Music is once again returning this summer to the ancient Roman ruins of the Baths of Caracalla, located in central Rome. The Eternal City’s opera house, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, has revealed the programme for its 2023 Caracalla summer festival to be held among the ruins, according to Wanted in Rome.
The Baths of Caracalla will mainly host operas but also other genres such as symphonic music, jazz, cinema, dance, and pop concerts. According to Wanted in Rome, the festival will consist of over 50 evenings spanning between May 30 and August 10. It will kick of with a series of concerts, beginning with Zucchero, who will perform between May 30-31 and June 2-4; Fiorella Mannoia and Danilo Rea on June 1; Venditti-De Gregorio on June 5, 7, 8, and 15; Andrea Bocelli on June 10; Negramaro on June 13, 14, and 16; and Massimo Ranieri on July 24.
On June 23, the festival will feature the world premiere of the restored version of Charlie Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator.” The film’s soundtrack will be performed live by the Teatro dell’Opera, according to Wanted in Rome.
The Baths of Caracalla were public baths in ancient Rome, begun by Emperor Septimius Severus in 206 AD, and completed by his son Emperor Caracalla in 216 AD. According to Britannica, the complex could accommodate about 1,600 bathers at a time, and the structure was used up until the 6th century.As was customary at the time, the Baths of Caracalla had three main chambers: a frigidarium, a pool of cold water; a tepidarium, a pool of luke-warm water; and the caldarium, a pool of very hot water.
For additional details regarding the summer festival at the Baths of Caracalla and to purchase tickets, visit the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma website.
Asia London Palomba
Asia London Palomba is a trilingual freelance journalist from Rome, Italy. In the past, her work on culture, travel, and history has been published in The Boston Globe, Atlas Obscura, The Christian Science Monitor, and Grub Street, New York Magazine's food section. In her free time, Asia enjoys traveling home to Italy to spend time with family and friends, drinking Hugo Spritzes, and making her nonna's homemade cavatelli.