Rome’s Cultural Week: A Rich Program of Events from May 22-28
Rome is embracing a vibrant week dedicated to culture, with a packed calendar of events organized by Roma Capitale, the Department of Culture, and the Capitoline Superintendency for Cultural Heritage. From May 22 to 28, 2026, the program spans museums, cinema, urban itineraries, and public meetings, with the return of the Night of Museums 2026 as a central highlight.
The Night of Museums: A Highlight of the Week
The most anticipated event of the week is the Night of Museums, scheduled for Saturday, May 23, coinciding with the European Night of Museums. Capitoline Civic Museums and numerous other cultural venues across the city will remain open exceptionally from 8 PM to 2 AM, hosting live performances and initiatives dedicated to art and entertainment.
Books, History, and Cultural Debates in City Museums
The Museum of Rome at Palazzo Braschi will host two free-admission meetings in the Sala Tenerani. On Wednesday, May 27, as part of the ‘Books at the Museum’ series, historian Lisa Roscioni, a scholar of modern religious and cultural history, will present Questa è una bella istoria. Il processo alla badessa di Castro, 1573-1574. She will be joined by Ilaria Miarelli Mariani, director of the Capitoline Superintendency, Simona Feci, professor at the University of Naples L’Orientale, Fernanda Alfieri, researcher at the University of Bologna, and Michele Di Sivo, archivist and historian.
On Thursday, May 28, also at Palazzo Braschi, the ‘Rome Narrates…’ series will feature the meeting Produzione e potere pubblico in Italia centrale tra XII e XVI secolo, focusing on the relationship between manufacturing, cities, and public participation in medieval and modern Rome.
Rosa Luxemburg, British Cinema, and Urban Trails
At the Museum of Rome in Trastevere, on Thursday, May 28, Germanist and translator Laura Bocci will delve into the figure of Rosa Luxemburg, a Marxist economist and philosopher active between the 19th and 20th centuries, through her work Erbario di prigionia.
Meanwhile, the film series connected to the exhibition ‘Magic Lanterns. Photographs from the Valerio De Paolis collection’ continues at Casa del Cinema. The ‘This is England’ cycle will present Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake, a two-time Palme d’Or winner, on Friday, May 22, and Phyllida Lloyd’s The Iron Lady on Monday, May 25.
Among the local initiatives are the ‘Roman Walks’: on Friday, May 22, a visit to Porta Pia, one of Michelangelo Buonarroti’s last works, and on Tuesday, May 26, an itinerary exploring the street art of Garbatella.
Exhibitions and Planetarium Among Final Initiatives
The Museum of the Roman Republic and Garibaldi’s Memory will dedicate Saturday, May 23, to two events: an itinerary on the Janiculum and the presentation of the volume I Crispi nella spedizione dei Mille.
For Roma Mic Card holders, free guided tours are available for exhibitions including Lungo le Strade Blu, Lanterne magiche, and Vasari e Roma, the latter with a Lis interpreter.
Finally, at the Planetarium of Rome, astronomical shows continue for both adult and family audiences, ranging from Interstellari – il viaggio delle sonde Voyager to La magia dell’aurora boreale, as well as children’s activities with the character of Doctor Stellarium.
