Settimana della Cultura: Play the Culture Week Game

Good morning, Rome! Set your alarms early for Saturday April 14th because you’re about to play Culture Week, 8 interactive days of free cultural sites, monuments and museums through out the Italian peninsula and islands.  Okay, it’s not really a game, more an incentive by the Ministry of Culture to get people– whether locals or tourists– off the caffe chair and into a museum.  However, a few years back, I invented a little healthy competition with some culturally enhanced friends where Culture Week meant we would voraciously visit every museum we’ve ever desired, yet not necessarily had the wallet to finance.  At the end of the week, we’d throw down our free entry tickets much as much intensity as Patrick Bateman in the infamous business card scene (at 1:29), and winner literally took all.

So as not to confuse, Culture Week is primarily for  state-run cultural sites and also includes events such as organized concerts and performances.  Yes, there is a bit of a groan because the Colosseum/Roman Forum ticket is deliberately excluded from the free entrances this year.  However, that double-header ticket seems a reasonable price to pay if everything else is free and Italy is trying to save some pennies culturally.  For Lazio and Rome Culture Week info:  take a look at this list of free sites/events in the Region of Lazio .  In addition, Comune di Roma (City of Rome) organizes events (other local governments do as well).  For information about civic museums participating in Culture Week, visit  Musei In Comune, and also click  here for event listings.

Are you ready to play the Culture Week game? Though the only rule is to get yourself into as many museums as possible, here are some guidelines to racking up as many points as possible:

• Accumulate points by . . . Visiting as many sites as possible and document– photos, instagram, twitter, who cares
• Get Bonus lives by . . . visiting off-beat, unknown and out-of-zone sites like a trip changing visit to Caserta, or listening to a concert at the Casa del Jazz.
• Lose a Life by . . . not paying attention.  Some cultural attractions are privately financed and not subject to the free entrances as deigned by the Ministry of Culture.

My plans? Well, life isn’t always about the ancient so expect to find me traipsing about the Museo Napoleonico, enjoying some modern sculpture at the Museo Manzu, investigating Teatro Argentina, or finally figuring out what the Museo Pietro Canonica is all about.