Features

Ugo Nespolo and Vivian Maier at the brand-new Museo del Genio, Impressionism an Beyond at the Ara Pacis Museum, the Festival di Nuova Consonanza at various sites, 100 Nativity Scenes in the Vatican, Restituzioni 2025 at the PalaExpo, the Rome Gospel Festival 2025 at the Auditorium PdM, and much more.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Woman in an Armchair, 1874, oil on canvas. Detroit Institute of Arts, Bequest of Mrs. Allan Shelden III, 1985.24

Impressionism and Beyond.
Masterpieces from the
Detroit Institute of Arts

From December 4

The Ara Pacis Museum is hosting the exhibition Impressionism and Beyond. Masterpieces from the Detroit Institute of Arts, featuring 52 works from one of the United States’ leading museums. The exhibition offers a rare chance to view outstanding pieces by major European modern artists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Organized into four sections, the exhibition traces the evolution from the origins of Impressionism to the early twentieth-century avantgardes, with works by Courbet, Renoir, Degas, Cézanne, Van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso, Modigliani, Kandinsky, Beckmann, and others. Highlights include Renoir’s Woman in an Armchair (1874) and Cézanne’s Bathers (1879–1880), works that masterfully exemplify the exploration of the figure, light, and the construction of pictorial space. arapacis.it

Ugo Nespolo. Pop Air Vivian Maier. The Exhibition

Until February 15, 2026

The newly opened Museo del Genio, which is part of the Italian Army’s Cultural Institute, aims to celebrate human intelligence as a transformative force—from engineering to communication, from flying devices to the future. Among the objects on display are many great inventions, inlcuding Guglielmo Marconi’s original radio telegraph equipment, which revolutionized global communication, and one of the first telephones by Antonio Meucci. The museum opens with two large exhibitions: Vivian Maier. The Exhibition, dedicated to the beloved American photographer, and Ugo Nespolo. Pop Air, a world premiere by artist Ugo Nespolo featuring giant inflatable sculptures that playfully reinterpret great international masterpieces.
esercito.difesa.it/storia/musei/Istituto-Storico- e-di-Cultura-dell-Arma-del-Genio

www.100presepi.va

100 Nativity Scenes in the Vatican

December 8 – January 6, 2026

he traditional international exhibition 100 Nativity Scenes in the Vatican, held each year beneath Bernini’s Colonnade in St. Peter’s Square, will be celebrating its eighth birthday this month. The exhibition is part of the broader cultural program “The Jubilee is Culture”, which has accompanied the various initiatives of the Holy Year 2025. This international exhibition brings together works created by artists from all over the world (more than 120 countries are represented), each expressing their creativity through unique interpretations of the Nativity scene. The crèches, which showcase the inspiration of their creators, are made from a large variety of materials, including Japanese paper, silk, resin, polystyrene, wool, coconut and banana fiber, and glass. Admission is free, with no reservation needed.
www.100presepi.va

Festival Nuova Consonanza

Until December 20

20 world premieres, 27 concerts, experimental projects, performances, theatre, conferences, workshops, meetings, and presentations: the Festival di Nuova Consonanza, now in its 62nd edition, is among the most eagerly awaited events on Rome’s contemporary music scene. The festival will run until 20 December, bringing together some of the most prestigious ensembles and artists from the international world of music. Events will take place across key Roman venues such as the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone, Teatro Palladium, and Mattatoio di Roma – La Pelanda, as well as at several locations outside the city. The 2025 edition, titled “Spazio”, marks the first chapter of the trilogy “Spazio – Tempo – Suono” which will unfold over the next two years.
nuovaconsonanza.it

Luca Giordano. Lotta tra Perseo e Fineo. © MiC - Musei Nazionali di Genova. Foto Mauro Ranzani

Restituzioni 2025

Until January 18, 2026

Intesa Sanpaolo and Azienda Speciale Palaexpo present the exhibition Restituzioni 2025, taking place at Palazzo delle Esposizioni. The show presents artworks restored as part of the 20th edition of “Restituzioni”, a triennial program dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of Italy’s artistic heritage. The exhibition showcases the restoration work carried out on 117 pieces of art from periods ranging from antiquity to the contemporary era, gathered from institutions across Italy. Visitors will encounter art from renowned masters as well as unexpected discoveries, including works by Giovanni Bellini, Giulio Romano, Luca Giordano, Mario Sironi, and Pino Pascali. There are also some remarkable and unique objects, such as the 19th-century draisine (the ancestor of the bicycle), a Samurai bow, and a sewn boat over 4 meters long.
palazzoesposizioni.it

Rome Gospel Festival 2025

December 21–31

Like every year, the Rome Gospel Festival returns once again to the Auditorium Parco della Musica. One of the most important gospel festivals in Europe, it features some of the best US spiritual and gospel choirs. Among the most prominent performers is the Harlem Gospel Choir from New York, a choir founded by Allan Bailey, renowned for his work with world-famous artists such as the Commodores, Michael Jackson, and Prince.
auditorium.com

harlemgospelchoir.com

More dates on the calendar:

Picasso. The Language of Ideas. Museo Storico della Fanteria. Until Jan 25, 2026.
Piero Mascetti. Baroque Echoes and Urban Visions. Museo Carlo Bilotti Aranciera di Villa Borghese. Until Jan 25, 2026
Treasures of the Pharahos. Scuderie del Quirinale. Until May 3, 2026.
Villas and Gardens of Rome. A Crown of Delights. Museum of Rome at Palazzo Braschi. Until Apr 21, 2026.
Ancient Civilizations of Turkmenistan. Capitoline Museums. Until Apr 12, 2026.
Gauguin. The Noa Noa Diary and Other Adventures. Museo Storico della Fanteria. Until Jan 25, 2026.
Ceroli Totale. Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea. Until Jan 11, 2026.
Alphonse Mucha. A Triumph of Beauty and Seduction. Palazzo Bonaparte. Until Mar 8, 2026.
Cartier and Myths. Capitoline Museums (Palazzo Nuovo). Until Mar 15, 2026.