UNITED KINGDOM SUMMER PEARLS: London's architectural gems along the banks of the Thames
MUSIC: Europe's best pop and rock gatherings
BAGPIPES: The plaintive sounds of Scotland
SUBMARIUM: Journey to the bottom of the sea FESTIVALS: Fun in the sun in West Belfast
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FRANCE and SWITZERLAND VULCANIA: Blow your top at France's volcano park
ART: Berthe Morisot, the unknown Impressionist
FESTIVALS: Aix-en-Provence has it all
ART: The Barbizon School painters come to life
ART: Take a stroll through medieval gardens of delight
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SPAIN, PORTUGAL, ITALY and GREECE SALAMANCA: The city splashes out on culture
MUSIC: God's rock stars: the singing Greek monks
FOOD: Italy's unusual culinary delights
FILM: Great outdoor viewing in Rome
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GERMANY and BENELUX HORTICULTURE: The world blossoms at Floriade
BRUGGE: Belgium's second city shines
ART: Berlin's homage to multiculturalism ART: The best of the world's artists on show at Documenta 11
DANCE: Czech twin ballerinos steal the show in Hamburg MORE ..
CENTRAL and EASTERN EUROPE ART: Yugoslavia's modern art museum is back
ART: A retrospective of Samizdat art and writing from the Communist bloc
GRAZ: Austria's little-known city of culture
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THE NORDIC REGION DESIGN: Denmark celebrates Arne Jacobsen
MUSEUM: Get a blast from the past at Stalin World
STOCKHOLM: Welcome to the Venice of the North
MUSIC: Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes on tour MORE ..
PLUS LISTINGS: Other things to see and do in each region
Outdoor film is a fixture on Rome's cultural calendar
When the sun sets on a summer day in Rome, a breeze arrives from the Mediterranean that is gentle enough to push out the afternoon heat without bringing on a chill. This heavenly venticello helps create an evening buzz that draws the city masses outdoors to eat, drink and talk the hours away. The last place anyone would want to be is inside an air-conditioned movie theater. But fortunately for film buffs, Rome has the perfect summer solution: cinema all'aperto is rapidly becoming the Eternal City's latest tradition, with hundreds of film titles — from grainy classics to the latest blockbusters — shown at a variety of outdoor venues across the city.
While some private cinema houses have built their own outdoor "arena" screens, the real treat comes from the city-sponsored locations in some of Rome's most scenic spots. Depending on the quality of the movie, you may even find yourself gazing at the surroundings rather than the screen.
Perhaps the most enchanting nightly outdoor theater is on Tiberina Island, with two giant screens showing movies as the Tiber River flows on either side and St. Peter's glows in the distance. Another evocative spot is Piazza Vittorio, an expansive square amid ancient ruins that is situated halfway between the basilicas of San Giovanni in Laterano and Santa Maria Maggiore. There is also Villa Mercede in the funky San Lorenzo neighborhood and Parco Cielo near the Coliseum. The choice of films varies, and occasionally foreign films are shown in their original languages.
The city also sponsors Passeggiate Romane (Roman Strolls), a free offering of films on impromptu screens in some of the city's best-known piazzas. For those who want the best of today's Italian cinema, Nanni Moretti (director of The Son's Room, which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes) hosts Viva l'Italia — a month-long festival of recent Italian films followed by director-audience discussion led by Moretti — in July at the amphitheater of his own Nuovo Sacher moviehouse.
