Celio Stellato

A cinema and culture arena in the archaeological heart of Rome

Celio Stellato is a free summer festival held within the grounds of Celio Azzurro, at Salita di San Gregorio 3, in the Municipio I of Rome, Lazio. The location is one of the city's most evocative: climbing the Celio hill just meters from the Colosseum, the Arch of Constantine, and the slopes of the Palatine Hill, you find yourself in a shaded garden where the screen lights up as evening falls. It is an experience that blends grand Roman archaeology with the intimate, neighborhood-focused atmosphere of local culture.

Free art-house cinema

The heart of the event is its evening screenings, dedicated to Italian and international art-house cinema: award-winning titles from major festivals, music documentaries, debut works, and family films. Evenings are often accompanied by meetings with directors, experts, and activists, who open a dialogue with the audience after the film. Admission to screenings is free until capacity is reached.

Masterclasses and training

Alongside the cinema, Celio Stellato offers a series of free masterclasses dedicated to casting and audiovisual professions. These sessions are designed for those who want to understand how the industry really works behind the camera and in casting rooms, with industry professionals sharing their career paths, skills, and job opportunities. Participation requires mandatory booking, always free of charge.

Workshops for children and teens

The festival has a strong educational vocation, consistent with the identity of Celio Azzurro, a historic Roman organization active in childhood and intercultural development. The program includes free afternoon workshops on various themes:

• Environment and biodiversity, with activities suitable for younger children;
• Food culture and nutritional awareness;
• Cinematic language for teenagers, covering everything from screenwriting to set simulation and post-production.

A Roma Creativa 365 project

Celio Stellato is organized by Nightswim S.r.l. and is a winner of the Roma Creativa 365 public notice, promoted by Roma Capitale – Department of Culture with the coordination of Zètema Progetto Cultura. The project was born in collaboration with Celio Azzurro and local entities, and is part of the broader landscape of Roman summer arenas, a city tradition that brings open-air cinema to parks, squares, and gardens of the Capital every year.

Why it's worth visiting

Compared to large commercial arenas, Celio Stellato retains a cozy, family-like atmosphere: a few dozen seats, a mixed audience of local residents and visitors, and a curated program that prioritizes quality over quantity. It is the perfect opportunity to watch an important film in one of the most beautiful settings in Europe, completely free of charge, and to discover a corner of Rome that classic tourist routes often rush past.