Giacomo Losi Sports Festival

A neighborhood festival turned into a sports village

The Giacomo Losi Sports Festival is one of the most popular events in Rome's Municipio XIV, located in the city's north-western quadrant. For an entire weekend in September, the "Ettore Scola" Belvedere—a panoramic terrace overlooking the dome of St. Peter's that crowns the Monte Ciocci Park—becomes an open-air sports village where anyone can try a new discipline for free. There are no tickets or registrations: just show up, put on your sneakers, and join in.

In memory of Giacomo Losi

The event is named after Giacomo Losi, the historic AS Roma captain who passed away in 2024 and was a long-time resident of the neighborhood. This dedication is more than just a tribute: the festival is built around the values Losi represented both on and off the pitch, namely sport as a tool for loyalty, belonging, and social cohesion. This is why the program prioritizes free participation over competition, and why families are at the heart of every day.

What you can try

The schedule of activities is extensive and changes from year to year depending on the participating sports clubs. In recent editions, the public has been able to try:

• Yoga and functional training, with outdoor sessions suitable for beginners;
• Parkour and artistic gymnastics, among the most popular activities for young people;
• In-line hockey and pickleball, disciplines that are growing rapidly in Italy;
• Dance in its many forms: modern, classical, hip-hop, and group dances;
• Martial arts, with demonstrations of karate, aikido, kung fu, and judo;
• Strategy games like checkers and chess, for those who prefer to train their minds.

Beyond the field: a moment for reflection

The first day, Friday afternoon, is traditionally dedicated to a public conference on the role of physical activity in daily life, featuring sports executives, technicians, and administrators. It is an opportunity for the neighborhood to discuss facilities, access to sports for young people, and health prevention, before the weekend opens up to practical trials.

The setting: Monte Ciocci and Municipio XIV

Monte Ciocci Park, located between Balduina and Monte Mario, is one of Rome's most recent green lungs: reclaimed from a disused railway area, it is now connected to the Monte Mario Park and the cycle path that descends toward the Vatican. Its terrace offers one of the most famous views of the city, which is why the dedication to director Ettore Scola is so deeply felt. Municipio XIV is the most populous in the capital and includes very diverse neighborhoods, from Balduina to Primavalle and the outskirts of Via Trionfale: the Sports Festival also serves as an occasion to bring them together in one place.

An event by the City of Rome, in Lazio

The event is promoted and funded by the City of Rome through Municipio XIV, with the collaboration of local associations and sports clubs and the patronage of CONI Lazio. In the Lazio Region's event calendar, it represents one of the most accessible September appointments for families, during a season when temperatures in Rome become pleasant again and parks fill up once more.