words by Carol King
From the 26 December 2012 to 8 January 2013, many of Rome’s museums will hold special events and exhibitions to enable visitors to enjoy the seasonal holidays.
The MACRO (Museum of Contemporary Art in Rome) in Testaccio is running the ‘C’era una volta...’ (Once Upon A Time...) festival at the Pelanda exhibition space until 22 January. The festival comprises exhibitions, cinematic projections, theatrical shows, readings and activities for children. Entrance is free from 3pm to 11pm.
During the Christmas holidays the Museo Civico di Zoologia (Civic Museum of Zoology) will be running a ‘ZooChristmas’ initiative, in which participants can dress up for a day in museum scientists’ clothes to explore what’s involved in being paleontologist, biologist, anthropologist and taxidermist. On the 6 January, Epiphany, there is a special event for families.
The Planetarium’s ‘Christmas Stars at the Planetarium’ includes workshops for children each morning on 27, 29, 30 December and 6 January in an inflatable planetarium, where they can take part in an interactive show ‘Winter Nights in the Laboratory of Dr. Stellarium’. From 26 December to 8 January, adults can attend various shows on space under the Planetarium’s great dome including ‘Killer Asteroids’ and ‘Stories of the End of the World’.
Rome’s Casa del Cinema (House of Cinema) in Villa Borghese is showing a retrospective of all Franco Zeffirelli’s films through to 29 December. Each day from 2 to 8 January, starting at 4pm, the cinema will screen a series of films in their original language with ½ûÂþÌìÌà subtitles, including French romantic comedy ‘Amélie’, British-American romantic comedy ‘Sliding Doors’, Woody Allen’s romance set in Barcelona ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’, ‘The Commitments’ comedy drama set in Dublin, and a German comedy set in Hamburg, ‘Soul Kitchen’. During the same period, children can enjoy a series of films screened every morning at 11am including ‘Happy Feet’, ‘Space Jam’, ‘Gremlins’, ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ and ‘The Ant Bully’.
The Casa delle Letterature (House of Literature) is running the ‘NataleNatale4’ project that includes ‘The Painted Song’ exhibition of watercolours by Edith Schloss based on the works of composer Alvin Curran. Other events include poetry readings by writers such as Damiano Abeni, Elisa Davoglio and Vittorio Lingiardi, and a series of site-specific artworks by Orazio Battaglia, Stefano Canto and Delphine Reist.
On 26 December, the Centro Culturale San Basilio Aldo Fabrizi (Saint Basil Cultural Centre Aldo Fabrizi) will be holding a free concert starting at 5.30pm performed by the Elemento Variabile (Variable Element) ensemble featuring music by The Beatles, Irving Berlin and Giulio Caccini among others.
The Sale del Bramante exhibition space at the Piazza del Popolo will hold the ‘100 Presepi’ (100 Nativity Scenes) show featuring nativity scenes from Italy and around the world. There is a workshop open to children aged four to 11, where they can make a nativity scene to take home with them with the aid of specialists; booking is essential by calling 0039 (0) 6 3201587. The ‘100 Presepi’ exhibition runs until 8 January and is open from 9.30am to 8pm.
