-9 February), introduced on 8 February by a band concert in Piazza del Popolo; the Jubilee of Artists and the World of Culture (15-18 February) and the Jubilee of Deacons (21-23 February). As part of the Jubilee of Artists and the World of Culture, a new exhibition space (Conciliazione 5) dedicated to contemporary art, will be inaugurated on Saturday 15 February at 6 pm. The first artist to exhibit will be Yan Pei-Ming, famous for his intense large-scale portraits, with a body of new work on the Regina Coeli prison. On Sunday 16 February, from 8 pm to 10 pm, the world of arts and culture is invited to the White Night and the passage of the Holy Door, with a spiritual and cultural journey late in the evening in St Peter’s Basilica. On 1 and 15 February, in St. Peter’s Square, it is possible to attend the Holy Father’s Jubilee Audience. Participants in the audience will be able to enter the Basilica through the Holy Door, even without registering on the registration portal. For audience tickets (free of charge), please contact the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household. For more information and assistance in registering for the pilgrimage to the Holy Doors and the major Jubilee events, please contact the Info Point for the Jubilee 2025 in Via della Conciliazione 7. For tourist reception, two new temporary Tourist Infopoints, active until 31 December 2025, are also available for tourists, cultural operators and pilgrims: the Tourist Infopoint Auditorium Conciliazione (information and sales) and the Tourist Infopoint San Paolo (information only).

Rome with kids

Museums to explore, villas and gardens in which to run wild, educational workshops and readings to stimulate the imagination and creativity, theme parks, theatrical performances and much more... Rome is also a family-friendly city, a cheerful and colorful stage for every child. Discover all the events dedicated to children scheduled for the month of February and unleash your imagination among surprising adventures, journeys through history, interactive itineraries and guided tours. Our Kids page is updated weekly: visit us again for new ideas!

Do you know that…?

The official residence of the popes for about a thousand years (that is, until 1377, when the popes fixed their residence at the Vatican), the Lateran Palace today presents itself in the 16th-century layout commissioned by Pope Sixtus V, who entrusted its reconstruction to Domenico Fontana and had it magnificently frescoed. Opened to the public a few years ago, the palace is now an integral part of Vatican City and enjoys extraterritoriality privileges, by virtue of the Lateran Pacts that were signed in one of its halls on 11 February 1929. Entering into force on 7 June of the same year, the Lateran Pacts were the final stage in the rapprochement between the ecclesiastical leadership and the Fascist regime, which used religion as an effective political tool, and marked the end of the so-called “Roman question”, which had opened 59 years earlier, in 1870. Since the Breach of Porta Pia, in fact, Pius IX and subsequent popes had refused to recognize the new Italian nation, and were opposed to any form of agreement. The Pacts guaranteed the Church territorial sovereignty over the new Vatican City State, a handkerchief of land of about 440,000 square meters, and pledged to enforce the will of the popes even outside Bernini’s colonnade: surviving the fall of Fascism, after many controversies, they also became part of the new Constitution. It was only with the revision of 1984 that the Catholic religion ceased to be the state religion: for the Vatican, 11 February is still a bank holiday and for this reason the Vatican Museums remain closed to the public.

The days of Rome: key dates in the city’s history and traditions

Rites, festivals, anniversaries and celebrations have always marked the life of the city, its inhabitants and its visitors: a dense calendar of fixed happenings dating back to past eras, but also to the present day, that define Rome’s identity. Discover with us some of the city’s old and new special dates and moments, with the most heartfelt or awaited occasions – or even simply the most curious ones for the month of February.

The many facets of Rome: places of the ancient Rome, papal Rome and modern Rome to (re)discover

The pagan Rome that was the center of one of the largest empires that ever existed; the symbol city of the Catholic religion shaped by the successors on the throne of Peter; the new capital of the Kingdom of Italy and then of the Republic. The history of an eternal city is inevitably made up of multiple narratives that intertwine with one another. Each month, we will introduce you to three places that show the different imagines of Rome through the centuries. As reference time thresholds, we will take the 6th century (that is, when the bishops of Rome began to be not only the supreme voice of the Christian Church but also the highest guide of their city) for the Rome of the popes, and 1870 (the year of the Porta Pia breach) for modern Rome.

• Villa of Maxentius complex - Self-proclaimed emperor as the crisis of the tetrarchic system created by Diocletian deepened, Maxentius died defeated by Constantine during the Battle at the Milvian Bridge. During his short reign, from 306 to 312 A.D., he had, however, tried to restore Rome’s dignity as capital city, renovating decaying buildings and carrying out new construction works. The grandiose villa he had built along the Appian Way, with its attached circus and dynastic mausoleum, is today one of the most impressive archaeological sites in the Roman countryside. From October to May, the complex can be visited free of charge every day, except Mondays, from 10 am to 4 pm. On 15 February, a guided tour with translation in LIS - Italian sign language will show you its monumental beauty.
• Church of Santa Maria dell’Anima - Epicenter of a constant flow of pilgrims from all over Europe, since the Middle Ages Rome has been home to a number of institutions and places of worship linked to national communities. Built between 1514 and 1523, Santa Maria dell’Anima has been the reference church for the German Catholic community in Rome for over 600 years. The sober façade attributed to Andrea Sansovino, one of the best examples of Renaissance architecture in the city, introduces to a rich and solemn interior, with a collection of masterpieces. These include the tomb of Hadrian VI, frescoes by Francesco Salviati, works by Carlo Saraceni, Lorenzetto and Girolamo Siciolante, and the marvelous Fugger Altarpiece, the Holy Family commissioned by Jakob Fugger and painted by Giulio Romano. On 13 and 16 February, the Cappella Musicale di Santa Maria dell’Anima will perform the Missa Petra Sancta by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.
• Città Universitaria Sapienza - Students at the Sapienza University, Rome’s first and historic university, know that it is better not to look straight into the eyes of the mammoth bronze statue of the Goddess Minerva (by Arturo Martini) in the university complex’s large courtyard if they don’t want to risk failing an exam. Superstitions aside, from an architectural point of view, the university city is the most accomplished public work of the Fascist years, a balanced ensemble that brings together different stylistic options, with fine buildings such as Gio Ponti’s School of Mathematics, and ninety years after its inauguration (in 1935) it maintains its quality despite subsequent modernization. An extraordinary maintenance operation completed a few months ago has also restored the Goddess Minerva to her original splendor.

Itineraries and curiosities: our tips

• The Fountain of Carlotta and the Lovers’ Staircase - “Roma summus Amor”, Rome supreme love, is a palindrome graffito on a wall of the Macellum Liviae found under the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. In short, love has been animating the Roman streets since ancient times: following an itinerary under the banner of romance, you could also stop at the Garbatella district and the small fountain with its adjoining staircase that was a meeting point for many young couples after the war. Find out more on the dedicated page.
• The House Museums in Rome - Johann Wolfgang Goethe, John Keats, Giacomo Balla and Alberto Moravia are just some of the poets, intellectuals, writers, musicians and artists who over the centuries have chosen to live in Rome and be inspired by its streets, its monuments, its heart-rending beauty. Transformed into museums and open to the public, their homes tell the lives and stories of their famous tenants, their contribution to world art and culture. Find out more on the dedicated page.

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