Starting today, during the hottest hours of the day, people in Rome will be able to seek free refuge at the movies. The “The Big Chill,” a project promoted by the City of Rome that, through August 4, will make eleven movie theaters in the capital available as air-conditioned spaces open to the public.
The initiative is part of the city’s Heat Plan and is a response to a phenomenon that, year after year, is having an increasingly significant impact on urban life: heat waves caused by the climate crisis.
Culture and Wellness in the Same Room
The free screenings will take place during the middle of the day, when the risk associated with high temperatures is greatest. This is a way to provide a cool environment, as well as an opportunity to transform cultural venues into community spaces where people can spend a few hours together—especially for seniors, vulnerable individuals, and residents who stay in the city during the summer.
The participating theaters are located in various neighborhoods, from the city center to the outskirts, ensuring widespread coverage of the area. The program features daily screenings of recent Italian films, with free admission while seats last.
Adaptation also involves public spaces
The project is part of a strategy that is increasingly focused on climate adaptation. While reducing emissions remains essential to combating global warming, cities must simultaneously prepare to cope with increasingly long and scorching summers. Expanding the network of so-called climate shelters is one of the measures recommended at the international level to protect the population during episodes of extreme heat.
In addition to movie theaters, the “Piano Caldo” initiative also includes eleven municipal libraries, where visitors can relax in air-conditioned spaces, read, participate in cultural activities, and drink water. Two additional public spaces will be open for the occasion: the Squarzina Hall at the Teatro Argentina and the auditorium at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni.
The goal is to transform existing spaces within the urban fabric into a widespread safety net that combines security, culture, and social interaction. This model seeks to address the climate emergency by enhancing public spaces and making them accessible precisely when they are needed most.
