An evening at the cinema, a candlelit dinner or simply a few hours of well-deserved rest in total tranquility. In the south-eastern quadrant of the capital, a small revolution begins in the field of family policies and local welfare. The VIII Municipality of Rome, the territorial body of Garbatella which is home to around 130,000 inhabitants, has launched the innovative free project entitled Tonight is still yours, a direct quote from the famous musical piece by Antonello Venditti Night before exams.
The initiative draws fundamental inspiration from the New York model known as Parents’ Night Outtested on August 16 by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The Roman program offers parents the possibility of sending the couple or individual heads of the family on leave, safely entrusting their children to highly qualified personnel and freeing up precious time to dedicate to personal relationships and rest.
The details of the initiative, the costs and the boom in bookings
The project is aimed at families with girls and boys aged between 3 and 11 years and unfolds over a calendar of 6 overall Saturdays organized between October and December 2026, precisely on the dates of 24 and 31 October, 21 and 28 November, 12 and 19 December with reservation at this link.
From 7pm to 11pm, the municipal recreational facilities welcome between 120 and 200 little guests at the same time and have already been fully booked for the first events. The reception plan was supported through an overall financial allocation made up of 25,000 euros allocated by the National Fund for socio-educational activities for minors, combined with an additional 6,000 euros taken directly from the municipality’s resources for equal opportunities.
The 7 structures involved
The conception of the measure bears the signature of the councilor for educational and youth policies of Municipality VIII Francesca Vetrugno, fully supported in its implementation by the president of the municipality Amedeo Ciaccheri. Councilor Vetrugno highlighted how it is necessary to recognize the right of parents to carve out moments for themselves without feelings of guilt, lightening the burden of care especially for those who do not have a network of grandparents or relatives. For his part, Ciaccheri reiterated his desire to structure a system of concrete aid in line with the needs of people’s real lives.
The educational and recreational activities, creative workshops, chess and table tennis games take place within 7 facilities located in the Garbatella, Ostiense, San Paolo and Appia Antica districts: the Insieme l’Inkiostro Space in viale Giustiniano Imperatore 75, the Lettura Game Space l’Approdo in via Giovanni Battista Magnaghi 12, the Don Antonio Gallo Memory Space in viale Carlo Tommaso Odescalchi 73 at the IC Poggiali Spizzichino Raimondi complex, Myo Spazio in via di Grotta Perfetta 607 B at the Fiabe e colori nursery, the Ludoteca Ludomagicabù in via dei Lincei 93, the CEIS Centro Italiano di Solidarietà Don Mario Picchi in via Attilio Ambrosini 129 and the Giovanotto aggregation center in via Volterra 202.
