Events and exhibitions not to be missed in March 2026 in Italy

March 2026 is the perfect time to discover Italy through art and culture. With spring just around the corner, cities come alive with new energy, and major exhibitions become ideal travel inspirations. If you’re planning a cultural itinerary, this selection helps you choose the best things to do in Italy in March 2026, blending iconic destinations with lesser-known gems.

From art capitals like Rome, Florence, and Milan to surprising cities such as Brescia, Rovigo, and Perugia, March 2026 offers internationally significant events ideal for a city break or a themed journey. In this guide, you’ll find the things to do in Italy in March 2026 ordered by exhibition end date, so you can plan your trip with ease.

Travelling to Italy in March 2026 offers the chance to immerse yourself in the great names of art. With spring just around the corner, Italy’s art cities take centre stage once again, thanks to major exhibitions and internationally significant events, perfect for those looking for things to do in Italy in March 2026, among iconic destinations and lesser-known gems.

From Rothko to Bernini, from Warhol and Banksy to Van Dyck, Degas and Giotto, exhibitions can become the common thread of cultural experiences that truly add value to a journey, turning a visit into an encounter with history and creativity.

This selection brings together iconic cities and more unexpected destinations, inviting you into historic palaces, outstanding museums and places that tell the cultural identity of Italy. To broaden your view of the year ahead, you can explore further by taking a look at the best events in Italy in 2026.

Between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Liberty marked one of the most fascinating moments in both European and Italian art. The exhibition Liberty. L’arte dell’Italia moderna, hosted at Palazzo Martinengo in Brescia, is an ideal addition to a cultural itinerary exploring a modern, elegant, and surprising Italy.

Paintings, sculptures, graphic art, fashion, and applied arts tell the story of an era of profound transformation, suspended between the drive toward modernity and the rediscovery of craftsmanship. Featuring over one hundred works—many of them little known or previously unseen—the exhibition offers a fresh perspective on Italian art, in dialogue with the major international movements of Art Nouveau.

Venue: Palazzo Martinengo, Brescia

Dates: 24 January – 14 June 2026

Visiting Rome in March can be the perfect opportunity to rediscover the Baroque. The exhibition Bernini and the Barberini, hosted at the National Gallery of Ancient Art in Palazzo Barberini, is a must-see among the things to do in Rome in March 2026 while exploring the city.

The exhibition explores the pivotal relationship between Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Pope Urban VIII, revealing how art, power, and vision shaped Roman Baroque. An engaging journey that enriches visits to Rome’s most iconic landmarks, the show also coincides with the celebrations marking the 400th anniversary of the consecration of St. Peter’s Basilica (1626).

Venue: Palazzo Barberini, Rome

Dates: 12 February – 14 June 2026

If you’re planning a trip to Italy in March, don’t miss the major exhibition Giotto e San Francesco. Una rivoluzione nell’Umbria del Trecento at the National Gallery of Umbria in Perugia—an internationally significant event marking the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi.

The exhibition explores the encounter between Franciscan spirituality and Giotto’s groundbreaking visual language, which transformed European painting by moving from the Byzantine “Greek manner” to a more naturalistic and emotionally engaging style, heralding the dawn of modern art. Featuring over 60 masterpieces by Giotto, Simone Martini, and Pietro Lorenzetti, the exhibition offers a deep immersion into the art and history of the 14th century, enriching any cultural visit to Perugia.

Venue: National Gallery of Umbria, Perugia

Dates: 14 March – 14 June 2026

Among the things to do in Italy in March 2026, the exhibition Regine. Trame di cultura e diplomazia tra Napoli e l’Europa is a must-see for anyone visiting the Royal Palace of Caserta. Hosted in the Grand Gallery, the exhibition brings together over 200 works from leading European museums, highlighting the role of queens as key figures in cultural diplomacy between the 18th century and the early 20th century.

The exhibition weaves together art, politics, and international relations, showing how queens such as Maria Carolina of Austria and Maria Amalia of Saxony helped shape European identities and alliances. A visit that adds depth to a trip to Caserta and completes the UNESCO site experience—ideal for travellers interested in history, power, and culture.

Venue: Royal Palace of Caserta, Caserta

Dates: 20 December 2025 – 20 April 2026

The exhibition Warhol vs Banksy. Passaggio a Napoli is a must-see for anyone interested in contemporary art and the visual languages that have reshaped global culture over the past fifty years. Hosted at Villa Pignatelli, the exhibition brings face to face the iconic, media-driven universe of Andy Warhol with the provocative and anonymous power of Banksy.

Curated by Sabina de Gregori and Giuseppe Stagnitta, the show explores the deep connection between both artists and Naples, a city whose symbolic strength and Mediterranean energy have inspired them in different ways. An ideal stop to include in a cultural itinerary through the Riviera di Chiaia, museums, and historic centre of Naples.

Venue: Villa Pignatelli, Naples

Dates: 16 January – 24 May 2026

For lovers of 20th-century photography, the exhibition Ruth Orkin. The Illusion of Time is an absolute must-see if you’re in Bologna in March 2026. Hosted at Palazzo Pallavicini, it is the most extensive retrospective ever held in Italy dedicated to Ruth Orkin, a key figure in photojournalism and modern visual storytelling.

Curated by Anne Morin, the exhibition features 187 photographs, documents, and original materials that reveal a visual language poised between cinema and still imagery, inspired by the rhythm of everyday life. Iconic series such as A Bike Trip and From Above are shown alongside portraits of Albert Einstein and Alfred Hitchcock, offering an engaging and accessible reading of her work.

An ideal stop to enrich a cultural trip to Bologna, where art, history, and timeless perspectives come together.

Venue: Palazzo Pallavicini, Bologna

Dates: 5 March – 19 July 2026

The exhibition Van Dyck l’europeo. Il viaggio di un genio da Anversa a Genova e Londra is also one of the most significant cultural highlights of 2026. Hosted at the Palazzo Ducale in Genoa, the exhibition traces the international career of Anton van Dyck, an artist who masterfully captured the tastes, power, and sensibilities of 17th-century Europe.

Featuring 58 works on loan from iconic institutions such as the Louvre, the Prado, and the National Gallery in London, the exhibition highlights the central role of Genoa, the city where Van Dyck lived and worked for many years. The itinerary—ranging from portraits to sacred works and monumental masterpieces—enriches a journey through the city and its historic palaces, offering a privileged insight into the European dimension of the Baroque.

Venue: Palazzo Ducale, Genoa

Dates: 20 March – 19 July 2026

Are you passionate about modern and contemporary art? The Mark Rothko exhibition in Florence is sure to impress. Hosted at Palazzo Strozzi, the exhibition is dedicated to Mark Rothko, one of the leading figures of Abstract Expressionism.

The exhibition traces the evolution of his pictorial language, from early figurative experiments to the famous fields of colour capable of evoking deep, contemplative emotions. Seeing Rothko in Florence means adding an immersive experience to your trip—one that engages in a striking dialogue with the city’s Renaissance tradition.

An ideal exhibition for those who want to experience Florence beyond the classic itineraries, combining art history with contemporary sensibility.

Venue: Palazzo Strozzi, Florence

Dates: 14 March – 26 July 2026

The exhibition Anselm Kiefer. Le Alchimiste is a powerful experience, both visually and conceptually. Staged in the Sala delle Cariatidi at Palazzo Reale, the show features more than forty large-scale paintings created to engage directly with a space marked by the city’s historical memory.

Curated by Gabriella Belli, the project weaves together contemporary art, myth, and history, placing at its centre female figures linked to alchemy and the birth of modern scientific thought. Through a material, highly symbolic pictorial language, Anselm Kiefer gives voice to forms of knowledge long overlooked, turning the visit into an immersive experience.

Part of the cultural programme of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, the exhibition is ideal for those looking to discover a contemporary, intense, and unconventional side of Milan.

Venue: Palazzo Reale, Milan

Dates: 7 February – 27 September 2026

The exhibition Etruschi e Veneti. Acque, culti e santuari offers a fascinating journey into the spiritual origins of ancient Italy. Hosted in the Doge’s Apartments at the Doge Palace, the exhibition explores the sacred role of water as a generative, healing, and identity-defining element during the 1st millennium BC.

The exhibition brings into dialogue the Etruscans and the Veneti, two distinct yet deeply interconnected civilizations linked by seas, rivers, and sacred sites. Archaeological finds of exceptional value, many from recent excavations and shown to the public for the first time, reveal religious practices, trade routes, and places of worship, offering a dynamic and surprisingly contemporary vision of the ancient past.

An ideal exhibition for those wishing to enrich their visit to Venice with a thought-provoking cultural experience.

Venue: Doge Palace, Venice

Dates: 6 March – 29 September 2026