UPDATED: This Weekend in Rome: Oct 28-31

How many Renaissance masters posing as Greek scholars can YOU identify?

Friday: The Rome International Film Festival enters its second day as young, up and coming producer Steven Spielberg rolls into town to present his new animated 3D feature The Adventures of Tin-Tin, based on Herge’s classic French comic.  No news on if the all-star cast of Daniel “007” Craig, Jamie “That kid from Billy Elliot” Bell, Simon “Hot Fuzz” Pegg, Cary “Wesley” Elwes, and Andy “Gollum” Serkis will be in attendance, or just their on-screen, 3D performance capture (think Tom Hanks’ Polar Express) counterparts. Tickets at the Auditorium di Parco della Musica are hard to come by, but you can catch an Italian-dubbed version of the film at The Space Cinema Rome Moderno in Piazza Repubblica starting tonight. The Film Festival continues until next Friday, and offers a few more accessible events as well, so check out our post for more info.

Also, due to a glaring oversight, we originally neglected to mention the Autumn Beer Festival going on tonight at Open Baladin.  Head down to their location just off Campo de’ Fiori for a celebration of autumnal craft beers paired with the cuisine of dough master Gabriele Bonci (of Pizzarium fame).

Saturday: Looking to spooken up your Halloween weekend with a a touch of the macabre? Check out the Capuchin Crypt, where the bones of 4,000 Capuchin monks cover the walls in ornate designs. Even more freaky, it was other monks who did the decorating. Required to go there every night to pray and reflect every evening, the monks left their overall message for those who enter the crypt: “What you are we used to be, what we are you will become.”
Via Veneto 27, open 9-12 and 3-6, closed Thursdays

Sunday: October flew by, and we’re already at the end of the month!  Ease your sorrows at the autumnal transition with free entry at the Vatican Museums. Closed every Sunday but the last of each month, visit the Raphael Rooms and Sistine Chapel (as well as an extraordinary collection of other Renaissance art) between 9am and 2pm (last entry at 12:30). Try and get there around noon to avoid the worst of the lines and maximize your time.

Monday: How do they celebrate Halloween in Rome? Well, if you’re the Irish Club of Rome, it’s with a Halloween Party at that bastion of classy good times – Scholars Lounge.  Check out their Facebook event for more info.  For a different take on Halloween, Prati jazz bar Fonclea is hosting a 50’s themed party – complete with poodle skirts and big band. Groovy.