Twenty-Five Years of Infinito: Raf Hits Palazzo dello Sport

By Alyssa | WhatsOn music and nightlife writer Alyssa tracks the gigs, festivals, club nights and late-late plans worth leaving the house for.

The hum of ten thousand voices rising in unison before the first chord even strikes. The cavernous concrete bowl of the EUR district steeped in electric, crackling anticipation. There is a sheer, undeniable force to a legacy pop arena show in Italy. This October, that stadium-sized energy belongs to Raf as he brings his colossal anniversary tour to the capital.

This isn't just another date on a standard touring schedule; it is a full-throttle celebration of a defining moment in local music history. Marking twenty-five years since the release of his iconic late-nineties album Infinito, the pop maestro is returning to Rome's Palazzo dello Sport for a massive retrospective production. For anyone who grew up with Italian radio dominating their stereo, this is the victory lap of a generation.

Sweeping Synths and Stadium Singalongs

When a record shifts over a million copies and soundtracks the turn of the millennium, its live translation demands total spectacle. Expect blinding laser rigs cutting through the arena haze and a bassline you can feel vibrating right through the soles of your boots. The setlist promises a masterful balancing act of the eras. One minute, you are immersed in the stripped-back, acoustic intimacy of the heartbreak ballads that solidified his legendary status; the next, the tempo kicks up, the heavy nineties synthesisers wash over the standing section, and it morphs into a full-blown dance party. It is high-gloss, high-emotion pop, executed with the kind of polished, unapologetic showmanship only an industry veteran can deliver.

Ten Thousand Backing Singers

An Italian pop concert is never a passive viewing experience—it is a fiercely participatory team sport. There is a specific kind of magic that happens when an entire arena locks arms and belts out a chorus they have known by heart for a quarter of a century. You will be shoulder-to-shoulder with die-hard original fans who bought the CD in 1999, pressed right up against younger crowds swept up in the current wave of nineties nostalgia. The atmosphere in the stalls is fiercely loyal, overwhelmingly warm and incredibly loud. You aren't just watching Raf perform; you are watching an entire venue relive their youth together, note for perfect note.

Know Before You Go

• Arrive early for the bowl: Security queues at the Palazzo dello Sport can snake around the outer concourse, so give yourself plenty of time to clear the gates before the house lights go down.
• Ticket pressure: Anniversary tours for local legends sell out incredibly fast. If you miss the initial drop, keep an eye on verified ethical resale platforms rather than chancing it with touts at the venue doors.
• Metro moves: The arena sits deep in the EUR district. The absolute easiest escape route post-encore is a brisk walk to the EUR Palasport Metro B station, which whisks you straight back toward the city centre.
• Protect your ears: It is a booming, echo-heavy arena show; pack a pair of high-fidelity acoustic earplugs to save your hearing without muddying those soaring vocal melodies.

Make a Weekend of It

Because the arena sits out in the striking, rationalist architecture of the EUR district, it pays to build your evening around the Metro B line that serves it. Before heading south, base your late afternoon around the Colosseum area. Grab an early, relaxed dinner at Ristoro della Salute—their traditional Roman mains and wood-fired pizzas are the perfect, carb-heavy fuel for a night of standing and singing.

If you are making a full weekend out of the gig, you will want to balance the intense arena energy with some classic Roman indulgence. Spend your Saturday wandering the historic centre and duck into Amerina La Pizzetta near Campo de' Fiori for incredible, high-quality mini pizzas on the go. For a more sophisticated pre-show cocktail and exceptional bruschetta, book a table at Vattani Elegant Italian Restaurant & Cocktail Bar near Viminale. Or, to really lean into the local culinary legends before catching a musical one, treat yourself to the famous lasagna Bolognese and prosciutto calzone at Ristorante Alfredo alla Scrofa.

I’ll see you in the stalls—warm up those vocal cords. Alyssa for What's On Rome.