Italy: Rome’s Circus Maximus to host summer rock concerts, from Måneskin to Vasco Rossi

Rome: Rome’s Circus Maximus is to host several major rock concerts this summer as Italy sees a return of large-scale events after a hiatus caused by the covid pandemic.

A sold-out concert by Måneskin on 9 July is billed by organisers Rock in Roma as the “event of the year” as the local band-turned global stars take to the stage in the coveted venue which in the past has welcomed Bruce Springsteen and The Rolling Stones.

The Circus Maximus will also host two sold-out concerts by Italian rock legend Vasco Rossi, postponed several times over the last two years due to the pandemic, on 11 and 12 June.

Then it is the turn of Rome singer-songwriter Renato Zero, one of Italy’s best-selling musicians, who will perform four concerts in the coveted venue on 23, 24, 25 and 30 September.

For the last two years the open-air summer season of Rome’s opera house has been staged in the Circus Maximus, as its historic venue at the Baths of Caracalla was ruled incompatible with Italy’s covid social distancing rules.

The opera festival, which took place at the Terme di Caracalla from 1937 until 2020, returns to its majestic setting among the ruins this summer with its diverse programme including no fewer than 12 concerts by Italian singer-songwriter Claudio Baglioni, accompanied by an orchestra, between 3 June and 17 July.