“Chi ha lingua, va a Roma.”
He who has a tongue may go to Rome.
Welcome to Thursday, May 28 — a sizzling late-spring day in the Eternal City, with Rome under Italy's highest-level red heat warning as temperatures push toward 34°C. The Giochi della Gioventù enter their third day of competition, while the Taste of Roma food festival prepares to open this weekend at the Gasometro Ostiense. On this day in 1805, Napoleon was crowned King of Italy in Milan — a coronation that would lead to French rule over Rome itself. The Church celebrates the feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ the Eternal High Priest and St. Bernard of Menthon, patron of mountaineers. Stay hydrated, find some shade, and enjoy the city at its most brilliantly Roman.
Italy's health ministry issued a maximum-level 'red' heat warning for Rome, Florence, Bologna, and Turin on Thursday, with temperatures climbing above 34°C in the centre-north. The warning, the highest on the government's three-tier scale, indicates conditions severe enough to pose a health risk to the general population, not only the elderly or vulnerable. Pescara was placed under an 'orange' medium-high alert, while most of the rest of the country remained under low-level yellow pre-alert. Meteorologists at ilmeteo.it forecast a moderate easing of the heatwave from Thursday afternoon. The Comune di Roma has activated its emergency heat protocol, extending hours at public water fountains (nasoni) and opening air-conditioned cooling centres in select municipal buildings across all 15 municipi.
The city's premier food festival, Taste of Roma, returns for its 2026 edition this weekend from Friday 29 to Sunday 31 May at the iconic Gasometro Ostiense venue. The three-day event gathers chefs from Rome's most celebrated restaurants for tasting stations, live cooking demonstrations, masterclasses, and evening DJ sets. This year's programme places special emphasis on cucina ebraico-romanesca — the culinary tradition of Rome's ancient Jewish community, blending local Roman ingredients with recipes and techniques passed down over 2,000 years. A dedicated section of the festival will explore dishes such as carciofi alla giudia, filetti di baccalà, and ricotta and sour cherry tart. Tickets remain available online and at the gate.
Italy recorded a 17.4 percent increase in foreign tourist arrivals in March 2026 compared to the same month last year, according to data released by national statistics office Istat. The growth caps a strong first quarter, with year-on-year increases of 6.8 percent in January and 11.3 percent in February, averaging a 12.3 percent rise for the quarter overall. Foreign visitors accounted for 54.6 percent of total overnight stays in the period, Istat said, confirming the increasingly dominant role of international tourism in the Italian economy. Rome led among Italian destinations, with hotel occupancy rates in the historic centre exceeding 85 percent in March, driven by early-season cultural tourism and the enduring draw of the Vatican's Jubilee Year events.
The 2026 World Press Photo exhibition, which opened on 7 May at Palazzo delle Esposizioni on Via Nazionale, continues to draw strong attendance as the month draws to a close. The show features the year's most powerful and thought-provoking photojournalism from around the globe, with categories spanning spot news, long-term projects, and the prestigious Photo of the Year award. Extended evening hours are in place on Thursdays and Fridays until 9:30pm, offering visitors a chance to view the works in cooler evening temperatures during the current heatwave. The exhibition runs through late June, with discounted admission for residents of Rome and the Lazio region.