10 Things to Do in Rome in Spring

Do you want to discover the Italian "Dolce Vita"? Spring is the best time to do so. Rome's parks and gardens are full of flowers, the temperatures are very pleasant and the agenda is marked by one of the most important festivals of the year: Easter in Rome.

Take note of the 10 things you can do in the Italian capital during spring, the most colourful season. You'll be surprised!

To travel to Rome during Holy Week is to witness an ancient celebration. The dates vary from year to year, but it is usually celebrated between March and April. Here is a preview of the main events:

• Palm Sunday: this mass is attended by thousands of pilgrims and is one of the most exciting moments of Holy Week.
• Maundy Thursday: the 'Last Supper' is commemorated.
• Via Crucis on Good Friday: the liturgy of the Passion of the Lord is performed and the impressive Via Crucis is celebrated on the hills of the Palatine Hill.
• Day of recollection on Holy Saturday
• Easter Sunday and the Resurrection of Christ: the Pope celebrates Holy Mass from St. Peter's Square.

If your spring trip does not coincide with Holy Week, you can always book tickets for the Papal Audience to add a more spiritual touch to your trip.

We already know that Rome has the best pizzas and the best ice creams, but did you know about Easter eggs?

Made with chocolate and a symbol of good luck, they are an Easter tradition in Italy. You'll find them in dark chocolate, with liqueur, filled, with a surprise.... There's something for everyone!

During Easter, restaurants also prepare special menus with lamb and savoury cakes. Here are 10 places to eat in Rome so that you can choose the one that most appeals to you.

The "colomba" or Easter dove

Those with a sweet tooth should also try the colomba, the typical Easter cake in Italy, which is shaped like a dove and symbolises peace.

The dough is made with flour, eggs, sugar, yeast, butter, sugar and almonds. There are countless varieties and you'll find it hard to choose just one, as there are coconut, limoncello, sultana... and even piña colada! And even piña colada!

To try everything typical of Easter, it's also a good idea to book a gastronomic tour of Rome so that an expert guide can show you the best of the season.

Can you imagine attending a parade with more than 2,000 gladiators from Ancient Rome? Every year around 21 April the anniversary of the birth of the Italian capital is celebrated: the Natale di Roma with thousands of people dressed in period costume.

You can watch gladiator fights, chariot races and historical re-enactments in the Circus Maximus and the Roman Forum. And if you want to round off your Roman day, I recommend booking a guided tour of the Colosseum with access to the arena.

In addition, the programme includes dances, fireworks, parades and shows all over the city. And if all that fighting gives you an appetite, you can enjoy Roman cuisine.

Spring is the best time to book a guided tour of the Borghese Gallery, one of the most prestigious art galleries in the world and home to great gems by Caravaggio, Raphael and Rubens, among others.

Here is the definitive guide to what to see and do in the Villa Borghese gardens at this time of year, which look like never before!

Its gardens are also worth a visit because it is one of the largest urban parks in Europe and one of the most beautiful. There is even a zoo. The Bioparco zoo, which has more than 100 years of history and is a place dedicated to the conservation of endangered species, is a must if you go to Rome with children!

The best way to enjoy the sights of Rome is to book a boat tour on the Tiber River. At some point during your trip you'll need a little relaxation after hours of walking and sightseeing around the Eternal City.

Spring, with its milder temperatures, is the best season to enjoy this activity.

It will allow you to see the monuments of the metropolis from a different perspective and discover the other side of Rome. And if, after sightseeing, your stomach is rumbling, take a look at the best restaurants in the Italian capital.

In May you can avoid the long queues under the sun to enter art galleries by taking part in the Night of the Museums, an initiative usually held at the end of May, which allows you free entry to art galleries.

If you visit Rome in spring, but do not coincide with this event, I suggest that if you are very hot you take the opportunity to enter one of the museums offered by the city, as they have air conditioning and you will be more comfortable while you know the most important works of Italy.

I recommend you to book a ticket to the Capitoline Museums, considered the first in the world and with more than 2,000 years of history inside.

I recommend a visit to the Municipal Rose Garden, which is home to some 1,100 species of roses from all over the world, even from such exotic places as China and Mongolia.

Among the most curious roses in the Municipal Rose Garden are the Chinensis Virdiflora rose with its intense green petals; the Chinensis Mutabilis rose, which changes colour seven times in five days; or the Foetida rose, a beautiful yellow flower... Stinking!

One of the most interesting areas of the garden is the collection of botanical roses, both ancient and modern, appreciated by visitors for their extraordinary beauty. The cultivated specimens come from all over the world.

Useful information about the Municipal Rose Garden of Rome

• Address: Via di Valle Murcia, 6/ Clivo dei Publicii, 3
• Opening: during spring flowering, end of April.
• Price: 5 € on weekdays and 7 € on public holidays. Disabled persons, children up to 14 years old and seniors over 65 years old are free of charge.

At the end of March, the classic spring marathon takes place, taking advantage of the rising temperatures and pleasant weather to practice this sport, and every year thousands of Italians and tourists take part in this challenge!

You will run past all the emblematic buildings, but at a good pace! The race starts at the Roman Forum and continues to St. Peter's Basilica, Piazza Navona, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps and ends at the Colosseum.

However, if you don't feel strong enough to survive the 42 kilometres, you can join the fun run of four kilometres. Suitable for everyone!

Just 30 kilometres from Rome is the picturesque village of Genzano, located above the Nemi crater. If you travel in late spring, in June, you can attend the celebration of Corpus Christi Sunday (the Inforiata del Corpus Dominus).

Thousands of people come from all over Italy to join the procession and watch the spectacle and flower display.

The main street, Via Benardi, becomes a huge carpet of fresh flowers and petals as local artists create original designs. This celebration has more than 200 years of history - almost nothing!

In the Ninfa Garden you can experience the magic of Japan and see the cherry blossoms in bloom without leaving Italy.

Inside this park, considered by The New York Times as the most beautiful in the world, you will also see apple trees in bloom, magnolias, birch trees and a sensational variety of Japanese maples. It is a paradise on earth!

It is publicly accessible and it is like a fairytale city!

Useful information on Nymph's Garden

• Address: locality Cisterna di latina Via Provinciale Ninfina 68, seventy kilometres from Rome.
• Opening hours: from March to June: 9.00 am - 6.00 pm/ from July to September: 9.00 am - 6.30 pm/ from October to November: 9.00 am - 3.30 pm.
• Price: 15,5€ online ticket. Children up to 12 years old are free and people with disabilities pay a reduced entrance fee of €8.
• Are dogs allowed? Of course!
• How long does the visit last? Approximately one hour.

• March: the minimum temperature is 6°C and the maximum temperature is 15°C.
• April: the thermometer registers temperatures between 9°C and 19°C.
• May: temperatures are between 13 and 23°C.
• June: the thermometer rises, recording minimum temperatures of around 17º C and maximum temperatures of 27º C.

In this season the days are getting longer, we can enjoy more hours of daylight and plans begin to be made in the streets.

• Rome in March: sunrise is at 6.20am and sunset is at 6.20pm.
• Rome in April: the days start to get longer. Sunrise is at 6:30 am and sunset is around 8:00 pm.
• Rome in May: sunrise is around 5:47 am and sunset is around 8:30 pm.
• Rome in June: sunrise around 5.30am and dusk around 9pm.

We have the best of summer: good temperatures, many hours of daylight, but without the heat of the summer season.

Much will depend on whether you travel in March, when temperatures are cool and you'll need to pack a coat, or in June, when the weather is completely summery. But, in general, it is a must:

• Comfortable shoes
• Neckerchief for colder days (March/April)
• An umbrella (there is a 25% chance of rain).
• Short-sleeved T-shirts
• Jacket
• Jacket
• Sun protection and hat
• Shorts