The Rome Opera House
The Teatro dell'Opera, or Costanzi, is the city's opera stage: it is where Cavalleria rusticana (1890) and Tosca (1900) were first performed. It programmes operas, ballets and concerts, with its own orchestra, chorus and ballet company. The box office, on piazza Beniamino Gigli, is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm and on Sunday from 9am to 1:30pm. If you cannot find a seat, the guided tour of the theatre (€15 full price, €8 for under-14s) is an alternative, in Italian and English, lasting about an hour.
The Auditorium Parco della Musica
Renzo Piano's complex, north of the centre, is Rome's largest concert venue. The Auditorium Parco della Musica has three halls and an open-air cavea of about 3,000 seats. You can hear the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia orchestra, jazz, pop, rock and festivals, as well as film screenings. It is the simplest place if you want to see an international artist on tour: check the programme on the official website, then book before you arrive.
Open-air concerts in summer
In summer, Rome moves out of its halls. For the 2026 season, the Teatro dell'Opera left the Baths of Caracalla, which are under works, and moved to the Circo Massimo from 29 June to 31 July, with Aida, a Roberto Bolle and Friends gala, Romeo and Juliet and Carmina Burana. Tickets ranged from €15 to €170, and performances began at 9pm. The Baths of Caracalla remain one of the most beautiful open-air opera settings in Rome: check each year where the performances are held. The Auditorium's cavea also hosts pop and rock concerts in summer.
Other events enliven the season: the Festa de' Noantri in Trastevere, in July, with music and shows in the streets, and concerts organised in the parks, including the Villa Ada, which hosts a world music festival in summer.
Concerts in churches
Several churches in the centre offer evening concerts of organ music, sacred music or opera, for example at the church of Sant'Ignazio. Concerts are generally ticketed and sometimes run by private organisers: check the programme and venue before buying, and prefer tickets sold by the church or on an official website over a tout in the street.
How to book
- Official websites: the opera, the Auditorium and festivals sell their tickets online; authorised platforms such as TicketOne also sell concerts.
- Timing: for a major opera production or a well-known artist, book as soon as sales open, often several weeks ahead.
- Dress: no strict code, but smart dress is the norm for the opera and for opening nights.
- Getting back after the show: the metro closes in the evening; plan a taxi or a night bus, as in our Rome at night guide.
To round off the evening
After a concert, you can dine late in the area: our Rome at night guide lists the districts and hours, and what to eat in Rome presents the dishes to order. For New Year's Eve, see our guide to New Year in Rome.
