Opera · Rome · Piazza Navona
Live arias and duets on the Palazzo Pamphilj rooftop, with a 360-degree view across central Rome.
An aperitif on the roof, live arias and duets, then a Prosecco toast with the singers.
The evening
The terrace is built into a Baroque palace on the edge of Piazza Navona. Its 360-degree view takes in St Peter's, Castel Sant'Angelo, the Pantheon, the dome of Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza, Trinità dei Monti and the Campidoglio. Scenes of the Oscar-winning film The Great Beauty were shot on it.
Singers perform arias and duets by Verdi, Puccini, Rossini and others a few steps from the audience, and an introduction in English sets up the music. Guests describe a tenor and a soprano, and say each piece is explained before it is sung.
The evening opens with wine or a soft drink, cheeses with honey and marmalade, and a selection of Italian cured meats. After the concert comes a Prosecco toast with the artists, and a visit to the Terrazza Borromini on the fourth floor.
On the programme, maybe
The programme is a set of famous pieces from Italian opera, introduced in English before each one. These seven are the sample the organiser publishes, set here against the stage works they come from.
The programme is subject to change. Treat this as a taste of the repertoire, not a promise of the running order.
IPuccini
A painter in a prison cell writes a last letter in Tosca, which premiered in Rome in 1900 and is set in the city.
IIPuccini
Tosca's prayer in the second act, sung as she is pressed to give in to the chief of police.
IIIVerdi
The Duke of Mantua's song from Rigoletto, first heard in Venice in 1851.
IVPuccini
The love duet that closes the first act of La bohème, after two neighbours meet in the dark.
VRossini
From L'assedio di Corinto, the 1828 Italian version of an opera Rossini first wrote for Paris in 1826.
VILeoncavallo
The clown's lament from Pagliacci, a one-man scene that ends the first act.
VIIVerdi
The drinking song from Verdi's 1853 opera about a courtesan in Paris, a toast that begins with one singer and grows into a duet.
The palace and its terraces
Palazzo Pamphilj faces Piazza Navona and stands beside the church of Sant'Agnese in Agone. The evening uses two of its high places.
Giovanni Battista Pamphilj became Pope Innocent X in 1644, and his family wanted a larger house on the piazza. Girolamo Rainaldi won the commission, and Francesco Borromini, consulted in 1647, designed the gallery.
The rooftop where the concert takes place gives a 360-degree view over central Rome. It is named after the film whose scenes were shot there.
After the concert the evening moves to the Terrazza Borromini, on the fourth floor of the palace, for a view down into Piazza Navona.
If the weather turns, the concert is moved indoors. The ticket names the Innocenzo X Hall, and guests describe being taken down to the fourth floor.
Around the roof
Sant'Ivo's lantern at dusk, the church beside the palace, Piazza Navona, Bernini's fountain, Castel Sant'Angelo and the Pantheon: the landmarks the roof looks out on.
Two tickets, one palace
I
II
Two rooftop opera evenings in one palace
The first card is the evening this guide follows. The second is a separate ticket for open-air opera on the Borromini terrace of the same palace. Other Rome bookings are in the strip underneath.
An aperitif and an open-air concert on the La Grande Bellezza rooftop, an introduction in English, a Prosecco toast with the artists and a visit to the Terrazza Borromini.
Check dates ↗A concert for soprano, tenor and piano on the Borromini terrace above Piazza Navona, an aperitif, a reserved table and a guided visit to the La Grande Bellezza rooftop afterwards.
Check dates ↗More to book in Rome
Before you go
Guides: arias, rooftops and the piazza
Which evening, and how to book How to choose between the two rooftop opera tickets at Palazzo Pamphilj in Piazza Navona: what each includes, where you listen and how the evening runs.
Read the guide →
Getting there and what to expect Practical notes for the rooftop opera at Palazzo Pamphilj: the entrance on Via S. Maria dell'Anima, the view, rain plans, dress, drinks and who it suits.
Read the guide →FAQ
The GetYourGuide ticket shows 75 minutes. The organiser's own page gives a longer overall time for the whole evening, so read your confirmation for the schedule on your date.
On Palazzo Pamphilj at Via S. Maria dell'Anima 30, beside Piazza Navona. The terrace is called La Grande Bellezza.
The concert is moved. The ticket names the Innocenzo X Hall as the indoor space, and the organiser's own page also mentions the Borromini terrace as a first alternative in rain.
Entrance to the rooftop, a reserved seat in your name, the concert, an Italian aperitif, Prosecco for the final toast, an introduction in English and a visit to the Terrazza Borromini.
Arias and duets by Verdi, Puccini, Rossini and other Italian composers. The organiser's sample includes pieces from Tosca, Rigoletto, La bohème and Pagliacci, and the programme can change.
Formal wear is recommended but not required. Many guests wear smart casual, and a light layer helps on a roof.
No. Each piece is introduced in English before it is sung, and guests say you do not need to know much opera to enjoy it.
The second card is a separate ticket. Its concert is on the Borromini terrace above the piazza, and the visit to the La Grande Bellezza rooftop comes afterwards.
No. This is an independent guide, separate from the palace and from the concert organiser. You book on GetYourGuide.
Prices are per adult, in US dollars with taxes and fees included, and they appear in your own currency on the booking page.