Holidays & Festivals Across Italy
Some of the dates change from time to time, as well as sometimes the accompanying website may only change days prior to actual events. These dates reflect the dates from 2019, though a bit outdated it's the closest by a day or two of the actual event. (for more accurate information, please visit these sites often)
January 1: New Year's Day (closures)
January 6: Epiphany (and Epiphany Fair religious festival in Rome closures)
January - March: Carnival celebrations throughout Italy (street parties)
February 3 - 5: Festa di Sant'Agata, Catania (processions and fireworks)
February/March: Carnevale di Viareggio, Viareggio (about six somewhat sporadic days)
February 15 - 25: Carnevale, Venice (most festive on weekends particularly quiet during first week)
February 22 - 25: Ivrea Carnevale (orange-throwing free-for-all on last three days smaller festivities in week prior)
March 29: Rome Marathon
April/May: Settimana della Cultura, across Italy (Cultural Heritage Week)
Early April (1 day): Gelato Festival, Florence
April 10: Good Friday Procession of I Misteri (Trapani, Sicily)
April 12: Easter Sunday (and Scoppio del Carro fireworks in Florence, closures) also Rome's City Birthday Celebration (parades, fireworks)
April 13: Easter Monday (closures)
April 19 - 22: Vinitaly, Verona (wine festival)
April 25: Italian Liberation Day (closures), also St. Mark's Day, Venice
April 23 - 26 (likely): Artichoke Festival, Chiusure (near Pienza)
May 1: May Day/Labor Day (closures)
Early May - early July: Festival del Teatro Greco, Siracusa, Sicily (Greek plays in the city's ancient theater)
May 15 - 17 (likely): Infiorata di Noto, Sicily (flower festival)
May 16: Sagra del Limone, Monterosso, Cinque Terre (lemon festival)
May 21: Ascension Day
May 10 - July 6: Festival del Teatro Greco, Siracusa, Sicily (Greek plays in the city's ancient theater)
May 11 - November 24: Venice Biennale (international art exhibition)
May 24 - 26: Feast of San Giorgio, Ragusa Ibla, Sicily (processions, fireworks)
May 25: Festa delle Madonna delle Milizie, Scicli, Sicily (processions, Norman battle reenactments)
May 30: Feast of the Ascension Day
Late May or early June (1 day): Vogalonga Regatta, Venice
June: Fashion conventions, Florence
June - August: Verona Opera season
June 2: Anniversary of the Republic (closures) also Festa del Grillo, Florence (Cricket Festival music, entertainment, food, crickets sold in cages)
Early June (2 days): Kastelruther Spatzen Open Air, Castelrotto (concert series featuring hometown folk group)
June 16 - 17: Feast of St. Ranieri, Pisa (illuminated facades, candles on the Arno, fireworks, regatta)
June 11: Feast Day of Corpus Christi
June 13 - 14: Le Infiorate, Spello (giant flower-carpet competition near Orvieto)
June 14: Feast of Corpus Domini, Monterosso and Vernazza (procession on carpet of flowers at 18:00)
June 24: Feast of St. John the Baptist (parades, dances, boat races closures), and Calcio Storico (Renaissance ball game played on Piazza Santa Croce), both in Florence
Late June - early September: Outdoor cinema season, Florence (contemporary films)
June 28 - August 1 (likely): Florence Dance Festival
June 29: Sts. Peter and Paul Day (most fervently celebrated in Rome, and with three-day festival in Modica, Sicily)
June 29 - July 16 (likely): Ancona Jazz Summer Festival
July 1 - 18 (likely): Marostica Summer Festival (music concerts)
July 2: Palio horse race, Siena
July 10 - 19: Umbria Jazz, Perugia
Mid-July: Noantri Festival, Trastevere district, Rome (music and folklore)
July 18 - 19 (likely): Festa del Redentore, Venice (Feast of the Redeemer regatta, fireworks)
July (third week) - August: Stresa Festival, Lake Maggiore
July 24 - 26 (likely): Unicorn Festival, Vinci (fantasy concerts, parades, and exhibitions)
July 25 - August 12 (likely): Locus Festival, Locorotondo (music concerts)
August 10: Feast day of St. Lawrence, Rome
August 15: Ferragosto (Feast of the Assumption closures)
August 16: Palio horse race, Siena
September - October: Chestnut festivals (chestnut roasts and related festivities most towns, mainly north of Rome)
September 6 (likely): Historical Regatta, Venice
September 7: Festa della Rificolona, Florence (children's procession with lanterns, street performances, parade)
September 13: Volto Santo, Lucca (procession and fair)
Mid-September - Mid-November: Musica dei Popoli, Florence (ethnic and folk music and dances)
September 19: Feast of St. Januarius, Naples (La Festa di San Gennaro closures)
September 20 - 22 & September 28 - 30 (likely): Pistachio Festival, Bronte (near Mount Etna), Sicily
October 3 - November 22 (likely): International White Truffle Fair, Alba (cooking demonstrations, historical reenactments, truffles by the pound between Turin and Genoa)
October 9 - 11 (likely): Kastelruther Spatzenfest music festival, Castelrotto
November 1: All Saints' Day (some closures)
November 21: Feast of Our Lady of Good Health, Venice (religious festival, bridge built over Grand Canal)
November 30 - December 20: Feast of Santa Lucia, Siracusa, Sicily (culminates with procession of the saint's statue and relics to the cathedral on December 13)
December: Christmas Market on Piazza Navona, Rome creches in churches throughout Italy
December 7: Feast of St. Ambrose, Milan (closures)
December 8: Feast of the Immaculate Conception (closures)
December 25: Christmas (closures)
December 26: St. Stephen's Day (closures)
December 28 - January 1 (likely): Umbria Jazz Winter, Orvieto