Rome does not need a curtain to take the stage. In September, squares, streets, parks, and corners of the capital transform into a vast, diffuse theatre, where strolling also means crossing stories, memories, and characters who helped build the city’s imagination. From 11 to 29 September 2026 Passeggiando con la storia returns, the civil and popular theatre festival conceived by Moovo and now in its second edition.
At the heart of the program are Alberto Sordi, Aldo Fabrizi, Gabriella Ferri and Nino Manfredi, four figures deeply connected to Roman culture. Their memory becomes the starting point for exploring places in the city that are often traversed quickly, rediscovering them through anecdotes, music, theatre, and storytelling.
Walking with History: The Program
Sare are three dates planned for the 2026 edition of Passeggiando con la storia, which reaches its second edition after last year’s success. All three dates include a roughly 90-minute walk starting from around 18:30: the neighborhood will be explored with a guide and curiosities about the area will be learned. At 21:00, the outdoor theatrical performance then takes the stage.
The premiere is scheduled for Friday, September 11 at Largo Aurelia Sordi, with the show “Sotto casa di Alberto” (Near Alberto’s House). Cristiana Vaccaro, Fabrizio Giannini, and Fabrizio Sabatucci will guide the audience through Alberto Sordi’s long career, alternating episodes, cinematic atmospheres, and music. A way to remember one of the performers who most of all knew how to tell the vices, virtues, and contradictions of Italians, keeping Rome as a constant reference point.
The second appointment, scheduled for September 17, brings the audience to the heart of Testaccio. Piazza Testaccio will host “Hostaria Testaccio – Ricette, poesie e stornelli dal quinto quarto” (Hostaria Testaccio – Recipes, Poems, and Stornelli from the Fifth Quarter), a show dedicated to Aldo Fabrizi and Gabriella Ferri. The setting evokes the world of Roman osterias, between popular cuisine, sonnets, songs, and stornelli.
The neighborhood thus becomes an integral part of the narration. Testaccio, with its history tied to commerce, culinary traditions, and popular culture, provides a setting particularly apt for telling the stories of two artists who carried romanità far beyond the city’s borders.
The closing evening is September 29 and will take place at the Belvedere Ettore Scola, inside Monte Ciocci park, with “Sulle tracce di Nino” (In the Footsteps of Nino), which is meant as a tribute to the timeless Nino Manfredi, who with irony and sensitivity knew how to tell profound Italian stories.
How to Participate
To take part there is no cost; the events are free and always accompanied musically by “La tris de Gabriella,” which provides the right contribution to the theatrical narration and the Roman musical tradition. The historical walks are conducted with licensed guides and audio systems, in technical collaboration with ILove Rome, and run for about an hour and a half. Participation in the itineraries, however, requires mandatory reservations.
The evening performances, on the other hand, offer about 200 seats and are accessible freely until capacity runs out. In short, Passeggiando con la storia reaches its second edition and, for 2026, returns as a different way to experience Rome’s neighborhoods at the end of summer, going beyond the usual monuments.
