The first of may concert is already a tradition in Rome. Every year on this day some of the most famous singers and rock bands in Italy are summoned to the square of Saint John in the Lateran to play to an enthusiastic crowd.

The event, originally planned as a celebration of the workers’ day, is so popular that many people come from towns all over Italy to enjoy a day of music and sight-seeing in the Eternal City. If you want to get a taste of good Italian music and some of the fun that comes with an open-air event like this one, this is your best bet.

This year the featured artist will be Vinicio Capossela, a cult singer well-known in Italy for his strange looks and his re-imagination of Italian folklore. Another interesting names in the cast are Paolo Nutini and Irene Grandi and Carmen Consoli, two great musicians and songwriters. By the way, this year the host of the concert will be a woman for the first time, almosT a hommage to the growing urgence of Italian women to create and participate in all aspects of life.

To get to Saint John’s sqare from Yes Hotel or Hotel Des Artistes: all you have to do is take the red subway line from the Termini station and then get off at San Giovanni. Since some hours before the concert the station is closed, due to the great affluence of attendants you might need to get off one station before, at Manzoni, and then get walking to Saint John’s.