One weekend a year — by now nine days — Rome opens the doors that stay closed for the other 356: architecture studios, rationalist palazzi, architect-designed private homes, institutional headquarters, building sites, rooftops. It is Open House Rome, the architecture festival organised by the association Open City Roma APS within the international Open House network. The 2026 edition, the fourteenth, ran from 16 to 24 May with 220 places, 60 tours and 50 events, all free. 2027 has no date yet: this guide explains how it works, what usually opens and how to use it — outside that weekend too.
This is part of our complete calendar of free museum days; for the FAI Days, which open other private places, see FAI Spring Days.
Two readings from our own network on the same ground: the Roman palaces that open, per ItalyPlanner and the Palazzo Barberini page on EstateRomana. The way we work with tour operators and colleagues is set out in our network manifesto.
When: the expected date for 2027
Open House Rome is held every year in May: in 2026 from the 16th to the 24th, with bookings open from 27 April. For 2027 the date will be announced by the organisers in the first months of the year; the most likely window is the second half of May. Anyone wanting to take part should subscribe to the festival’s newsletter: bookings for the most sought-after places sell out within hours.
How it works
| What | Rule |
|---|---|
| Cost | free; the festival runs on volunteers and donations |
| Booking | required for many places, through the official website, opening a few weeks beforehand; other places on a free-access, queue basis |
| Guides | volunteers and, often, the architects, owners or managers of the buildings themselves |
| Duration | nine days in 2026, with most openings on the two weekends |
| Groups | not provided for: bookings are individual and capacities are small |
What usually opens
- Twentieth-century architecture: rationalist and post-war buildings (from EUR to Flaminio), headquarters of public bodies and companies, works by Moretti, Nervi, Libera, Ridolfi, Piacentini, often never otherwise visitable.
- Private homes and studios: architect-designed apartments, architecture and design studios, artists’ ateliers, with the visit led by those who live or work there.
- Institutional and technical places: ministries, plants, depots, facilities, archives; the city’s “behind the scenes”.
- Contemporary architecture: the MAXXI, the Auditorium, Fuksas’s Nuvola and the new buildings with technical tours.
- Villas and gardens: historic and modern villas outside the centre, often the most requested, such as Moretti’s Villa La Saracena at Santa Marinella, which Open House also offers in special visits outside the festival.
Outside the festival: the special visits
Open House Rome is no longer just a weekend: during the year the association organises visits to special places, paid and limited in number, in architect-designed buildings normally inaccessible — in 2026, for instance, Villa La Saracena, Casa L’Ammonite, the Casa Albero. For those working with foreign guests interested in architecture, they are the most concrete chance to take a client inside a private building with a guide who knows its history.
For the high-end guest
The demanding client does not queue for Open House; but the festival programme is, for the advisor, the best map of Roman owners and institutions willing to open. Many of those buildings — studios, homes, rooftops — open on other dates too, in other ways, for the right guest introduced in the right way. The job is to build that relationship during the year and to propose, in May or in any month, a twentieth-century Rome no tour sells: an aperitivo on the terrace of a rationalist palazzo, dinner in an architect’s home, a visit to the Nuvola behind closed doors.
Frequently asked questions
Is Open House Rome free?
Yes, all festival openings are free; the special visits outside the festival are paid.
Do I need to book?
For many places yes, on the official website, in the preceding weeks; the most requested places sell out within hours.
When is the 2027 edition?
Not yet announced; the festival is held every year in May. We will update the article.
Can groups be brought?
No: bookings are individual and the spaces are small. For a group, the special visits or an agreed private opening are better.
Sources verified on 3 September 2026: Open House Roma – official website (Open City Roma APS); InfoCamere – Open House Roma 2026, XIV edition, 16–24 May. 2027 date and programme not yet official: always check openhouseroma.org.
TourLeaderPro Network — contact us for private architecture visits and bespoke programmes in Rome.