A local’s guide to the best events and things to do in Rome in June.
June is one of the best times to visit Rome as the temperatures are usually warm but not scorching and many events at night are held outdoors.
The month is bookended by two public holidays, with plenty happening in between in the Eternal City.
Here are some tips for the best things to do and see in Rome in June 2025.
Giro d’Italia
Giro d’Italia in Rome
The final stage of the 108th edition of the Giro d’Italia, the cycling world’s second-biggest annual stage race after the Tour de France, takes place in Rome on 1 June. The grand finale of the race, which includes a tribute to the late Pope Francis, will begin in the EUR district, making its way to the coast at Ostia before heading into the centre. The Rome circuit, repeated eight times for a total of 141 km, will pass numerous Rome landmarks and will end against the backdrop of the Colosseum.
Free Museums Sunday
State museums and archaeological sites in Rome and across Italy, as well as municipal-run museums in Rome, will open for free on Sunday 1 June. The free landmark sites in the capital range from the Capitoline Museums to the Museo Forma Urbis where visitors can walk across a glass floor over the surviving fragments of a famed marble map of ancient Rome. Italy’s state museums will also be open for free on Monday 2 June to mark Festa della Repubblica.
Strawberry festival in Nemi
The 91st edition of the annual strawberry festival takes place in the town of Nemi in the Castelli Romani, just south of Rome, on Sunday 1 June and Monday 2 June. A highlight of the popular Sagra delle fragole, which begins at 10.00 on both days, is the distribution of free strawberries on Sunday evening. The two-day festival is enlivened with numerous parallel events, including live music, flower shows, exhibitions and kids’ events.
Festa della Repubblica
Frecce Tricolori flying over Rome. Marco Iacobucci Epp / Shutterstock.com.
June kicks off with the Festa della Repubblica, a national public holiday, which falls on a Sunday this year. Now in its 79th edition, the annual event commemorates the day in 1946 when Italians voted in favour of a republic and against the monarchy. Rome will host a military parade near the Colosseum and a fly-past by the Frecce Tricolori jets which emit plumes with the colours of the Italian flag. Another novelty on 2 June is the free opening of state museums and archaeological sites including the Colosseum where firefighters will unfurl a giant Italian tricolour.
Caracalla Festival
Rome’s opera house stages more than 60 events at its summer festival among the ancient Roman ruins at the Baths of Caracalla, from 3 June until 7 August. The Caracalla Festival spans 60 evenings under the stars and incorporates a range of genres including opera, sacred music, dance and pop concerts in June, with highlights including productions of Verdi’s La Traviata and Bernstein’s West Side Story.
Cinema under the stars
Cinema in Piazza. Photo Zero.
Film fans can look forward to watching movies on the big screen under the stars again this summer with the return of Il Cinema in Piazza. The 11th edition of the free festival takes place from 1 June to 13 July in three different locations. In addition to its base at Piazza S. Cosimato in Trastevere, the festival will return to Parco della Cervelletta in Rome’s eastern Tor Sapienza suburbs and Monte Ciocci park at Valle Aurelia. Films are screened in their original language with subtitles in Italian, while Italian movies are shown with subtitles in English. 2025 programme to be announced soon.
Summer music festivals
Auditorium Parco della Musica, Cavea. Photo credit: © Musacchio & Ianniello.
Many of the city’s most-anticipated concerts this summer are part of various music festivals including the Roma Summer Fest at the open-air Cavea venue at the Auditorium Parco della Musica and Rock in Roma based mainly at the Ippodromo delle Capannelle. There are also big-name acts performing elsewhere in Rome in June including Ed Sheeran at the Stadio Olimpico (14 June) and Duran Duran at the Circus Maximus (15-16 June). TIM Summer Hits, a free music event, will be held in Piazza del Popolo from 7-10 June. See our guide to the best concerts in Rome this summer.
Rose petals at the Pantheon
The spectacular tradition of rose petals fluttering down through the oculus of the Pantheon is held each year on the feast of Pentecost, which this year falls on Sunday 8 June. The unique ceremony occurs at around midday, following 10.30 Mass, when fire-fighters drop tens of thousands of rose petals 43 metres into the interior of the Pantheon. However gaining access to the Pantheon to witness the Pentecost spectacle is far from easy, see our guide for details.
Rose garden
For a peaceful experience amid a sea of colour head to the city’s rose garden on the slopes of the Aventine Hill. Home to around 1,200 varieties of botanical, ancient and modern roses from all over the world, the Roseto Comunale can be visited every day from 08.30 to 19.30 until 15 June. Visits are free and no reservation is required.
Roma Pride
Rome will see a return of the Roma Pride parade through the streets of the Italian capital on 14 June. The parade will depart from Piazza della Repubblica at 15.30 and make its way to Via dei Fori Imperiali, led by Italian singer Rose Villain. For full details see official website.
SS Pietro e Paolo
Rome celebrates its patron saints Peter and Paul with a public holiday in the Italian capital on 29 June. The annual event includes a religious procession at the Basilica of St Paul’s Outside the Walls and an infiorata floral display in front of St Peter’s. However the main attraction for most people is the spectacular fireworks display, known as the Girandola, in the sky over Castel S. Angelo, normally at 22.30 (we will confirm the time once it is announced). The idea of Michelangelo, perfected by Bernini, the tradition dates to the 15th century.
Exhibitions in Rome
Dolce&Gabbana exhibition in Rome
The Rome exhibition that everyone is talking about is the Caravaggio blockbuster, hailed as among the most important and ambitious showcases ever dedicated to the Baroque genius. Other big exhibitions in Rome include Dolce&Gabbana at Palazzo Esposizioni, Flowers at the Chiostro del Bramante and I Farnesi at the Capitoline Museums.
We 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, while for daily News from Italy in English see our News section.
Cover photo: Daniele de Gregorio / Shutterstock.com.
