Visit 3 Stunning Concert Venues in Rome

Visit 3 Stunning Concert Venues in Rome

Concert goers, here are my selections for the best venues in Rome, Photo by Daniel Tafjord sourced from Unsplash

When you stay in Rome for a while, whether you’re studying here for a few months, have relocated for work or are only visiting for a few days, it’s only logical to want to check out the city’s nightlife and, particularly, its concert venues.

Rome is dotted with clubs, bars and live stages, some more stunning than others, and when it comes to concert venues it is no different.

The best concert venue depends on the season

In the summer, there is no bigger concert venue than the Stadio Olimpico in Rome! Photo by Marco Pomella sourced from Pixabay

One of the reasons why it can be complicated to recommend an establishment over another is tied to the seasonal nature of many such joints.

Due to the fact that Rome has a mild to hot climate for more than half the year, promoters are used to make the most of some stunning outdoor venues, setting up concerts in places that are not originally intended for live music.

Some of them include the racetrack at Capannelle, the Circus Maximus bowl, the Olympic Stadium, Piazza del Popolo square, the Monument of Victor Emmanuel II on Piazza Venezia (the Vittoriano), or the Roman Theater at the Ancient Ostia ruins (I listed a few more in an old post, here ).

Temporary venues and one-off events

The former Forlanini hospital (“Ex Forlanini”) is one of Rome’s biggest, newest venues, Photo sourced from Ex Forlanini’s Facebook page

Other venues have a temporary nature to them because concerts in Rome may be hosted in sports facilities like the sports center (“Palazzo dello Sport”) in the EUR district or even in museums.

For instance, the MAXXI contemporary art museum in the Flaminio district has been the backdrop for the recent Spring Attitude festival (which, in spite of its name, doesn’t happen in spring!), while the Capitoline Museums are used to hosting concerts every Saturday night for much part of the fall and winter.

These specific events are more of a byproduct of the lack of big enough indoors concert venues in the city.

While typical of a lack of sensibility towards these cultural issues, it’s not always a bad thing per se to be ignored by the city administrators… because on the flip side, you get to see special artists perform in unique settings!

Before Eataly was established in the Ostiense district, for example, the space where its shops and restaurants are now located was used for a historic Massive Attack concert. Another makeshift concert venue has been recently set up in the former Forlanini hospital… and there are plenty more stunning instances.

Anyway, I’m here to tell you about proper concert venues in Rome! So, without further ado, here are my selections!

1. Auditorium Parco della Musica

One of the domes at “l’auditorium”, Photo sourced from Auditorium Parco della Musica’s Facebook profile

To locals it is simply “l’Auditorium”, the Auditorium, a three-headed behemoth on the edge between the Parioli and the Flaminio district, walking distance from the MAXXI museum and the Olympic Stadium.

Built by star architect Renzo Piano (he of the London Shard fame), this concert venue looks from afar like three beetles! The funny shape of its domes is intended to give audiences a better acoustics experience while attending concerts. Every dome corresponds to a concert hall:

• Sala Santa Cecilia – is the home to the Orchestra of the National Academy of St. Cecilia, Rome’s most famous symphony orchestra
•  Sala Petrassi – houses mostly jazz, electronic and pop-rock concerts
•  Sala Sinopoli – houses classical, jazz, electronic and pop-rock concerts

The Auditorium does have a fourth stage, the Teatro Studio Borgna, for concerts by up and coming artists, and there is also an outdoors stage used in summer called the Cavea, which roughly corresponds to the forecourt for the whole complex.

In spite of the amount of stages, the Auditorium is not only there for live music. The whole establishment houses book and movie festivals, food events, science conferences.

During construction, a whole Roman villa was found underground, so the Auditorium Parco della Musica houses also a small museum, on top of a library, a bookshop, an art gallery, recording studios, cafés and bistros: basically, a citadel (or, better yet, a “Park”, as its name suggests) devoted to culture rather than just music!

AUDITORIUM PARCO DELLA MUSICA, Viale Pietro de Coubertin. Quickest way to the complex is by subway, (Flaminio stop), then boarding tram line no. 2.

2. Monk Club

The lounge area at the venue, Photo sourced from Monk Club’s Facebook profile

Originally opened in the mid-Nineties with the name La Palma, this is a concert venue that is stunning for entirely different reasons compared to the Auditorium Parco della Musica.

Where that is a sleek project by a star architect, the Monk Club is a reminder of what Rome used to look like not that long ago, This club used to be a farm in an industrial part of town that was otherwise known just for having the city’s biggest bus depot – the Casal Bertone/Portonaccio area.

The Palma Club hosted a number of artists, ranging from house events to alternative to jazz concerts before closing for good in 2007 with the actual venue was located in what were the stables. The guys behind the Monk Club project reopened the place around 2014.

On top of the live club, The Monk Club houses a restaurant and bar and throughout the years it has reclaimed a vast grassy area around the venue, turning it into a stunning garden with a basketball court, while their courtyard has table footballs and deck chairs that come out when it’s not raining.

Kids are welcome at the Monk Club! The outdoors space last May, Photo sourced by Monkroma.it

Events at the Monk Club range from hip-hop to dance, from rock to folk, with extra-musical events including movie screenings, festivals, book events and more.

A staple of the Roman nightlife, it is a place you can visit throughout the year, and the effect it will have on you will always be the same: you will feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere, but the bustling city is right around the corner!

MONK CLUB, Via Giuseppe Mirri 35. Quickest way to the complex is by subway to the Tiburtina stop, then by bus towards Via di Portonaccio. The closest bus stop is roughly 10 minutes from the actual venue.

3. Teatro dell’Opera

The lavish interiors of the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, Photo by L. Romano, sourced from Operaroma.it

In Rome you can attend concerts on boats on the river (Lian Club), underground below Trastevere (Big Mama) or in former cinemas (Alcazar, also in Trastevere) but nothing beats the splendor and beauty of Rome’s oldest, most stunning concert venue, the Teatro dell’Opera.

Unveiled in 1880, just a number of years after Rome had been chosen as the new capital of Italy, the Opera House is not as big as its counterparts all over Italy or Europe.

In fact, it can only accommodate a little more than 1,000 people, but what it lacks in space it more than makes up for in terms of acoustics – that’s where the real wow factor lies.

The Teatro dell’Opera hosts mainly classical music and ballet events, but it is no stranger to more popular events – famously, Björk has performed on this very stage.

And if you’re one to equate classical music with stuffy concerts, think again: the current superintendent at the Opera, Carlo Fuortes, has nominated famed conductor Daniele Gatti as the venue’s director, which resulted in a much more modern program, with explorations of lesser known composers and symphonies.

While it’s more expensive than the other venues I have listed, it’s very much worth your time – attending a show here is an unmissable experience!

TEATRO DELL’OPERA DI ROMA, Piazza Beniamino Gigli. Closest subway stop is Repubblica/Teatro Opera.