FAR - Rome Architecture Festival

A festival that reads Rome through its neighborhoods

The FAR - Rome Architecture Festival is the event through which the Order of Architects of Rome and Province and the Casa dell'Architettura take the debate on design out of professional studios and into the daily life of the capital. Created to foster a renewed culture of design, the festival has become a staple of the cultural calendar of the Municipality of Rome and the entire Lazio region, engaging both industry professionals and citizens who experience public space every day.

The 2026 edition: Centocelle and Casal Bruciato

The eighth edition, scheduled from September 2026, selects two dense and vibrant areas of the consolidated suburbs: Centocelle, in Municipality V, and Casal Bruciato, in Municipality IV. The two focal points are Piazza dei Mirti and Piazza Balsamo Crivelli, neighborhood hubs turned into open-air laboratories. The format follows the successful model of recent years: social activities, temporary installations, tactical urbanism interventions, public meetings, and—new this year—a section dedicated to short films on urban transformation.

The stated goal is not just to leave a memory: the festival aims to provide neighborhoods with more complete and interactive maps, built together with those who live there. This is the direction of the preparatory project Neighborhood Maps, four workshop days held between May and June 2026 with the Order of Architects and the Sapienza and Roma Tre universities, dedicated to interpreting the Centocelle and Casal Bruciato areas together with local committees and translating them into illustrated cartography.

The Design District in Esquilino

The 2026 calendar kicks off on September 18th with the launch of the Esquilino Design District, under the porticoes of Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, just a stone's throw from the Order's headquarters and the Acquario Romano. It is a significant addition: Rome's most multicultural district becomes a permanent showcase for design and architecture, extending the festival's impact beyond the event days.

Recurring sections

• Architecture Film Festival — a selection of short films on urban transformation, with screenings and debates.
• Vescovo Award — recognition for architecture and design projects, with an annual call open to professionals and young graduates.
• Call for proposals — workshops, talks, and guided tours proposed by studios, associations, and researchers, selected to be part of the official program.
• Architecture Itineraries — urban walks led by architects, exploring historical layers and contemporary suburbs.
• Installations and tactical urbanism — temporary reconfigurations of squares and residual spaces, created with residents.

A recent but established history

The first editions of FAR were held mainly at the Casa dell'Architettura, in the monumental complex of the Acquario Romano in Piazza Manfredo Fanti, featuring international lectures, exhibitions, and round tables. Gradually, the festival adopted a decentralized structure: in 2024, the sixth edition involved Municipalities VIII and XII; in 2025, the seventh worked on the relationship between the center and the suburbs; and 2026 confirms the choice to elect new neighborhoods as protagonists each year. This progression makes FAR an interesting case in the Italian landscape: not a showcase for starchitects, but an annual device for listening and shared design.

Why it's worth attending

Visitors to Rome will find in FAR a different way to interpret the monumental city: here, the focus is on how the capital really works, its local markets, post-war buildings, and urban voids that become opportunities. Most initiatives are free to enter and many take place outdoors in the squares of the involved neighborhoods. Furthermore, for architects registered with the Order, several events offer professional training credits.