During the hottest months of summer, when the heat and red-alert temperatures seem unbearable, the evening hours are often the ideal time to explore Rome and discover the city’s most intimate and romantic side.
The Imperial Forums are an architectural complex unique in the world, the center of political and social activity in ancient Rome. In summer, they can be explored during evening walks organized by the Capitoline Superintendency of Cultural Heritage: an exciting tour in Italian and English that, from Friday to Sunday, from 7.30 pm to 10 pm, takes visitors from Trajan’s Forum to Caesar's Forum and finally to the Curia, the seat of the Roman Senate. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the Flavian Amphitheatre also opens its gates late in the evening with the guided tours “Una Notte al Colosseo (A Night at the Colosseum)” (from 8 pm to 11.30 pm) along the first order of the monument, the arena floor and the underground passages.
On the opposite side of Via dei Fori Imperiali, in Piazza Venezia, the VIVE Institute renews its commitment to special evening openings of its monuments from 7.30 pm to 10.30 pm: every Friday in July for the Vittoriano and the Panoramic Terrace, and the last Friday of the month for Palazzo Venezia. On 22 and 29 July, families with children aged 5 to 12 are invited to “VIVE sotto le stelle (VIVE under the stars)” (at 7.30 pm): theatrical tours and exploratory walks of Palazzo Venezia and its garden, ending on the Panoramic Terrace of the Vittoriano to admire Rome under the stars.
On summer weekends, the Villa of Maxentius complex on the Appia Antica also opens in the evening with tours and shows, offering a unique opportunity to appreciate the archaeological site immersed in the Roman countryside between the light of sunset and artistic lighting. Not to be missed by lovers of contemporary art and architecture are the free evening openings, thanks to Enel, of the MAXXI museum, from 7pm to 9pm on 1, 9 and 16 July. For adults and children alike, at Villa Borghese Rome’s Bioparco zoo organizes “Safari Nights” (from 9pm) on Fridays in July: an exciting guided tour for groups to observe giraffes, rhinos, zebras, macaques, lemurs, felines, penguins, elephants and other animals in the magical atmosphere of the night, amid soft lighting, unexpected sounds and close encounters, and discover their most hidden secrets.
Finally, just a few kilometers from Rome, on 18 and 19 July, Villa Gregoriana in Tivoli opens its doors for a unique experience as part of the FAI Summer Evenings initiative. The night-time descent into the evocative Valle dell’Inferno, illuminated by starlight as it was in the 19th century, will retrace the paths described by Grand Tour travelers accompanied by expert guides.
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