As Rome leaves behind the darkest days of winter, here are some tips for the best events and things to do in the Eternal City in February 2025.
Six Nations
Rugby fever comes to Rome thanks to the
2025 Six Nations tournament, with the Azzurri facing Wales (8 February) and France (23 February) at the Stadio Olimpico, with the "third half" festivities always spilling over into
Rome's pubs. This year marks the
25th anniversary of Italy joining the Six Nations.
Free museums
Italy opens its state
museums and archaeological sites for free on the first Sunday of the month - 2 February - in parallel to Rome's free opening of its city-run museums. The list of sites open for free ranges from the Capitoline Museums to
the Pantheon, the latter of which must be booked online in advance.
Romantic Rome
Valentine's Day on 14 February offers the perfect chance to explore the
romantic side of Rome. Popular places to mark San Valentino include the
Giardino degli Aranci or the viewpoint over the Roman Forum from the Capitoline hill, strolling down the
Spanish Steps or enjoying the sweeping panorama from the Gianicolo. A quirky but less romantic idea is a visit to to see the
skull of St Valentine in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin.
Classical music and opera
The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
classical music programme in February includes a series of
concerts conducted by Daniele Rustioni, in a performance of Prokofiev's oratorio
Ivan the Terrible, and an evening dedicated to French composers courtesy of violinist Augustin Hadelich and pianist Francesco Piemontesi. Rome's
opera house stages a performance of
Lucrezia Borgia by Gaetano Donizetti.
Exhibitions
Exhibitions in Rome include a celebration of
Edvard Munch (opening on 11 February), a show of works by Surrealist master Salvador Dalí, a retrospective dedicated to photographer
Franco Fontana; and an exhibition
devoted to women artists active in Rome between the 16th and 19th centuries.
Carnevale fun
While no match for
Carnevale in Venice, Rome's centuries-old
carnival celebrations inject colour and fun into the city at this time of year. Children dress up fancy costumes, streets are strewn with colourful confetti, and bakery windows are full of tasty treats such as
frappe and
castagnole. Carnevale season kicks off this year on 27 February and ends on 4 March.
We will update the information on this list regularly and add new events as they are announced. For more events and things to do in Rome see our What's On guide.
