Italy: Buon compleanno a Roma

Rome: Rome celebrated its 2,773rd birthday, Natale di Roma 2020, with a day-long programme of cultural events on television and social media on April 21.

The online birthday tribute to the Eternal City, conducted by Max Giusti, was filmed on the Capitol hill, from inside the Capitoline Museums and against the backdrop of the Roman Forum.

The show was broadcast on Rai2 during the Patriae broadcast and will be available from April 22 in its full version on the Roma Capitale website and social media.

In addition to this, there will be many other initiatives feature characters from the world of entertainment and culture, such as Ennio Morricone, Sabrina Ferilli, Antonio Pappano, as well as Roman museums and cultural institutions such as Accademia S. Cecilia, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma and Romaeuropa Festival.

All online events can be found under the hashtag #natalediroma2020 and via the Facebook event page.

Known as Natale di Roma, the annual birthday celebration is based on the legendary founding of Rome by Romulus in 753 BC.

The traditional programme of events, which normally includes several days of historical re-enactments, gladiator fights and parades at the Circus Maximus, has been cancelled this year due to the coronavirus emergency.

Rome mayor Virginia Raggi acknowledged that the city is “going through a difficult time, together with all of Italy and the rest of the world,” adding that she is sure that “together we will be able to get back on track, as always in our history.”