Aperti per Voi Sotto le Stelle (Italian Touring Club - Rome leg)

Heritage discovered by night

Aperti per Voi Sotto le Stelle is a widespread national event promoted by the Italian Touring Club, which, for three days in mid-June, opens art and cultural sites to the public in the evening that are normally closed or rarely accessible. In Rome, within the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, the event finds one of its most symbolic stages: the Palazzo Senatorio on the Campidoglio, the seat of Rome's City Hall, which for the occasion unveils some of its institutional rooms and the panoramic terrace overlooking the ancient heart of the city. Surrounding this event is a network of openings curated by Touring volunteers at other historic sites across the capital and the Lazio region.

The Aperti per Voi project

The initiative was born from the Aperti per Voi project, active since 2005, which entrusts trained volunteers with the guardianship and welcoming of visitors in monuments, churches, palaces, and collections that would otherwise remain closed due to lack of staff. Sotto le Stelle is its annual celebration: over one hundred events in fifty Italian cities, brought to life by more than 1,600 volunteers, with the goal of returning places that already belong to the citizens back to them. The 2026 edition received the Medal of the President of the Republic, a recognition of the event's civil and cultural value.

Six thematic strands

The national program is organized into thematic paths, which help interpret the openings as a unified narrative rather than just a collection of visits:

• Travel sites - stations, ports, archives, and collections related to travel
• Literary sites - author homes, libraries, scientific and literary cabinets
• Sites of knowledge and traditions - workshops, historical institutes, crafts
• Art sites - churches, oratories, art galleries, and restoration sites
• Historic residences, between art and institutions - public palaces and noble residences
• Sports sites - new for the 2026 edition

Rome and the Campidoglio

The Roman leg is built around the Capitoline Hill: the Palazzo Senatorio, designed in its current form based on Michelangelo's plan for the square, opens some of its representative halls and the terrace in the evening, from which the gaze sweeps over the Forums and the rooftops of the historic center. It is a viewpoint that, under normal conditions, the public cannot access. Visits are accompanied by Italian Touring Club Volunteers, supported by tourist and environmental guides, art historians, and site directors and curators.

Lazio beyond the capital

The event does not end within the Grande Raccordo Anulare. In Lazio, the program also reaches the Castelli Romani and the province: in Ariccia, the Locanda Martorelli recreates the atmosphere of the Grand Tour, with 18th-century frescoes, an exhibition dedicated to the Appian Way—a UNESCO World Heritage site—and readings from Goethe and Massimo d'Azeglio; in Anagni, in the province of Frosinone, the exceptional opening of San Pietro in Vineis is added, including a tour of the medieval historic center.

A participatory event

The character of the initiative is explicitly civic: in most cases, admission is free, with voluntary donations appreciated to support the association's activities. Some openings, due to capacity or safety reasons, require booking through the official website. It is a different way to experience the city in summer: not the midday queue in front of major museums, but an evening stroll inside buildings that tell the story of how Rome works—and how it has grown.