Estate in Borgata

A summer festival born from the neighborhood

Estate in Borgata is the annual festival that lights up the evenings of Villa Gordiani, a working-class neighborhood in East Rome, within the Municipality of Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, in the Lazio region. It is organized by ASD Borgata Gordiani, a grassroots football club founded on August 21, 2018, by local youth with the goal of bringing accessible sports back to the district. From that experience, a summer program was born that combines the playing field, the screen, and the public square.

The archaeological park as a stage

The heart of the festival is the Villa Gordiani park on Via Prenestina, one of the most unique spots in the Roman suburbs: the ruins of the imperial complex attributed to the Gordian family coexist with sports fields, lawns, and benches where families and young people gather. Screenings and tournaments are primarily held at Largo delle Terme Gordiane, while other events take place on Via Mariano Romiti and Via Albona, where the association is based.

Free open-air cinema

Cinema is one of the pillars of the event: the outdoor screen features recent titles and auteur films, with evenings designed for both adults and children. Screenings are free and generally start at 9:00 PM, with the audience sitting on the grass or on chairs provided by volunteers. It is a model of neighborhood cinema with a long tradition in Rome, presented here without tickets or mandatory consumption.

Grassroots sports and Calciotennis

The most anticipated event is the Calciotennis tournament, a doubles competition played over several evenings at Largo delle Terme Gordiane, featuring group stages and finals. The tournament is now a consolidated neighborhood tradition: the eighth edition took place in 2025, and the ninth in 2026. The formula is simple and intentionally grassroots—a symbolic entry fee, prizes ranging from t-shirts to vouchers offered by local businesses, and improvised bleachers filled with friends and neighbors.

Debates, social life, and food

• Public meetings on urban transformation and the social dynamics of East Rome, featuring guests and local testimonies;
• Sportivə, a day dedicated to women's teams and discussions on gender discrimination in sports;
• Murder Mystery Dinner, a team-based evening of riddles and investigations, highly popular and with limited spots;
• After-school programs and activities for children, including workshops and video games projected on the big screen.

Why it's worth visiting

Estate in Borgata is not a polished, commercial festival: it is a self-funded initiative managed by volunteers, thriving on DIY spirit and neighborly bonds. For this reason, it offers an authentic glimpse of a Rome different from the historic center, where archaeological heritage is not fenced off but traversed daily by residents. Visitors from outside the area will find a welcoming crowd, affordable prices, and the chance to discover a piece of the city that rarely makes it into tourist guidebooks.

A model that sets an example

Over the years, ASD Borgata Gordiani has become a reference point for grassroots football in Rome—the cartoonist Zerocalcare even designed one of their jerseys—and the summer festival is its most visible showcase. Alongside 11-a-side and 5-a-side football, the association runs women's teams, a youth sector, and a football school, dedicating its summer activities to supporting the neighborhood field and local social initiatives.