Whether with the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in the background, along the historic streets of Trastevere, or in one of Rome’s many public squares, watching a film outdoors is perhaps what makes summer the most eagerly awaited season of the year in the city. For decades, free open-air cinema screenings have been deeply embedded in Rome’s cultural life.

One of the most significant references of this tradition today is "Cinema in Piazza," which is holding its 12th edition this year from May 28 to July 25. The event has been organized every summer since 2015 by the Piccolo America Foundation.

Founded in September 2014, the Piccolo America Foundation grew out of a youth collective formed around 2011 by students in Rome who sought to create alternative cultural spaces. Over the years, Piccolo America has become a key cultural actor in the city, best known for Cinema in Piazza, now one of Rome’s most significant open-air film initiatives.

"We do this for love. The foundation is nonprofit,” says Mario Dante, a member of the Piccolo America Foundation.

The initiative brings thousands of people together in public squares, turning film screenings into a collective experience. "Cinema in Piazza" has hosted major figures from Italian and international cinema, including Roberto Benigni, Isabella Rossellini, Ian McKellen and Asghar Farhadi.

"The collective dimension of watching a film is something that will never disappear. We will always need it, because watching a film shoulder to shoulder and simply exchanging impressions – during and after the screening – is an essential part of experiencing a work like this.”

Cinema in Piazza not only promotes Italian cinema. By screening films from many different countries in their original language, it broadens its audience and draws attention to cinema's international dimension. "It’s an exchange,” Dante adds. "Cinema In Piazza allows us to discover our own cinematic culture, as well as the film cultures of other countries.”

The screenings also create space for public discussion around social issues. "Over the years, we have organized many debates, before and after the screenings, on topics such as humanitarian corridors, the right to asylum, the conditions of Italian prisons and the Palestinian genocide,” Dante explained. "Cinema becomes a way to address these issues in a serious yet shared and cohesive manner, even through entertainment”

This tradition of free open-air cinema, however, is neither exclusive to Rome nor an invention of Piccolo America. Similar initiatives exist across the city – such as those organized by Casa del Cinema – and throughout Italy, from Sotto le stelle del Cinema in Bologna to Arena in Naples and Un’estate al cinema in Turin.

The origins of open-air cinema in Rome can be traced back to Renato Nicolini (1942-2012), who worked as Rome’s Councillor for Culture between 1976 and 1985. Conceived by Nicolini, the Estate Romana (Roman Summer) initiative was launched on Aug. 25, 1977, at the Basilica of Massenzio in Rome, with a free screening of Senso by Luchino Visconti. "Cinema entered this enormous basilica,” Dante notes, "and people brought their own chairs from home to watch the film. Through that screening, a sharing of culture took place ”

These free open-air film screenings in Rome highlight the importance of collective gathering and access to culture. The packed public squares also serve as a reminder that, even in an era when cinema is increasingly digital and driven by streaming platforms, the traditional, shared experience of film viewing continues to endure.