Di là dal fiume Festival

A festival that crosses the Tiber and the city

«Di là dal fiume» is a multidisciplinary festival held in Rome, in the Lazio region, conceived and produced by the Teatroinscatola cultural association. The first edition, in the summer of 2018, featured fourteen free events across eleven locations in the XII Municipality, spanning from Ponte Testaccio to the Trastevere station and Porta Portese. From the start, the vision was to create an itinerant path that combined contemporary music, poetry, theatre, and video installations outside of traditional theatre venues. Since then, the event has grown year after year, remaining faithful to its free-admission policy and its commitment to unconventional urban spaces.

A social theme for every edition

What sets «Di là dal fiume» apart from the many summer events in the City of Rome is the choice to build each edition around a specific theme. In 2022, the fifth edition was entirely dedicated to the world of opera, featuring thirteen events including workshops, exhibitions, guided tours of the costume and set design workshops at the Rome Opera House, and performances for children. The eighth edition, in 2025, focused on the relationship between art and human rights: climate change, migration, incarceration, inclusion, humanitarian crises, poverty, and mental health.

The venues

The festival does not have a single home but a mobile geography that changes with each year's theme. Recurring spaces include:

• Città dell'Altra Economia, in the former Testaccio slaughterhouses, the first European public space dedicated to sustainable economy and the logistical heart of the festival;
• Rome Botanical Garden, on the slopes of the Janiculum Hill, for events related to nature and the climate;
• Santo Spirito in Sassia Monumental Complex, just a stone's throw from the Vatican;
• Cinema Azzurro Scipioni, a historic Roman art-house cinema;
• Santa Maria della Pietà Park, the former psychiatric complex in Monte Mario, a symbolic site for mental health issues;
• San Michele a Ripa Grande, with guided tours of the former women's prison.

Theatre, cinema, and encounters

The program alternates between theatrical performances, film screenings, installations, poetry readings, and guided tours. The cinema section is curated in collaboration with the management of the Human Rights International Film Festival: in 2025, screenings included Io capitano by Matteo Garrone, Lo Stato della Follia by Francesco Cordio, Cesare deve morire by the Taviani brothers, and Storie d'Africa by Piero Cannizzaro, almost always accompanied by meetings with directors, authors, or cultural professionals. Guests of the latest edition also included Dario D'Ambrosi, founder and artistic director of the Teatro Patologico.

Why attend

This festival is aimed at those who remain in the city at the end of August and are looking for something different from the large arenas: short, free, often outdoor events, almost always followed by discussions with the artists. The artistic direction is by Lorenzo Ciccarelli. The initiative is regularly part of the Estate Romana program promoted by Rome Capital and is carried out with the support of SIAE and in collaboration with the capital's cultural institutions.