There are brilliant new events going on in the world this year, and at the start of 2025 we at Time Out handpicked the most exciting of the bunch.
On the list there’s a brand-new adventure trail in Australia, the re-opening of a legendary institution for Black art in New York and a dazzlingly restored vintage steam train that will whisk you around Vietnam, however, topping the list was visiting the Italian capital for its once-every-quarter-century Jubilee.
There are tonnes of events happening across Rome throughout the year, but one we’re particularly excited for is an enormous retrospective of the work of ‘Baroque master’ Caravaggio.
Born Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, we don’t know a lot about the artist’s early life, but his work – which was mostly produced in Rome and is characterised by intense realism and the use of everyday people as subjects – made him one of the most influential artists of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.
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No wonder there’s such hype around this exhibition. It opened on March 7 and will be running until July 6 at the Palazzo Barberini, and includes 24 works on loan from a bunch of international collections, ranging from celebrated masterpieces to recently rediscovered paintings.
Some of these are Judith and Holofernes, Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness and Saint Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy – three pieces that were commissioned by banker and patron of the arts at the time, Ottavio Costa.
In addition to the 24 works on display at the Palazzo Barberini, Caravaggio’s only known ceiling painting will also open for visitors to view for the first time. It’s on display at Casino di Villa Boncompagni (better known as Villa Aurora).
The mural was only uncovered in 1968 and depicts an allegorical scene of Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto. Only small groups of up to 20 people at a time will be allowed to view the painting, which will be on display on Saturdays and Sundays from March 29 through to July 6. Visitors must have a Caravaggio 25 exhibition ticket – make sure you reserve a spot in advance.
While you’re here, check out our guide to the best things to do in Rome.
Did you see that this underrated European country has been named the world’s top wellness destination?
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