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Abstract:  RUMORS, OPINIONS AND MOOD OF THE CITY AT WAR The essay attempts to describe the complex and at times contradictory psychological climate of Rome through the rumors, opinions and moods of the population from the outbreak of the war to the Summer of 1943. The motivations and the phases behind the regime’s progressive loss of credibility with the population emerge through the reports of informant of the Ovra – Opera Vigilanza Repressione Antifascismo (Vigilant Work for the Repression of Antifascism), the report by police headquarters to the Chief of Police, anonymous letters, memoranda sent to Mussolini. But they can also be traced through songs and protest writings. In the face of hunger, the black market, wide spread corruption, the sacrifices and mourning of so many families, the Fascist propaganda machine soon proved impotent to control public opinion. Rome was a city that, in spite of everything, wouldn’t relinquish a normal way of life, a way of life was made up of cultural and social initiatives, plays and sporting events. It was a city that expected to escape bombing until the very and. Therefore the deterioration of living conditions and the lack of military success were seen by the Romans as clear evidence of the failure of the entire ruling system. Between humiliation and anger, hope and fear, impatience and relief, Rome saw the Fascist fatherland die as German occupation impended.