Romadiffusa returns to Esquilino on 10-11 October 2026 with concerts, exhibitions, open artist studios and tours, most of them free.

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This year, the fifth edition of Romadiffusa has chosen the as its stage. After last year’s success, with more than 80,000 visitors, over 100 iconic locations and more than 200 artists, musicians and creatives taking part, the travelling festival is heading to the city’s most multicultural district for 2026.

Expect roving performances, concerts and in the square, spread across the area, open studios by artists and artisans, private homes opening their doors, readings and stand-up comedy in bars and osterie, workshops, tours and much more.

The dates are 10 and 11 October, when the neighbourhood becomes a diffused cultural platform connecting artists, residents, communities, cultural institutions and local businesses, with a programme that winds through squares, markets, gardens, museums, historic buildings, bars and shops.

Piazza Vittorio will be the heart of the event, and from here a packed programme will spread out across the area: from the work of eight artists at the Nuovo Mercato Esquilino (among them Fiamma Montezemolo, Wu Ming 2 and Lorenzo Teodonio, Lulù Nuti and Andreco) to readings of Chinese diaspora literature at Hang Zhou (Sonia‘s well-known Chinese restaurant), all the way to jazz concerts under the porticoes of Gatsby and video art at Machiavelli. The Accademia Costume & Moda will host several events: a video screening by Rä di Martino, a live show of the podcast Dicono di te by Malcom Pagani (Chora Media) and, finally, a site-specific installation by Numero Cromatico on the building’s façade.

The theme of the fifth edition is “ROMA CITTÀ ETERNA ODIERNA” (Rome, city of eternity today). The title reveals the aim of placing, alongside the Rome known worldwide for its historical and artistic heritage, a contemporary Rome that is alive and changing. A city that is not just an “open-air museum”, but a dynamic, participatory place that produces culture today.

“All too often, the way the city is portrayed, even when it’s done well, relies on the ‘open-air museum’ idea and on a narrative that ignores its contemporary, vibrant side. At the same time, Rome struggles to work as a system: the public sector rarely talks to the private sector, artists and creatives find it hard to secure funding for larger-scale projects, and there are countless organisations working on similar projects without knowing about each other, with no container where they can come together and emerge. Romadiffusa wants to be that container.”

Sara D’Agati, Artistic Director of the festival

The all-female team behind Romadiffusa, a project founded in 2021 by Sara D’Agati and Maddalena Salerno, is mapping the entire city, neighbourhood by neighbourhood, in search of its most authentic and interesting places: artisan workshops, bookshops, artists’ studios, libraries, museums and historic buildings, but also hidden courtyards, traditional bars and osterie, grocery shops, bakeries, creative spaces and small galleries. Original places that, sadly, are often at risk of disappearing.

At the same time, for each edition, artists, musicians, performers and designers are brought in through a research process and a “call for content” to create site-specific work.

Piazza Vittorio becomes one of the festival’s main hubs, with a programme that blends music, talks, sport and performance.

Art takes over the streets with a series of exhibitions and installations across the neighbourhood: works by Cecilia Sammarco appear at Torrefazione Ciamei and Bar allo Statuto; Caterina Silva curates an exhibition of emerging women artists from different cultures, spread between a bakery, a minimarket and local shops; and Andrew Iacobucci creates a site-specific installation at Bar D’Amore.

Many artists are opening their private studios to the public, including Fiamma Montezemolo and Tarek Elhaik, Mohamed Keita, Serafino Maiorano and Elena Bellantoni, while the neighbourhood’s galleries host special events at Ultravioletto and La Nube di Oort, with the finissage of Mexican artist Hiram Constantino.

The area’s cultural institutions are also taking part with special openings and events: Palazzo Merulana hosts a performance by Chinese artist Yuan Gong, curated by Liliana Liao; Acquario Romano and the Giardino di Confucio join the programme with performances, dedicated activities and talks (including one featuring the Eterobasiche and the Bambole di pezza, organised by Fanpage in collaboration with Romadiffusa). Fondazione Treccani Cultura brings a lecture performance by Thony and Sofia Assante to the square, at Horti Magici.

Rounding off the programme are tours and workshops to explore Esquilino from unexpected angles: from architecture tours with Panteon Magazine and Casa dell’Architettura to places of worship with Superdiversa, a neighbourhood tour with Unexpected Itineraries, an esoteric tour, and workshops in mosaic, woodcarving and tailoring.

All events are free, except for some workshops, tours and talks with limited places, which can be booked .

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