What to do in Rome on New Years Eve 2020

By Richard Greenbury
11 Nov 2019

Once Italians get over the disappointment which comes with the end of the summer and the ‘back to work’ blues, it doesn’t take long for them to start looking forward to the next excuse to celebrate! Autumn and winter in Rome are full of fun events, culminating at the end of December with Capodanno (New Year’s Eve), a night which shows Rome off in all its glory.

However, as with all capital cities, it can be a bit daunting to organise the ‘perfect’ New Year’s Eve, to suit all tastes, budgets whilst watching out for prices which can escalate on this night. Read on to discover a comprehensive range of suggestions and ideas which you can mix and match to create an unforgettable evening and start to New Years 2020.

In various different combinations, the evening will revolve around the following format: aperitivo, cenone (dinner), fireworks, music and dancing. You can choose to enjoy each of these things in different locations around the city, or choose one place to spend the whole evening, whilst experiencing the best of what Rome has to offer.

NYE on a budget

If you are looking to soak up the atmosphere, but not spend a fortune, then why not enjoy the best of Rome’s street food and walk around some of Rome’s iconic monuments, joining Roman locals on their ‘passeggiata’ before finding somewhere to enjoy some music and fireworks.

Street food recommendations:

Trapizzino: pizza pockets filled with tempting options, such as Parmigiana di Melanzane, with a good range of beers and wine. (Locations all over the city, but I would recommend visiting the branch in Trastevere (Piazza Trilussa, 46) and then taking the food to sit on the steps in the piazza)
Tacos & Beer: delicious, freshly prepared Mexican food and good cocktails at a very reasonable price. (Via del Boschetto, 130: Monti)
Pizzarium Bonci: pizza al taglio (by the slice) with mouth-watering toppings, including the classics such as pizza rossa as well as croquettes, supplì and regional beers. (Via della Meloria, 43: Cipro metro, near the Vatican and St. Peter’s)

Music:

After you have eaten, you can head to one of the public spaces which offer free entertainment – either at Piazza del Popolo or at Circus Maximus. Both these spaces offer concerts with DJs and are sure to draw a large crowd. You can take alcoholic drinks with you – but try to use glass bottles so you can leave them in the recycling bins.

This link will be updated with further details for the concert at Circus Maximus which starts at 21:00 nearer the date: https://www.facebook.com/events/2393478870906181/

New YEars EVe Music

Fireworks:

At midnight, the sky will be lit up with fireworks from all over the city, but the biggest public display will be at the Circus Maximus. If you are on the other side of town, there will also be a big display at Piazza del Popolo – but be prepared for the crowds. It might be a good idea to find a good vantage point somewhere else (e.g. Ponte Sant’Angelo or Pincio Terrace) and enjoy the fireworks from there!

Public transport:

The metro lines, and certain buses will run until 3:30 in the morning of 1^st January – and there will be the regular night buses running from midnight as well. If you take a taxi, use an app such as ‘Free Now’ so you can see the route of your journey and an approximate price.

Organised events - €€/€€€

If you would prefer to leave the planning to the professionals, then you’ll be glad to hear that there are lots of different venues which offer aperitivo, dinner, music and dancing all in the same place. These range in price from about €100 to approaching €1000!! Check out https://www.capodannoaroma.it/ for the full range of events, plus links to buy tickets.

Some particular recommendations are:

Grand Hotel Flora (Marriott) on Via Veneto: for a beautiful hotel in one of the smartest, most central streets in Rome, look no further. For the very reasonable price of €100, you can enjoy a set menu dinner with two drinks. If you just want to enjoy the dancing after midnight, the cost is €60 and includes two drinks – all organised by Gianluigi, the events’ organiser at ‘LinkinRome’ (https://www.facebook.com/events/rome-marriott-grand-hotel-flora/cenone-di-capodanno-2019-roma-hotel-marriott/340682426723390/). For information, you can email Gianluigi direct on [email protected]
Palazzo Brancaccio, near the Colosseo: for a truly luxurious evening, enjoy a delicious meal and unique art entertainment. Tickets cost €350 – see https://www.palazzobrancaccio.net/new-year-s-eve-2019 for more details
Another fantastic central option is Shari Vari, near the Pantheon which has 4 rooms, each with its own DJ and its own style of music, from Hip Hop to Dance and Electronic music. There is also a set menu if you want dinner before you dance the night away! For more information or to RSVP, contact Marc by email: [email protected]

Don’t forget that if you want to arrange your own dinner somewhere else, you can always just buy a ticket to the disco event at many of these venues. If you want to follow the footsteps of The Beatles, head to the Piper Club in Parioli where a ticket to the disco will cost just €40, with entry after 23:30. The famous band played there in the 1960s!

Italian traditions:

To fully take part in Capodanno, you might want to remember these Italian traditions:

Wear red underwear. This will bring luck to the wearer – both men and women!
Eat lentils and raisins – traditionally thought to bring lots of money next year!
Throw away old things (in Naples, it is not unusual to find pots and pans being flung out of the window)

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Richard

Richard is the founder of Cribmed. He was born and grew up in New Zealand. In his twenties, he traveled and backpacked extensively before finally settling down in Rome, Italy in 2011.