Anantara Concorso Roma Returns in 2026

Last April, I was in Rome ready to attend the beginnings of what promised to be the first big celebration of the city’s automotive elegance: the first Roma Anantara Concorso. The collectors had gathered from around the world, the Piazza della Repubblica has sparkled anticipation, and the marble rooms of the Anantara Palazzo Naiadi were in fullness with conversations of Ferrari, Lancia and Fiat.

But Rome, as he often does, reminded us that tradition is greater than any event. The news of the death of the Pope swept away the eternal city, and with it came the respectful postponement of the competition. The collective heart of the city turned to reflection.

And yet, standing there, I couldn’t help but feel that this break was just a prelude. Rome doesn’t do things halfway. When she makes you wait, it is because something bigger happens.

With new dates taking place, from April 16 to 19, 2026, the Anantara Concorso Roma returns, not reduced but amplified, promising a weekend where Dolce Vita comes to life by realizing the dreams of petrol heads and collectors.

Living story in Palazzo Naiadi

The official host hotel, Anantara Palazzo Naiadi, is not only a place to stay, it is part of the soul of Rome. Going above the old ruins of the Diocletian thermal baths, the nineteenth-century marble palace bent around piazza della repubblica as an amphitheater. Its neoclassical portico welcomes you almost the greatest possible way, welcoming each guest as if you were royalty.

When I crossed its marble corridors this spring, I felt that the layers of Roman history whisper – the emperors once bathed here, centuries before collectors meet to grill Alfa Romeos Vintage on the roof terrace. It is a hotel that is worth checking whether you will attend the competitor or not.

Anantara Concorso Roma

The programming of 2026 can be read as a dream for any automotive passionate, an Italian art gallery and engineering. The Fiat type 12 / 16hp of 1902, one of the first survivors of the dawn of the Italian automobile. A Cisitalia 202 SC Gran Sport 1951 Cabriolet, a rolling sculpture that helped shape the post-war design. And perhaps the most evocative of all, the Ferrari 275p of 1963, a car which embodies the golden age of Italian races.

To see them not in a museum, but rather exhibited in the Bucharest piazza of Villa Borghese or riding in the cobbled streets of Rome, it is to see Italian crafts where it belongs, under the Italian sun, surrounded by centuries of architecture.

A weekend of Dolce Vita

It is not an ordinary competition. It is as much the lifestyle as the cars.

• Wednesday begins with private visits and purchases organized for the first arrivals because in Rome, a tailor or a jeweler workshop can be as emblematic as a Ferrari silhouette.

• Thursday evening, brings a welcome reception on the roof to Palazzo Naiadi, where Prosecco is sure to flow.

• Friday offers a pure theater: the Giro d’Anantara, where the owners descend into the streets, the engines echoing against the old walls, before gathering for dinner in Casina Valadier in the gardens of Villa Borghese.

• Saturday is the day of judgment, punctuated by a reception in champagne, elegant lunches and a dinner in black tie at the Palazzo Brancaccio.

• Sunday ends with prices, culminating in the announcement of Best of Show.

For those who want to immerse themselves, the VVIP packages offer accommodation in Palazzo Naiadi, Gourmet Dining and first access to each rally. The weekend passes with and without accommodation are available, while day passes start at only $ 110 USD, which makes it accessible to anyone wishing to attend this new Roman tradition.