What's Happening in Rome in June

June is the start of the high summer season in Rome, and the Eternal City rings it in right, with some of its most important festivals and events. And while June is a busy month in Rome, you'll still find less dense crowds than in July and August, and milder weather overall.

Here's a list of the top events in Rome in June. Note that June 2, Republic Day, is a national holiday, so many businesses, including museums and restaurants, will be closed.

01 of 07

Republic Day (June 2)

rome tricolore republic day photo — Giorgio Cosulich / Stringer

Republic Day, or Festa della Repubblica, is a big national holiday akin to Independence Days in other countries. It commemorates Italy becoming a republic in 1946, following the end of World War II. A huge parade is held on the Via dei Fori Imperiali and includes a stunning flyover by the Italian Air Force, followed by music in the Quirinale Gardens.

02 of 07

Rose Garden

The city's Rose Garden is open to the public during May and June, usually through about the second or third week of June. The garden is on the Aventine Hill as Via di Valle Murcia 6, not far from the Circus Maximus.

03 of 07

Corpus Domini (Early- to mid-June)

Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, Italy — TripSavvy / Christopher Larson

Exactly 60 days after Easter, Catholics celebrate Corpus Domini, which honors the Holy Eucharist. In Rome, this feast day is typically celebrated with the mass at the cathedral of San Giovanni in Laterano followed by a procession to Santa Maria Maggiore. Many smaller towns hold an infiorata for Corpus Domini, creating carpets with designs made of flower petals in front of the church and along the streets. South of Rome, Genzano is a good town for flower petal carpets, or head north to the town of Bolsena on Lake Bolsena.

04 of 07

Feast of Saint John (San Giovanni, June 23-24)

San Giovanni in Laterano, Rome — TripSavvy / Christopher Larson

This feast is celebrated in the vast piazza in front of the church of San Giovanni in Laterano, the city of Rome's most important cathedral. Traditionally the celebration includes meals of snails (lumache) and suckling pig, plus concerts and fireworks. Snails are part of the tradition as their horns are thought to represent discord and worry – by eating them, you eliminate all your worries for the year.

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05 of 07

Saints Peter and Paul Day (June 29)

A statue of Saint Paul at St. Peter's Basilica — AngMoKio/Wikimedia Commons

Two of Catholicism's most important saints are celebrated on this religious holiday with special masses at Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican and San Paolo Fuori Le Mura. At St. Peter's Square, a massive infiorata display features more than 1 million flowers artfully displayed in designs on the pavement. A spectacular fireworks show over nearby Castel Sant'Angelo closes the festivities.

06 of 07

Lungo il Tevere

"Along the Tiber" is a summer-long festival on the banks of the Tiber (Tevere) River, which runs through Rome. It features a village-like atmosphere of food stalls, pop-up restaurants, arts and crafts vendors, live music and even some kiddie rides and amusements.

Lungo il Tevere is held on the west (Vatican) side of the river and is accessed by stairs leading down to the riverbank. The village is set up between Piazza Trilussa (at Ponte Sisto) and Porta Portese (at Ponte Sublicio). There's an access point for wheelchairs at Lungotevere Ripa.

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