Rome History Festival

A festival dedicated to the history of the Eternal City

The Rome History Festival is a major event that transforms the center of Rome into an open-air classroom every September, dedicated to recounting its thousand-year history. Born as a preview in 2022 titled «The World in Rome», the event has grown rapidly to become one of the most popular cultural gatherings in the Capital, attracting thousands of enthusiasts, students, and curious visitors. The formula is as simple as it is fascinating: bringing the most authoritative Italian historians, writers, and scholars into direct contact with the public through free masterclasses dedicated to the figures, places, and symbols that have made Rome unique in the world.

Masterclasses at Piazza di Pietra

The heart of the festival is Piazza di Pietra, one of the most evocative squares in the historic center, dominated by the imposing columns of the Temple of Hadrian. Here, along with the Temple of Vibia Sabina and Hadrian Hall and the Council Chamber of the Rome Chamber of Commerce, meetings, dialogues, and reflections take place over four days. The lectures range from classical antiquity to the 20th century, weaving together history, art, cinema, music, and literature to provide a vivid and complex image of the city. Admission is free until capacity is reached, with online registration recommended.

The 2025 edition: «The Tale of Rome»

The fourth edition, held from September 18 to 21, 2025, with the theme «The Tale of Rome», recorded over ten thousand attendees. Prestigious voices took the stage: from Corrado Augias with a lecture on Giordano Bruno, to Anna Foa on October 16, 1943, and the ghetto raid, as well as Luciano Canfora, Melania Mazzucco, Giancarlo De Cataldo, Vito Mancuso, Paolo Di Paolo, Dacia Maraini, and Giovanni Bietti, the latter with a session dedicated to Puccini's Tosca. Journalist Marta Bulgherini guided the audience through the various sessions.

A monumental setting in the heart of Rome

The value of the Rome History Festival also lies in its spaces. Piazza di Pietra is located in the Pigna district, just a few steps from the Pantheon and Montecitorio: recounting the history of Rome right at the foot of the Temple of Hadrian, a 2nd-century AD building now incorporated into the Chamber of Commerce headquarters, gives the experience an evocative power that is hard to match. It is history being told in the very place where it happened.

Organizers and patronage

The festival is conceived and designed by Editori Laterza and promoted and organized by the Rome Chamber of Commerce, with the patronage of the European Commission and the City of Rome, Department of Culture. It confirms itself as a high-profile outreach project, capable of combining academic rigor with the accessibility of a free public event, within the context of the Municipality of Rome and the Lazio Region.