From new hotel openings and craft beer specialists to exhibitions that span the ages, our Rome expert highlights the best attractions in Rome in 2018.
1. Bring an ancient thermal bath complex to ‘virtual’ life
The thermal bath complex built by the emperor, Caracalla, in the early third century AD is today a battered shell, its precious marbles depredated over the years by Visigoths and Popes. In December 2017, it became the first archaeological site in Italy to include VR goggles in the admission price – bringing to life, in each room, a virtual reconstruction of the Baths’ original, opulent mosaic floors, mythological statues and other decorative details.
2. Get a taste of ‘Roman tapas’
Attached to Margutta 19, the latest of Rome Luxury Suites’ four boutique hotels that cluster in the chic, artsy area between Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps, this relaxedly contemporary restaurant helmed by Michelin-starred chef Angelo Troiani offers an innovative ‘Roman tapas’ approach. Diners choose between a six-course (€24/£21) or nine-course (€34/£29) menu of tasters based on gourmet versions of classic local dishes such fried courgette flowers or Carbonara pasta. Add-ons include raw fish platters and a dessert selection.
3. Scope out views of Palazzo Borghese from a new boutique bolthole
The real calling card of this 18-room luxury boutique novelty is the view, from most rooms, over the hidden private gardens of Palazzo Borghese (not to be confused with Villa Borghese). Done out in a tastefully modern spin on Art Deco by Italian set designer Paolo Bonfini, the Vilòn looks to become one of the few Roman pads to rival its next-door neighbour, J.K. Place Roma, for cachet and cool.
4. Check out a trendy hotel-art exhibition
March 2-4. Italian curator, Cristina Cellini Antonini, brings home a format she first conceived in London: up-and-coming artists take over a hotel for three days, each one turning a room into their personal exhibition space. The venue for the first Rome edition is the Church Palace Hotel, a converted Renaissance-era palace near the Vatican.
5. Book tickets to a Michelangelo-themed musical extravaganza
From March 15. Produced by Marco Balich and officially backed by the Vatican, this new tourist-oriented spectacular, with theme music by Sting, turns the story of Michelangelo‘s involvement with the Sistine Chapel into an immersive hour-long experience. Integrating live performance, special effects and 270° projection, it runs at a former concert hall just five minutes’ walk from the Vatican, with performances in both Italian and English.
Auditorium Conciliazione, Via della Conciliazione 4 (giudiziouniversale.com; tickets from €25.92-€30.24 (£22.76-26.55) per person).
6. Sample the city’s finest craft beer
Rome’s love affair with craft beer shows no sign of stopping. Its latest manifestation is this trendy gastropub and microbrewery which opened not far from the Vatican in 2017. Host brewery, Birra del Borgo, provides around half of the 24 beers on tap. Don’t miss their Genziana, an ale spiced with gentian root. On the foodfront, comfort-food pasta dishes and meaty mains are flanked by gourmet pizzas and filled focaccias created by the Roman ‘Michelangelo of pizza’, Gabriele Bonci.
Spring/summer 2018. This wave-lapped Medieval castle and fortified village on the beach is one of the highlights of the stretch of coast between Rome and the cruise port of Civitavecchia. In spring 2018, what Lazio’s regional president Nicola Zingaretti has called ‘Europe’s most beautiful youth hostel’ will open inside the castle, followed a few months later by a series of cafés, wine bars and bottegas showcasing the region’s food, wine and craft traditions.
8. Experience the city’s answer to Tour de France
May 27. You don’t need to be a cycling fan to be swept up by the citywide circus that will accompany the last stage of Italy’s answer to the Tour de France. After a three-day start in Israel, the race will wend through Italy, with the Alpine stages almost certainly decreeing a winner before the final ten laps of Rome’s centro storico between the Colosseum and Piazza del Popolo. However, even at this late stage the title could still be up for grabs as those Roman cobbles could provide last-minute upsets for Chris Froome and the other lads in lycra.
9. Get immersed in the history of Rome’s first non-Italian emperor
Until September 16. Trajan, who ruled from 98 to 117 AD, was the first non-Italian Romanemperor, born in Italica, now a province of Seville. A career soldier, he expanded the frontiers of the Empire with his successful Dacian campaign featuring prominently in the bas-relief frieze that spirals around the Column bearing his name. This exhibition in the Mercato di Traiano archaeological site nearby assembles busts, portraits, casts from the Column, coins and other artefacts to recount the trajectory of a new meritocratic brand of emperor after the dynastic misfits of the Caligula and Nero years.
10. Experience opera season at the Teatro Constanz
October 30 – November 11. One of the high points of Teatro dell’Opera di Roma’s 2017-18 season comes near the end, with a new production of Mozart’s best-loved opera buffa directed by Birmingham Opera artistic director Graham Vick. Italian baritones Vito Priante and Simone del Savio alternate in the title role over ten performances.