Centro Ottava, music school and ARCI club in Valle Aurelia
In short. Centro Ottava is a music school with a live area that is also an ARCI club.
Centro Ottava is a music school with a live area that is also an ARCI club. It's at Via Francesco dell'Anno 26, in Valle Aurelia, about 50 meters from the Valle Aurelia stop on metro A. Events open to the public take place in the school's spaces. As an ARCI Roma club, the center refers people to online pre-registration for membership on the ARCI portal, and for the nights of a series the operator asks for a free reservation.
The school has been active since 2001, is recognized by the Regione Lazio and is an exam center for Trinity College London. The site describes about 800 square meters dedicated to performance and music production, with a live music area, classrooms, common spaces and a bar reserved for members.
Data checked on October 16, 2026 on the official site of Centro Ottava and on the club's listing on the national ARCI portal.
At a glance: address, nights, entry
- Address: Via Francesco dell'Anno 26, 00136 Rome (Valle Aurelia).
- What it is: music school since 2001 and ARCI club (Centro Ottava APS), with live area, rehearsal room and production studio.
- Nights or schedule: workshops and series. A fixed calendar of nights isn't published by the operator.
- Entry: ARCI card with online pre-registration. Events in the CALL OUT series are free with a reservation.
- How to get there: metro A, Valle Aurelia stop, about 50 meters away. Affiliated garage.
- Official contacts: phone 06 66030001, mobile and WhatsApp 331 5744830, info@centrottava.it, official site.
What Centro Ottava is and what you hear
The center brings together three activities that the site calls training, production and performance. On the teaching side there are courses in voice, piano, guitar, bass, drums, saxophone, violin, music production and songwriting, with paths for all levels, the Junior path for ages 6 to 11 and music basics from 0 to 6 years. On the production side there is the label Ottava Music. The ARCI listing also lists a rehearsal room and recording studio.
The live side comes mostly from the workshops. The formats the site names are the Laboratorio Performance Rock&Pop, the Laboratorio Workshop Rock&Pop, the Laboratorio Workshop Jazz and the Blaq Jam. These are rock, pop and jazz played by students with the band, plus a jam with a name of its own. In our judgment the most common mistake is to treat Centro Ottava as a club with an evening program. It's a school that opens its stage, and the best experience comes when the workshops play or when a series arrives.
This fall the series is CALL OUT, La forma delle emozioni, created with ÈarrivatoGodot APS and AEDON Cultura APS and promoted by Roma Capitale with Zètema Progetto Cultura. It has seven acts from September 25 to October 23, 2026, all free, with subtitled screenings and reservations by email at info@earrivatogodot.it. Centro Ottava hosted the opening, with the photo exhibition Per non perdere il sentire by Daniele Napolitano, and hosts the closing on October 23, dedicated to the Fastidio: the screening of the short film Killer with a talk by Caty Barone and, in the evening, performances by the Collettivo Moleste and Daniele Napolitano. Other acts take place on the staircase of Via Vittor Pisani.
A curiosity about Centro Ottava
Besides instrument lessons, the center issues international certifications. It's an exam center for Trinity College London, the British body that certifies music levels. For a student that means being able to take the exam without leaving the school. On October 31, 2026 the site's calendar also lists a meeting titled Songwriting, Identità Artistica & AI, at Via Francesco dell'Anno location.
Something nobody tells you about Centro Ottava
The bar inside is reserved for members. Without an ARCI card you can't get in. The card is started with the online pre-registration indicated by the site, so do it before the night rather than at the door. A second practical detail: the office answers Monday to Friday, from 14:00 to 20:00, and is the right channel to ask what is open to the public in weeks without a series.
Upcoming events at Centro Ottava
On estateromana.com there is the listing for CALL OUT, il Fastidio, with the screening of Killer on October 23, 2026. The updated calendar, with the CALL OUT closing on October 23 and later meetings, is in the events section of the official site.
How do you get to Centro Ottava?
The easiest way is metro A. The center is about 50 meters from the Valle Aurelia stop. If you come by car, you can use the affiliated garage indicated by the site, though its address and rates aren't published. For the route from your starting point, use the ATAC route planner.
My advice for Centro Ottava
My advice: choose a workshop night or a series date, book when it's required and get the card online a few days earlier. If you're considering a course, a live night is the most direct way to hear how the school's students play and to get to know the spaces before enrolling.
The neighborhood around: Valle Aurelia
Valle Aurelia is an urban area of Municipio XIII, almost all within the Aurelio neighborhood, a short distance from the Vatican. The historic name is Valle dell'Inferno, already on 16th-century maps. For centuries the area lived off brick kilns, and the remains of the Veschi kiln are today an example of industrial archaeology. The area borders the Parco di Monte Ciocci and comes close to the Parco del Pineto. A little farther on, toward the Vatican, are Piazza San Pietro and the Vatican Museums.
Frequently asked questions about Centro Ottava
Do you need an ARCI card to get into Centro Ottava?
Centro Ottava is an ARCI club and the site refers people to an online pre-registration for membership on the ARCI portal. The bar inside is reserved for members. For the nights of the CALL OUT series, events are free with a reservation by email. For other events, ask the office if the card is needed.
What kind of music do you hear?
The workshops the site names are rock, pop and jazz: Laboratorio Performance Rock&Pop, Laboratorio Workshop Rock&Pop, Laboratorio Workshop Jazz. Then there is the Blaq Jam, a jam with a name of its own. During CALL OUT the program mixes concerts, screenings, exhibitions and talks.
Does Centro Ottava offer courses for children?
Yes. The site lists the Junior path for children ages 6 to 11 and music basics for the 0 to 6 age group, alongside courses for adults in instruments, voice, music production and songwriting. For schedules, costs and the calendar for the year, write to info@centrottava.it or call the office.
What is the nearest metro stop?
Valle Aurelia, on line A. According to the site the center is about 50 meters from the exit. As an alternative to a private car parked on the street, the site notes an affiliated garage.
When does the office answer?
Monday to Friday, from 14:00 to 20:00, at the numbers 06 66030001 and 331 5744830, also on WhatsApp, or at the address info@centrottava.it. The ARCI portal also lists the address direzione@centrottava.it for the Centro Ottava APS club.
Article written by the editorial team of Tour Leader Pro, contact them for Private/Corporate/V.I.P. Tours and Experiences.
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