Activities for the 2777th Birthday Celebration of Rome
by Adriana ruiz
Birthday of Rome 19-21 April 2024 at Circus Maximus
April 18, 2024 – 8:09 PM
On the occasion of the 2777th Birthday of Rome, the area of the Circus Maximus hosts the traditional activities of the Roman Historical Group with representations of ancient rites and festivals, gladiator shows, and historical reenactments.
Three days of culture, history, love, and tradition characterized by the setup of the usual Imperial and Republican Castrum where meetings with authors, music, exhibitions, and educational workshops for children will take place.
The Most Anticipated Events
Friday 19 at 7:30 PM in Campo Marzio Square, Renewal of the Sacred Fire
Friday 19 at 8:00 PM in Rotonda Square – Pantheon – Benedictio Vrbi
Saturday 20 at 2:00 PM – Circus Maximus – Opening ritual and dedication of the games to the Gods
Saturday 20 at 3:00 PM – Archaeological Area of the Circus Maximus – Game of Harpastum, a distant relative of football
Saturday 20 at 3:00 PM – Gladiator Area of the Circus Maximus – Gladiator Tournament Qualifications
Saturday 20 from 4:00 PM Circus Maximus – Ancient Dances
Saturday 20 at 5:00 PM – Gladiator Area Circus Maximus – Tournament between gladiator schools
Saturday 20 at 7:45 PM – Circus Maximus – Stage – Maurizio Battista presents A Smile for Rome
Saturday 20 at 8:00 PM on the stage of the Circus Maximus, the Italian Army’s Band will perform
Sunday 21 at 10:30 AM Circus Maximus – Stage – the Roman Historical Group celebrates its thirtieth anniversary
Sunday 21 at 11:00 AM the evocative Historical Procession will take place, composed of about 1600 reenactors in costume, parading from the Circus Maximus to Via dei Fori Imperiali and back. Route: Via dei Cerchi, Via Luigi Petroselli, Via del Teatro di Marcello, Via del Campidoglio, Via San Pietro in Carcere, Via dei Fori Imperiali, Colosseum, Via Celio Vibenna, Via di San Gregorio, Via dei Cerchi, Circus Maximus
Sunday 21 at 3:00 PM at the Circus Maximus the Tracciato del Solco will be reenacted, the foundational act of Rome and its millennial history
Sunday 21 from 3:25 PM – Circus Maximus – performances by participating historical groups, Rite of the Palilia and the Battle of Spartacus
Birthday of Rome On April 21, 753 BC, it is said that Romulus founded the city. With this date begins the chronology of the city and therefore in the year 2024 (in Roman numerals MMXXIV) we have the year 2777 from the foundation of Rome.
The day of the foundation of Rome is celebrated in grand style. The date was calculated by the astrologer Tarunzio, a friend of Cicero, shortly before the Christian era.
Historical groups from all over the world participate. In the Circus Maximus, there is not only an arena for performances but also a large village with Roman and barbarian encampments. There are various scenarios from the archaic period to the late empire.
There is also a magical night at the Pantheon in an evocative atmosphere.
The grand parade on Sunday, April 21, will go from the Circus Maximus to Piazza Venezia and cross the Imperial Forums passing by the Colosseum back to the Circus Maximus.
The Castrum
As in the past, the Roman Historical Group builds a Castrum at the Circus Maximus. From April 19 to 21, there is the area for performances and an educational area dedicated to civil, military, and religious life in ancient Rome. There is also a photographic exhibition of previous editions of the “Birthday of Rome”.
There is a gladiator school for children.
The Program The theme for 2024 is Roma Regina Viarum. A conference dedicated to this theme will be held in the auditorium of the Ara Pacis, the altar of peace of Emperor Augustus.
Friday at the Pantheon 7:30 PM RENEWAL OF THE SACRED FIRE – Campo Marzio Square
8:00 PM At the Pantheon BENEDICTIO VRBI Historical show for the day of the foundation of Rome
Performances by Groups at the Circus Maximus The participating groups perform in the afternoon. There are gladiator fights, ancient dances, theater, and reenactments of historical moments.
Friday
Photographic exhibition 10 AM – 6 PM
Christmas of Rome at Circus Maximus
Information stands on civil, military, and religious life, gladiator school for children 10 – 14
Meeting with writers 11 – 14
20:00 Valltaresh Group
Saturday
Dance of the Vestal Virgins at Circus Maximus
Photographic exhibition 10 – 18
Training field of the gladiator schools 10 – 12
Information stands on civil, military, and religious life, gladiator school for children 10 – 14
From 10:00 Performances
Meeting with writers 11 – 14
14:00 Valltaresh Group
14:00 Consecration of the games
15:00 HARPASTUM – Roman football – and Gladiator fights
16:00 Ancient dances
17:00 Tournament of the gladiator schools
20:00 Concert by the Italian Army Band and coronation of DEA ROMA 2024
Sunday
Christmas of Rome parade
10:00 Greeting from the President
10:30 Thirtieth Anniversary Ceremony
10:45 Oration of Maecenas
11:00 HISTORICAL PROCESSION From Circus Maximus passing by the Theatre of Marcellus – Piazza Venezia – Via dei Fori Imperiali – Via di San Gregorio to return to Circus Maximus
14:00 Philharmonic Orchestra City of Rome
15:00 Tracing the Furrow Reenactment of the foundation of the Urbe with a representation between history and legend – Circus Maximus
From 15:25 Performances
16:00 Legionum Exhibitio – Signa Inferre
16:50 Rite of the Palilia Reenactment by the Vestals of the Palilia festival: an ancient agricultural-pastoral festival sacred to Pales, deity protector of flocks and herds – Circus Maximus
17:15 The battle of Spartacus
* Photo from natalidiroma.it
Birthday of Rome 19-22 April 2024 at the civic museums and archaeological sites of Rome Capital
On the occasion of Rome’s Birthday, four days of events, guided tours, and workshops in the civic museums and archaeological sites of Rome Capital, curated by the Capitoline Superintendence, to celebrate together the city and its rich cultural heritage. Appointments are planned, accompanied by interpretation in Italian Sign Language.
SPECIAL EVENTS
On Saturday, April 20, from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM, at the Villa of Maxentius, on the fourth mile of the ancient Appian Way, you can participate in the inauguration of the new lighting designed by the Capitoline Superintendence for Cultural Heritage to enhance the monumental remains in the approximately 20 hectares of the archaeological area and allow visitors access after sunset for special events. The new lighting system has affected the area of the dynastic mausoleum, the access path to the Villa, the towers, and the carceres, allowing citizens to enjoy the evocative spectacle of the imposing imperial structures even at night.
From April 21, from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM, in the renovated multifunctional space of the Santa Rita Hall, on Montanara Street, next to the Theater of Marcellus, it is possible to visit the free exhibition “The Goddess Rome” by Pietro Tenerani. A tribute to the Eternal City, with the display of the bust of the Goddess Rome, a work from the collection of the Museum of Rome, created by the great nineteenth-century sculptor Pietro Tenerani as a sign of dedication to his adopted city, exhibited for the first time on April 21, 1851.
GUIDED TOURS, MEETINGS, AND WORKSHOPS
The celebrations for Rome’s Birthday are also an opportunity to discover the history and secrets of the city through the observation and storytelling of works, monuments, artistic and cultural testimonies. Below is the program of visits and workshops curated by the Capitoline Superintendence for Cultural Heritage.
Friday, April 19, 2024
It begins on Friday, April 19, at 5:00 PM at the Casino of the Princes of Villa Torlonia with “Living the Distance.” A meeting with the artist Giancarla Frare, an encounter with the artist that highlights the deep relationship between the archaeological heritage of Rome and Frare’s artistic research on the themes of memory and oblivion.
Saturday, April 20, 2024
It continues on Saturday, April 20, at the Villa of Maxentius where from 10:00 AM the event “Ab Urbe condita 2024” is scheduled, an immersion in time and history, which will also continue on Sunday, April 21. Thanks to the new artistic lighting, it is possible to visit the museum space until 10:00 PM (last entry at 9:30 PM).
At 11:00 AM instead, at the Museum of the Roman Republic and the Garibaldian memory, the visit “April 21, 1849: Rome Prepares for Battle” is scheduled to discover the characters and events of the Roman Republic of 1849.
Sunday, April 21, 2024
On the morning of Sunday, April 21, appointments are at 10:15 AM and 11:45 AM, at the Giovanni Barracco Museum of Ancient Sculpture for “The Distant Ancestors (?) of the Latin Alphabet,” a guided tour with an in-depth look at the first graphic systems that led to the creation of the Latin alphabet. At 10:30 AM at the Carlo Bilotti Museum in the Orangery of Villa Borghese, a visit to the exhibition “Manuel Felisi 1:1” leads visitors to discover the artist’s works: a contemporary “bestiary” with animals reproduced in natural size (with Italian Sign Language accompaniment).
At the Capitoline Museums – Villa Caffarelli At 10:30 AM, the event “Phidias, All the Colors of Perfection” will be held, a guided tour of the ongoing exhibition with a focus on the theme of polychromy on ancient works. This will be followed by an activity where visitors can experiment with the use of color. At the same time, at the Casina of Cardinal Bessarione, there is a workshop for children called “Discovering a Casina” to rediscover the history of this place through the five senses. At 11:00 AM at the Ara Pacis Museum, children can participate in the workshop “April 21, A Special Birthday!” to have fun with history and creativity among images, characters, and stories, and to make their own crown to become emperors and empresses for a day.
In the Afternoon At 3:00 PM, at the Modern Art Gallery on Via Crispi, the visit “Group 70: The Artists, Themes, Techniques” will take place, discovering the protagonists and themes that characterized the experimentation of this artistic fellowship.
The tour moves at 3:15 PM and 4:15 PM to Piazza Vittorio for the free visit “The Magic Door and the Trophies of Mario,” discovering the monument characterized by enigmatic mottos and hermetic signs. At 5:00 PM at the Museum of Rome in Palazzo Braschi, the visit “From the Street to the Museum: The Monochromes of the Casino del Bufalo” will be conducted to present the myth of Andromeda and Perseus in the sixteenth-century monochromes of the facade of the Casino del Bufalo created by Polidoro da Caravaggio and Maturino da Firenze (with Italian Sign Language accompaniment). Finally, at the same time at the Museum of Zoology, there is a scheduled visit to the exhibition on the eclectic Renaissance scientist Ulisse Aldrovandi.
Monday, April 22, 2024
On the morning of Monday, April 22, at 10:00 AM, there will be a discovery of the Street Art works that characterize the Quadraro district with “Urban Itineraries: A Journey into the Street Art of Quadraro,” a roaming route in the historic neighborhood with an anti-fascist vocation, marked by the roundup of April 17, 1944, which is the main inspirational theme of the Street Art works of the M.U.Ro project (with Italian Sign Language accompaniment). Finally, at 11:00 AM at the Markets of Trajan – Museum of the Imperial Fora, the visit “Augustus, New Founder of Rome” tells the story of Emperor Augustus and his attempt to appear as the new founder of the city (with Italian Sign Language accompaniment).
For visits and meetings, reservation is mandatory at 060608 (active every day from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM).
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