Zero Assoluto at Palazzo dello Sport in Rome, December 4, 2026

Zero Assoluto play Rome on Friday, December 4, 2026, at Palazzo dello Sport in EUR, Piazzale Pier Luigi Nervi 1, 00144 Rome (the same building also appears in directories as Piazzale dello Sport 1). You get there with Metro line B, getting off at the EUR Palasport stop or at EUR Fermi, and from Termini line B takes you here with no changes. It's the second and last date of the 2026 arena tour, after the October 20 one at Unipol Forum in Assago. The concert is produced by A1 Concerti. Tickets are sold on the presale circuit authorized by the organizers and at the usual sales points. The prices of the different sections are published by the authorized reseller listed by the organizers, as is the start time printed on the ticket. The duo is the same as ever: Matteo Maffucci and Thomas De Gasperi, Romans, deskmates at the Giulio Cesare classical high school.

The order is this: first the concert and the artists, then Nervi's hall, then the neighborhood, transportation, dinner, the way back. If you already have your ticket in your pocket, you'll find the practical information right away in the chapters on getting there and on the night. If you're still deciding if to go, the duo's story gives you the most honest answer. A clear premise: this is a concert for people who were 15 or 20 in 2006, and know it. There's nothing wrong with that. In fact, that's exactly its strength.

Zero Assoluto at Palazzo dello Sport: what we know about the December 4 concert

The December 4, 2026, Rome concert was announced by Zero Assoluto on March 1, 2025, from the stage of Unipol Forum in Assago, together with the Milan one on October 20, 2026. 21 months in advance is a lot for an Italian pop duo, and it's a sign: the Milan night had worked, the audience had sung from start to finish, and the organizers decided to double up by choosing the two largest arenas in the two cities that matter for Italian pop.

The announcement from the Assago stage

On the night of March 1, 2025, the duo was holding a special event at Unipol Forum called “Milano Canta gli Zero Assoluto”. The press release issued the next day describes a concert turned into a collective experience, with the audience singing along with the two Romans to songs like “Svegliarsi la mattina”, “Semplicemente”, “Per dimenticare”, “Grazie” and “Sei parte di me”. At the end came the two new arena dates: Milan on October 20, 2026, Rome on December 4, 2026. Presales opened right away.

Two dates, two cities

The 2026 calendar has two concerts in all. Milan opens, Rome closes. For a pair of artists born at the desks of a high school in the Trieste neighborhood, the choice of closing at home needs no explanation. The Rome date falls on a Friday, and that has practical consequences I deal with further on: rush-hour traffic, a crowded metro, EUR restaurants full before 20:00.

Who produces the concert

Zero Assoluto's concerts are produced by A1 Concerti, the same agency that handled the fall 2024 club tour, the night at the Forum and the duo's first London date. For official information on sections, entry procedures and any program changes, the reference is still the organizers and the presale circuit they indicate.

One date, no extra show announced

At the time of the announcement no extra Rome shows were announced. If you're thinking of waiting for a second night, as happens with other artists who stay several days at EUR, you're making a risky bet. The advice is simple: if you want to be there, get your ticket now and choose your section calmly, instead of chasing the last seats left in November.

Who Zero Assoluto are: two classmates from Giulio Cesare

Zero Assoluto are a Roman pop group formed by Thomas De Gasperi and Matteo Maffucci, who met at the desks of the Giulio Cesare state classical high school in Rome. Everything starts there: the friendship, the first music, a way of writing songs that tells the daily life of Roman kids with simple, direct, often ironic language. The tour press release puts it in a phrase I agree with: they combined pop and songwriting, telling their daily lives in their lyrics.

The desks of Giulio Cesare

Giulio Cesare is one of the city's historic classical high schools, and its appearance in the duo's biography isn't a press office detail. All of Zero Assoluto's early imagery is Roman, middle class and teenage: parties, scooters, stories that ended badly, coming home at dawn. Matteo Maffucci is the son of Mario Maffucci, who was director of the Sanremo Festival from 1982 to 2000. For this boy, the Festival was first a piece of home and then a stage to conquer.

From Roman hip hop to pop

The duo's first steps happened on the Roman hip hop scene, with the song “In due per uno zero” released on the compilation “Nati per rappare vol. 2”. The taste for the spoken word more than the sung one, the rhythm of speech, would stay in their pop afterward too, and came back explicitly in 2011 with the album “Perdermi”, which brings back pop rap sounds. If you listen carefully, you can still hear that root today: short phrases, internal rhymes, verses that sound like conversations.

Ultimo capodanno and Totti's ball

The debut single came out in 1999 and is called “Ultimo capodanno”, sung with rapper Chef Ragoo. The record also has “Mi casa es su casa”. Roma players appear in the video, the team both of them support: in the clip Francesco Totti kicks a ball that rises into space and destroys a meteorite headed for Earth. It's a naive and irresistible image, and it says a lot about their bond with the city. The single “Zeta A” followed.

The years of paying dues

In 2001 “Come voglio” came out, with Sarah Felberbaum in the video. In 2002 the collaboration with producers Danilo Pao and Enrico Sognato began, which would be decisive for the sound of the following years. In 2003 came “Magari meno” and “Tu come stai”. They're singles fans today know by heart, but back then they circulated mostly on the radio and among friends: the big audience had yet to arrive.

From 2004 to 2007: the years Zero Assoluto ruled the charts

Between 2005 and 2007 Zero Assoluto lined up “Semplicemente”, “Svegliarsi la mattina”, the best-selling single of 2006 in Italy, and “Sei parte di me”, plus the duet with Nelly Furtado. Few Italian groups of the decade had a run like that, and the December 4 concert is built precisely on this repertoire.

Scendi and Mezz'ora

In 2004 the single “Mezz'ora” came out, ahead of the first album “Scendi”. The record also includes “Magari meno” and “Tu come stai”. From it came “Minimalismi”, which did well compared with the earlier singles. It's the album that sets the duo's identity: short songs, melodies easy to sing in chorus, lyrics that speak to a specific generation.

Semplicemente, rejected by Sanremo

In summer 2005 came “Semplicemente”. The song had been left out of that year's Sanremo Festival. It hardly mattered, because it stayed on the charts for 30 consecutive weeks, peaked at number two and earned the duo double platinum. It's the song that turned them from a Roman cult group into a national name. Every time they play it live, the crowd takes over from the first notes.

Svegliarsi la mattina, the single of the year

At the 2006 Sanremo Festival, Zero Assoluto competed in the Groups category with “Svegliarsi la mattina”. The song placed second in its category and reached the final, which that year admitted only eight finalists out of 30 entrants. On the Friday night dedicated to duets the duo sang with Niccolò Fabi, another Roman. The single reached the top of the weekly chart, stayed there eight weeks, remained in the top 10 for 25 weeks, until August 18, 2006, and went triple platinum. It's the best-selling single of the year in Italy.

Sei parte di me and Festivalbar

After Sanremo came “Sei parte di me”, which reached number one on July 7, 2006, and returned there on August 18 for two more weeks, going double platinum. With this song the duo took part in Festivalbar 2006 and won the Breakthrough of the Year award. In 12 months, then, three songs that anyone who turned on a radio back then can still hum.

Nelly Furtado and Appena prima di partire

In fall 2006 Zero Assoluto dueted with Nelly Furtado on “All Good Things (Come to an End)”, released as a bonus track on the Italian edition of the Canadian singer's album “Loose”. The collaboration continued at Sanremo 2007: the duo brought “Appena prima di partire” and on the night of Thursday, March 1, performed it with Furtado. The song finished ninth. On March 2, 2007, the album of the same name came out, with “Semplicemente”, “Svegliarsi la mattina”, “Sei parte di me” and eight new songs: in little more than a month it went platinum, with over 100,000 copies sold. In Germany and France “Win or Lose (Appena prima di partire)” then came out, the international version with Furtado.

The 2007 tour and the Notte bianca

In mid-May 2007 Zero Assoluto Live began, over 40 dates around Italy. On May 25 “Meglio così” came out, the fifth single from the album. On September 8, 2007, the duo played Rome, at Piazza di Siena, inside Villa Borghese, for the Notte bianca, in a concert that started at 6:00 in the morning. Those who were there remember it as one of those things that happened in Rome only in those years.

Radio, television, cinema: Zero Assoluto beyond the records

For years Zero Assoluto were also radio and TV hosts, with “Suite 102.5” on RTL 102.5 and the quiz show “Vale tutto” on MTV. It's a part of their story that explains their familiar relationship with the audience: for many fans they were familiar voices even before they were singers.

Suite 102.5 and Da Zero a 101

Fame came from radio before records. On RTL 102.5 the two hosted “Suite 102.5”, on air from 21:00 to midnight and also broadcast on the station's TV channel: anecdotes, news, chats with listeners invited to call in on a topic proposed by Matteo and Thomas. The show ended in January 2008. From September 1 of that year they were back on the radio on R101 with “Da Zero a 101”. Already in 2004 they had made their TV debut hosting “Terzo piano, interno B” on Hit Channel.

Vale tutto on MTV

From October 15, 2007, they hosted “Vale tutto”, the first quiz show aired on MTV. In one episode they became contestants themselves. On November 16 of the same year the DVD “Zero Assoluto Extra” came out, with almost all the music videos, backstage footage, live footage, interviews and the video for “Appena prima di partire” with Nelly Furtado.

Federico Moccia's soundtracks

Three songs from “Appena prima di partire”, namely “Seduto qua”, “Semplicemente” and “Quello che mi davi tu”, made it onto the soundtrack of “Scusa ma ti chiamo amore”, the film based on Federico Moccia's novel. The film also has a scene shot during the September 29, 2007, concert in Caserta. In 2010 the duo did the soundtrack of the sequel, “Scusa ma ti voglio sposare”, and “Per dimenticare” became its signature song. For a generation the two things, Moccia's films and Zero Assoluto's songs, are inseparable.

Matteo Maffucci's books

Matteo Maffucci also has a literary output: “Ore a caso” with Giacomo Beck in 1998, “Ultimo stadio” with Sergio Colabona in 2001, then for Rizzoli “Spielberg ti odio” in 2007, “Cascasse il mondo” in 2008, “La traiettoria casuale dell'amore” in 2013 and “Prometto a me stesso la felicità” in 2021. On April 7, 2009, the duo published together “Sotto una pioggia di parole. Appunti disordinati di un disco”, the diary kept on the official website while making the album of the same name.

Zero Assoluto's discography, album by album

Zero Assoluto have released six studio albums: “Scendi” (2004), “Appena prima di partire” (2007), “Sotto una pioggia di parole” (2009), “Perdermi” (2011), “Alla fine del giorno” (2014) and “Di me e di te” (2016). After 2016 the duo chose the path of singles, one or two a year, often in collaboration.

The album Sotto una pioggia di parole (2009)

The third album came out on May 22, 2009, preceded by “Per dimenticare”, which became a summer hit and earned the duo another gold record. A tour of over 45 concerts followed. In October “Cos'è normale” came out, with Tiromancino. The record also contains a song every Roman should hear at least once: “Roma che non sorridi quasi mai”. In the same period “Grazie” came out, the third single, which went straight to the top of the digital charts. 2009 ended with the New Year's Eve concert in Rome together with Antonello Venditti, in front of the Colosseum.

The album Perdermi (2011)

The fourth album came out on May 31, 2011, preceded by “Questa estate strana”. It's the record where the duo returns to pop rap sounds, a return to their hip hop roots that early fans appreciated more than critics did. The album also produced “Perdermi” and “Se vuoi uccidimi”.

The album Alla fine del giorno (2014)

In January 2014 “All'improvviso” came out, followed on April 14 by “Adesso basta”. The fifth album, “Alla fine del giorno”, hit stores on September 9, 2014. The record also produced “Un'altra notte se ne va”. On July 3, 2015, “L'amore comune” came out, chosen as the song of the 2015 2016 Serie B: for two Roma fans, a curious soccer detour.

The album Di me e di te (2016)

On December 13, 2015, Carlo Conti announced Zero Assoluto among the Big artists of the 66th Sanremo Festival, the 2016 edition, with “Di me e di te”. The song didn't make the final, but it previewed the sixth album, which has the same title. The singles “Una canzone e basta”, “Eterni” and “Il ricordo che lascio” followed. Then four years of recording silence.

The comeback: from Gazzelle to 5cm

In 2020 Zero Assoluto came back with “Fuori noi”, together with Gazzelle, and “Cialde”, written with Colapesce: it's the start of the duo's second life, the one that leads all the way to Palazzo dello Sport. The interesting point is who sought them out: artists from the new Roman and Italian scene who grew up with their songs.

Fuori noi, Cialde, Astronave

“Fuori noi”, with Gazzelle, came out on July 24, 2020, and “Cialde”, written with Colapesce, on October 16. In 2021 came “Astronave”, again written with Gazzelle and produced by Federico Nardelli, and also in 2021 “Notti amarcord” with Peter White. In 2022 “Psicologia sociale” came out, in 2023 “Sardegna”. The tour press release describes the duo as the big brothers of the new pop scene, and I find the definition accurate: not fathers, big brothers, the ones who opened the road with less solemnity.

Fabrique and Palazzo dello Sport in 2023

On May 20, 2023, Zero Assoluto returned to the stage after six years, with a special concert at Fabrique in Milan. On November 12, 2023, they played Palazzo dello Sport in Rome. So the December 4, 2026, concert isn't a debut in the EUR hall: it's a return, three years later, with an audience that has grown in the meantime.

Clubs, the Forum, London

In 2024 the duo set off again with a summer tour and then a club tour: October 10 Turin, Hiroshima. October 24 Florence, Viper Theatre. October 25 Verona, The Factory. October 26 Bari, Demodé. On March 1, 2025, came the special event at Unipol Forum in Milan, and on March 12, 2025, the first concert in London, at Oslo Hackney, which the press release presents as a return to their origins, in a more intimate setting, to tell the story of 20 years of career.

5cm, the 2025 single

The new single “5cm” came out on Friday, February 28, 2025, and was presented live at the Forum the next day. According to what the duo told the press, it was born from a text message conversation and recalls a carefree time among friends and parties. The five centimeters of the title are the distance between two people before a kiss. The press release presents it as a piece of a new musical project and the start of a new phase of their career.

What to expect from Zero Assoluto's concert in Rome

The official setlist for the December 4 concert hasn't been published. The repertoire of Zero Assoluto's recent nights revolves around “Svegliarsi la mattina”, “Semplicemente”, “Per dimenticare”, “Grazie” and “Sei parte di me”. They're the five songs the Forum press release names as high points, and it's hard to imagine a Rome night without them.

The repertoire the audience knows

The Forum concert was built, according to the presentation release, as a musical story through the songs that marked the stages of their career. The duo's catalog has enough well-known songs to fill two hours without a dip: “Mezz'ora”, “Magari meno”, “Minimalismi”, “Quello che mi davi tu”, “Meglio così”, “Appena prima di partire”, “Perdermi”, “All'improvviso”, and then recent singles like “Cialde”, “Fuori noi”, “Astronave”, “Psicologia sociale”, “5cm”. Which ones will really make it, we'll find out that night.

The nostalgia-effect staging

The press release on the Milan night talks about a “nostalgia effect” experience, with sets, LED walls, projected images and colors strongly recalling the early 2000s. It's a stated and consistent choice: the duo doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it was. In an arena as big as Palazzo dello Sport, where the distance from the stage can be considerable, the screens make a concrete difference for those sitting in the upper rings.

What hasn't been announced

No guests, openers or concert length have been announced. If you read detailed setlists elsewhere, know that they're guesses built on previous nights. Better to arrive without lists in your head. The beauty of a concert like this is the moment a song starts that you'd forgotten you knew by heart.

Who this concert is for

It's a concert for people between 30 and 45 who want to spend an evening singing without a care. It's also a concert for those with older siblings who listened to “Svegliarsi la mattina” in the car and inherited those songs. It's not a concert for those looking for instrumental virtuosity or sonic experimentation: Zero Assoluto never promised that, and they don't promise it now.

A curious fact about Zero Assoluto at Palazzo dello Sport in Rome, December 4, 2026

In the video for their first single, “Ultimo capodanno” from 1999, Zero Assoluto had Francesco Totti appear and, with one kick, send a ball into space to destroy a meteorite heading for Earth. It's one of the most Roman images ever to end up in a pop music video, and it tells better than any interview where Matteo Maffucci and Thomas De Gasperi come from.

In 1999 the two were kids with a song sung together with a rapper, Chef Ragoo, and a very clear idea of their identity: Romans, Roma fans, children of a city they looked at with affection and irony. Involving Roma players in their debut video was a gesture of belonging more than a promotional gimmick. The ball rising past the atmosphere is a stadium hyperbole, the kind of exaggeration Romans use to talk about the things they really love.

The curiosity takes on a special flavor when you think about the concert venue. Palazzo dello Sport was built for the 1960 Rome Olympics: a building designed for sport that for decades has mostly hosted music. Two kids who put Roma's captain in their first video return, more than 25 years later, to an Olympic arena. For once, the circle really closes.

There's a second detail few remember. In 2015 the duo wrote “L'amore comune”, chosen as the song of the 2015 2016 Serie B. Two Roma fans lending a song to the second division: this too is a small irony in their story, and it shows how much soccer has stayed on their horizon. If you go to the concert with a Roma scarf in your backpack, in short, you won't be out of place.

Palazzo dello Sport in EUR: Pier Luigi Nervi's hall

Palazzo dello Sport in Rome was designed by Pier Luigi Nervi with Marcello Piacentini for the 1960 Rome Olympics, and it's in the EUR district, at Piazzale Pier Luigi Nervi 1. It's the city's big indoor arena, where the arena tours of all the main Italian artists and many international ones pass through.

Nervi and Piacentini for the 1960 Olympics

Pier Luigi Nervi was the engineer who most turned reinforced concrete into an expressive material, and in Rome the 1960 Olympics were his great building site. Marcello Piacentini, who had led the urban plan for EUR, designed the building with him. The result is a building that from outside reads as a large glazed volume topped by a dome, and from inside as a single enveloping hall. If you love architecture, it's worth arriving a little early and looking at it calmly before going in.

Palaeur, PalaLottomatica, Palazzo dello Sport

Over the decades the hall has changed its name several times. In the 1980s Romans called it Palaeur, and under this name it appears in the concert archives of Bob Dylan for June 1984 and October 3, 1987. In 2011 it was called PalaLottomatica. Today it has gone back to its original name, Palazzo dello Sport, but many Romans keep using the one they went with the first time. When someone tells you to meet outside the Palaeur, they're talking about the same place.

Who runs the hall

The venue contacts listed by the City of Rome tourism portal are the numbers 06 540901 and 02 488571 and the email address of the management company, All Events. These are the contacts to use for questions about the venue itself, for example on accessibility. For the concert, what the organizers announce always applies.

Something nobody tells you about Zero Assoluto at Palazzo dello Sport in Rome, December 4, 2026

Palazzo dello Sport has two Metro B stops within walking distance, EUR Palasport and EUR Fermi, and for the way back after the concert the second is almost always the better choice. EUR Fermi is about 530 meters as the crow flies from the hall: a short walk, which many people ignore because the name of the first stop seems made for the purpose.

The logic is simple. At the end of the concert thousands of people come out together and head for the stop named after the arena. The line forms right away, the turnstiles slow down, and the first trains leave full. A 10-minute walk to EUR Fermi is often worth a train caught earlier and a seat. It's not a mathematical rule, because it depends on how the crowd flows out that night, but at EUR it's the most sensible choice.

There's a second detail that confuses those booking taxis or cars with drivers: the address. The concert materials and the maps use both Piazzale Pier Luigi Nervi 1 and Piazzale dello Sport 1. It's the same building. When you give the address to a driver, always add “Palazzo dello Sport, EUR”: you'll avoid a pointless loop around the square.

Third and last: it's Friday night. On December 4, line B also carries people coming home from work, and at the EUR Nuvola Più libri più liberi, the small and medium publishers' fair, opens that very day. If you arrive by car you'll find the neighborhood busier than usual. Leave earlier than you think.

How to get to Palazzo dello Sport for the Zero Assoluto concert

The easiest way to reach Palazzo dello Sport is Metro line B, with the EUR Palasport and EUR Fermi stops. From Termini no changes are needed. Everything else, car included, is a second choice on a concert night.

By metro

Line B connects Termini station to EUR directly: get on toward Laurentina and get off at EUR Palasport, or at EUR Fermi, the next or previous stop depending on where you're coming from. If you're coming from line A, change at Termini. If you're coming from the Castelli or the south side by other means, you can catch line B at the interchange stations. One recommendation: check the time of the last train that same evening, because Rome metro schedules on weekends can change.

By car

EUR is well connected by Via Cristoforo Colombo and the Grande Raccordo Anulare, but on a concert night the traffic around the arena builds up fast, both on arrival and on the way out. If you choose the car, factor in the time to find a spot in the area's parking zones and the time, often longer, to get going again. Respect the no-parking signs: towing on event nights isn't a legend.

By taxi and rental car

A taxi works well on the way there. On the way back requests all pile up in the same 15 minutes, and the wait can be long. The solution I recommend is to move a few hundred meters away from the hall before calling, or take the metro for two or three stops and call from there.

From outside Rome

If you arrive by train at Termini, you have the easiest option: line B direct. If you arrive at Roma Ostiense or Piramide, you can take line B from there, toward Laurentina. If you're coming from Fiumicino airport by regional train, you can get off at Ostiense and continue by metro. If you're staying outside the city, plan the late-night trip back in advance, not at 23:00 on the sidewalk.

My tip for Zero Assoluto at Palazzo dello Sport in Rome, December 4, 2026

Get to EUR at least an hour and a half before the start, have a light dinner in the area and walk to the hall without rushing. A concert like this is enjoyed from the first song, and the first song is often the one fans are waiting for most.

Palazzo dello Sport is a big hall, and getting in takes time: ticket checks, security checks, finding your section. If you arrive at the last minute, you risk hearing the start of the concert from the stairs. If you arrive early, on the other hand, you have time to find your seat, to look at Nervi's dome from the inside and to enjoy the wait, which at sing-along concerts is part of the show.

The second part of my tip: choose your section based on how you want to experience the night. The floor is for those who want to sing standing up, close to the stage, squeezed among other people. The numbered stands are for those who prefer a guaranteed seat, an overall view and the chance to sit between songs. For a concert like this, where the audience sings everything, the lower stands are the best compromise: you see the stage, you see the room singing, and the view alone is worth the ticket.

Third: bring little. A small backpack, a jacket you can keep on your knees, a charged phone. On December 4 the evening in Rome is cool, and going from a hot, crowded arena out into December air is a small shock to factor in. A light scarf solves the problem.

Tickets for Zero Assoluto at Palazzo dello Sport

Tickets for Zero Assoluto's concert at Palazzo dello Sport in Rome are on sale on the presale circuit authorized by the organizers and at the usual sales points. Prices vary by section and are published by the authorized reseller listed by the organizers.

Where to buy them

The right channel is the one indicated by the promoter, A1 Concerti, and picked up by the City of Rome tourism portal in the event listing. Avoid secondary resale sites and offers found on social media: besides inflated prices, there's a real risk of invalid tickets or non-transferable named tickets. If you need to transfer a ticket, check the procedures on the official circuit.

Sections and packages

For this concert there are both tickets for the different sections of the hall and packages with extra services, sold as a separate product on the official circuit. Before buying, read carefully what each option includes and if the spot is numbered or standing. Booking fees are added to the ticket price.

When to buy them

Presales have been open since March 2025. A few weeks before the concert the best sections are usually the first to sell out. If you wait until December, you accept choosing among what's left.

Another well-known fact, yet rarely mentioned

“Semplicemente”, the song that made Zero Assoluto famous in summer 2005, had been left out of that same year's Sanremo Festival. Almost all fans know it, but it's rarely recalled when people tell the story of the duo's success.

It's a story that dismantles a commonplace of the Italian music industry, namely that without Sanremo a pop song can't break through. “Semplicemente” came out anyway, got radio play, grew on its own, stayed 30 consecutive weeks on the charts, reached number two and went double platinum. The year after, the Festival opened its doors to the duo, which reached the final with “Svegliarsi la mattina” and had the best-selling single of the year. The sequence is instructive: the audience had chosen them before the selection committee.

Then there's a second, subtler irony. Matteo Maffucci is the son of Mario Maffucci, director of the Festival from 1982 to 2000. The son of the long-time director gets left out and then comes back through the front door thanks to a rejected song. If you love Italian family stories, you'll find in this episode a small comedy of manners, and a good topic of conversation while waiting for the lights to go down.

The practical point, for those going to the concert, is this: when “Semplicemente” starts, look around. It's the moment the room sings loudest, and the reason is precisely that story of an outsider who made it alone. At the duo's recent nights it has been among the most awaited songs, and there's no reason to think it will be different in Rome.

How to plan the night in EUR before and after Zero Assoluto

EUR lends itself well to a full night out: early dinner in the neighborhood, concert at Palazzo dello Sport, back on Metro B. In the evening the neighborhood is quieter than the center, with wide avenues and parking easier to find outside rush hours.

Before the concert

If you arrive well ahead, take a walk around the EUR lake, a short distance from the arena: on a December evening, with the neighborhood lights, it's a pleasant stroll. If you have time, you can go as far as the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, the so-called Square Colosseum, which lit up at night is the most recognizable image of the neighborhood. Più libri più liberi, at the Nuvola, opens on December 4 itself: for a reader, an afternoon at the fair and then the concert is an ideal combination.

Where to eat nearby

In the neighborhood you'll find pizzerias, trattorias, Roman restaurants and places for a long aperitivo, concentrated mostly along the main avenues and on the streets around the lake. On a Friday evening before a concert, places near the arena fill up fast: book, or choose to eat one metro stop farther away, where there's less pressure. A slice of pizza eaten while walking is a perfectly honest solution.

After the concert

After the concert the neighborhood empties fast. If you want to stretch out the night, you'd better head back toward the center by metro and pick a place there. If you're staying in EUR or nearby, you have the advantage of walking back, without worries.

Staying in the area

If you're coming from outside Rome, staying in EUR or along line B is the most convenient solution: no rushing for the last train, no impossible-to-find taxis. The historic center is still a few minutes away by metro the next day.

The right photo to take at Zero Assoluto at Palazzo dello Sport in Rome, December 4, 2026

The right photo at the Zero Assoluto concert is the one of the room singing “Svegliarsi la mattina”, taken from high up in the stands with the stage in the background. Not the blurry close-up of the two artists 50 meters away, but the sight of thousands of people singing the same song.

Palazzo dello Sport is a circular hall, and that allows something few arenas do: seeing the crowd facing you, on the other side, as it sings. That's the show within the show. A wide shot, without zoom, during one of the most awaited choruses, conveys the sense of the night better than any portrait.

A practical tip: no flash, which from the stands does nothing and bothers the people in front of you. Always follow the rules on photos and video set by the organizers. And take the photo, then put the phone away: the chorus lasts a few seconds, and it's a shame to live it through a screen.

The second photo to take is outside, before going in. The glazed facade of Palazzo dello Sport lit up in the evening, with Nervi's dome standing out against the December sky, is an elegant image rarely photographed by fans, who are usually in a hurry to get in. Find a spot a bit away from the crowd at the entrance to frame the whole building. If the evening is clear, the blue light after sunset, which comes early in December, gives you an almost postcard shot.

The third, optional, is a souvenir photo with the friends you first listened to those songs with. For a concert like this, it's probably the one you'll look at most often.

Accessibility and children at the Zero Assoluto concert

For accessibility needs at Palazzo dello Sport, contact the venue or the authorized presale circuit, which manage the dedicated seats, before buying. Seats for people with disabilities and their companions are limited and must be requested through the established procedures.

Accessibility

Palazzo dello Sport is an Olympic building from the 1960s adapted over time to the needs of shows. If you have mobility issues, ask for precise information on the entrance to use, the routes and the location of the dedicated seats. The venue contacts listed on the city tourism portal are the starting point. For transportation too, check in advance on the status of elevators and escalators at line B stations.

With children and teenagers

The rules on minimum age and tickets for minors are set by the organizers and listed on the sales circuit: read them before buying. For a Friday evening concert in a crowded arena, the floor isn't the place for small children. A numbered seat in the stands, with a place to sit and an easy way out, makes the night calmer for everyone. Protect young children's ears with suitable headphones.

Safety

Always agree with the people you're with on a meeting point outside, away from the main entrance, in case you lose each other at the exit. At crowded concerts phones struggle to get a signal just when you need them.

Some important events that happened here in history

Palazzo dello Sport was built for the 1960 Rome Olympics, in the district born for the 1942 Universal Exposition, which never took place. These are the two dates that explain everything you see around the hall.

EUR was born as a new town for the Universal Exposition planned for 1942, canceled by the war. For years it remained an unfinished district, until the 1960 Olympics gave it a second chance. Palazzo dello Sport, designed by Pier Luigi Nervi with Marcello Piacentini, is one of the fruits of that season: the Italy of the economic boom presenting itself to the world with bold, light reinforced concrete architecture.

After the Games ended, the hall began a second life as an arena for shows. In the 1980s, when it was called Palaeur, it hosted landmark concerts: Bob Dylan played there in June 1984 and again on October 3, 1987. In 2011, under the name PalaLottomatica, Dylan came back yet again, on November 12. Three visits by the same artist over almost 30 years show the continuity of this hall as the city's international stage.

For Zero Assoluto's story, the event to mark is more recent: on November 12, 2023, the duo held its Rome concert here, a few months after returning to the stage at Fabrique in Milan, after six years away. December 4, 2026, is therefore the second chapter of a relationship with the EUR hall that has already begun.

In our view Palazzo dello Sport is, among Italian arenas, the one with the most history behind it. The Forum in Assago is more recent, and no Italian hall can claim a signature like Nervi's and an Olympic pedigree. Coming here for a pop concert means, without thinking about it, stepping into a piece of 20th-century architectural history.

EUR in December: what to see around Palazzo dello Sport

Palazzo dello Sport is in the EUR district, a short distance from the EUR lake and the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana. If you have a few free hours on the day of the concert, you can turn the trip into a visit to the neighborhood.

The EUR lake

The EUR lake is the neighborhood's large green and water space, a few steps from the hall. By day it's the place for runners and families, in the evening a quiet stroll. In December, with the light fading early, the best time is late afternoon.

Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana

The Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, which Romans call the Square Colosseum, is the symbol of EUR and one of the most photographed buildings of 20th-century Rome. You reach it in a few minutes from the arena by public transportation, or with a slightly longer walk.

Museums and architecture

In the neighborhood are the Museo delle Civiltà and the Fuksas Cloud, the convention center that from December 4 to 8, 2026, hosts Più libri più liberi. For a complete picture of the neighborhood there's the guide EUR, what to see, also useful if you want to devote a morning to rationalist architecture.

With teenagers

If you're coming with teenage children for the weekend, Luneur Park is the answer for the day after the concert, before heading home.

Who has passed through Zero Assoluto at Palazzo dello Sport in Rome, December 4, 2026

Palazzo dello Sport has hosted Bob Dylan, in 1984, 1987 and 2011, and Zero Assoluto themselves, on November 12, 2023. The EUR hall has been for decades the Rome stop of the big arena tours, Italian and international.

Bob Dylan's case is the best documented: his official archive records concerts at the Palaeur in June 1984 and on October 3, 1987, and at PalaLottomatica on November 12, 2011. Dylan returns to Rome at the same Palazzo dello Sport on November 5, 2026, a month before Zero Assoluto. They're two audiences that are unlikely to cross, but the hall is the same, and that says a lot about its versatility.

Zero Assoluto played here on November 12, 2023, in the middle of their second artistic life. They now return as headliners of a tour of only two dates, with Rome as the closing show: a sign of trust in the home crowd.

In the same fall and winter season the arena has a packed calendar of Italian artists, between dates already past and dates to come: Pooh on October 15, Raf on October 17, Irama on December 12, Il Volo on December 17. In March 2027 comes Antonello Venditti, with whom Zero Assoluto shared the stage on New Year's Eve 2009 in front of the Colosseum.

For the history and the full profile of the venue, there's the page dedicated to Palazzo dello Sport. Few places in Rome have seen such different generations of musicians pass through, and on the night of December 4 a generation of listeners will pass through too, the one born at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s.

Rome in early December: the time of the Zero Assoluto concert

December 4, 2026, is a Friday, four days before the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8: for many Romans and for those coming from outside, it's the start of a long weekend. It's the moment when the city turns on its Christmas lights and the winter show season begins.

The weather

In early December Rome often has clear days and cool, sometimes damp, evenings. For an indoor concert the problem isn't the hall but the before and after: waits outdoors, walks to the metro, possible taxi lines. Dressing in layers is the most sensible choice.

A long weekend

If you're coming from outside, you can build a weekend around the concert: Friday night in EUR, Saturday and Sunday in the center, with the first Christmas lights and the markets. If you stay until December 8, you'll also find Più libri più liberi at the Nuvola, open until that day. Booking accommodation early is essential: the Immaculate Conception long weekend brings many visitors to Rome.

A city that changes pace

December is the month when Rome slows down mass tourism and speeds up cultural life: arena concerts, full theaters, exhibitions opened in the fall still running. If you want to see the city with a different eye from the summer one, it's one of the best times.

Frequently asked questions about Zero Assoluto in Rome

When do Zero Assoluto play in Rome in 2026?

Zero Assoluto play Palazzo dello Sport in Rome on Friday, December 4, 2026. It's the second and last date of the 2026 arena tour, after the October 20 one at Unipol Forum in Assago. The concert was announced by the duo on March 1, 2025, from the Forum stage, and is produced by A1 Concerti. The start time is printed on the ticket and on the authorized presale circuit.

Where is Palazzo dello Sport in Rome?

Palazzo dello Sport in Rome is in EUR, at Piazzale Pier Luigi Nervi 1, 00144 Rome. Some maps list it as Piazzale dello Sport 1, but it's the same building. It's the big indoor arena designed by Pier Luigi Nervi with Marcello Piacentini for the 1960 Olympics, once called Palaeur and later PalaLottomatica.

How do you get to Palazzo dello Sport by metro?

Palazzo dello Sport can be reached with Metro line B, EUR Palasport and EUR Fermi stops. From Termini line B reaches EUR with no changes, toward Laurentina. After the concert the EUR Fermi stop, about 530 meters as the crow flies from the hall, is often less crowded than the stop named after the arena.

How much are Zero Assoluto tickets in Rome?

Ticket prices for Zero Assoluto at Palazzo dello Sport vary by section and are published by the authorized reseller listed by the organizers, with booking fees added on top. There are also packages with extra services, sold separately. Buy only on the official circuit and avoid secondary resale.

Which songs will Zero Assoluto play at the concert?

The setlist of Zero Assoluto's Rome concert hasn't been published. At the duo's recent nights, including the March 1, 2025, event at Unipol Forum, the most awaited moments were “Svegliarsi la mattina”, “Semplicemente”, “Per dimenticare”, “Grazie” and “Sei parte di me”. At the Forum the duo also presented the single “5cm”.

Who are the members of Zero Assoluto?

Zero Assoluto are Matteo Maffucci and Thomas De Gasperi, Romans, friends since their days at the Giulio Cesare classical high school. They debuted in 1999 with “Ultimo capodanno”, broke through in 2005 with “Semplicemente” and in 2006 with “Svegliarsi la mattina”, the best-selling single of the year in Italy. They have released six studio albums, from 2004 to 2016.

Have Zero Assoluto already played Palazzo dello Sport?

Yes, Zero Assoluto played Palazzo dello Sport in Rome on November 12, 2023, a few months after their return to the stage at Fabrique in Milan on May 20, 2023, after six years away from live shows. The December 4, 2026, concert is therefore their return to the EUR hall.

Can you go to the concert with children?

For Zero Assoluto's concert at Palazzo dello Sport, the rules on minimum age and tickets for minors are set by the organizers and listed on the sales circuit. With small children I recommend a numbered seat in the stands instead of the floor, ear protection headphones and an agreed meeting point outside for the exit.

Final advice on Zero Assoluto at Palazzo dello Sport

There are two kinds of concertgoers to be wary of: those who go to hear an artist to look cool and those who are ashamed of loving the songs they grew up with. Zero Assoluto don't ask to be taken seriously as intellectuals. They ask to be sung. If you have a friend with whom, at 16, you shouted “Svegliarsi la mattina” from a scooter or a car with the windows down, call them now and get two tickets in the stands. Arrive early, have dinner in EUR, look at Nervi's dome before going in and walk back to EUR Fermi afterward. It's a night worth more than it costs.

Article written by the editorial team of Tour Leader Pro, contact them for Private/Corporate/V.I.P. Tours and Experiences.

Planning a trip to Rome? English-language guides for visiting the city are on ItalyPlanner.com.