“Er leone morto, le lepri je tirano le basette.”
When the lion is dead, even the hares pull his whiskers.
Buongiorno, Roma! On this day eighty-two years ago, the last German occupiers slipped out of the Eternal City under cover of darkness, and the Allies marched in to find Rome — open city, miraculously intact, its monuments unscarred by the war that had ravaged the rest of Europe. June 4, 1944, is Rome's second birth: the day the city shook off the fascist yoke and began its long walk back into the family of free nations. Today, the anniversary passes quietly — no parades, no speeches — marked only by a wreath at Porta San Paolo and the silent gratitude of a city that knows its own history. This evening, the Stadio Olimpico will roar with a different kind of drama as Marcell Jacobs and Noah Lyles lead a stellar Golden Gala under the floodlights. Thursday in Rome: the past and the present, liberation and competition, memory and joy — all woven into the same Roman sun.
Rome's Stadio Olimpico plays host this evening to the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea, the fourth stop of the 2026 Diamond League and the only Italian leg of the international athletics circuit. The meet features a glittering lineup including Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs in the 100 metres, world champion Noah Lyles, Letsile Tebogo of Botswana, and Italy's own Nadia Battocletti in the 5,000 metres. Eighteen Italian athletes will compete across the programme, with Jacobs facing Lyles and Tebogo in a men's 100 metres that promises to be the most anticipated race on Italian soil since the Rome 2024 Olympics. Shot-put world record holder Ryan Crouser, triple-jumper Andy Diaz, and discus champion Leonardo Fabbri round out the home contingent. 'The Golden Gala is always special,' Jacobs said at Thursday morning's press conference. 'Running in Rome, in front of this crowd, in the stadium where I won Olympic gold — it brings out the best in me.' Gates open at 18:00, with television coverage on Rai 2 from 21:00.
A wreath-laying ceremony at Porta San Paolo this morning marked the 82nd anniversary of Rome's liberation from German occupation on 4 June 1944. The US Fifth Army under General Mark Clark entered the city without a fight after German commander General Albert Kesselring declared Rome an open city, sparing it the Stalingrad-style destruction many feared. A small but solemn gathering of local officials, representatives of veterans' associations, and residents attended the ceremony at the Museo della Liberazione, which occupies the former Gestapo headquarters on Via Tasso. 'Rome was saved not only by the Allies but by the courage of ordinary Romans who resisted, hid fugitives, and kept the city's spirit alive,' said Rome's councillor for memory policies, Giorgio Trabalza. 'We honour them today and every day.' The anniversary coincides this year with the 115th anniversary of the Vittoriano's inauguration on 4 June 1911, the colossal monument to King Victor Emmanuel II that now houses the Museum of the Risorgimento.
Rome's flagship summer festival, Estate Romana 2026, enters its second week with a packed calendar of music, theatre, and open-air cinema across the city. The Lungo il Tevere riverbank market, stretching from Ponte Matteotti to Ponte Mazzini, drew an estimated 40,000 visitors on Wednesday evening alone, with its 150 stalls of artisan crafts, street food, and live music. Meanwhile, the Auditorium Parco della Musica prepares for the Roma Summer Fest's second week, with Cesare Cremonini's two-night Circo Massimo stand opening this Saturday. 'Summer in Rome is about reclaiming public space, the riverbanks, the piazzas, the archaeological parks — all of it becomes a stage,' said cultural councillor Miguel Gotor. The festival also features the return of 'Cinema in Piazza Vittorio', offering free screenings of classic Italian films every Thursday night through August, as well as the popular All'Ombra del Colosseo summer village with its 950 performances programmed through September.
The Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone has announced the full programme for the second half of June as part of Roma Summer Fest 2026. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds will perform on 18 June in what organisers expect to be a sold-out show at the Cavea, followed by Ludovico Einaudi's four-night residency from 19 to 22 June. The Santa Cecilia National Academy's summer season opens on 23 June with Sophocles' Antigone, under the baton of music director Daniel Harding. 'Rome's cultural summer increasingly rivals its ancient heritage as a reason to visit,' said Francesca Cappelletti, director of the Galleria Borghese, which extended its opening hours for the summer season this week. 'The city is alive in every season, but there is something particularly magical about a Roman summer night.'