Italy through a local’s eyes: These are the Italy events you should experience!
- Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi – Assisi, Italy
- Carnival of Venice – Venice, Italy
- Festa della Sensa – Venice, Italy
- Infiorata Festivals – Across Italy
- Calcio Storico Fiorentino – Florence, Italy
- Palio di Siena – Siena, Italy
Italy is without a doubt one of the world’s most popular travel destinations. It is home to world-famous cities like Rome and Venice, and boasts top attractions such as the Colosseum, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and Pompeii along with stunning destinations including Cinque Terre and the Italian Lakes! And that’s just the start of the list! This country offers up dazzling cultural, historical and foodie experiences to travellers from around the globe. It is also home to a number of local Italy events that are a must-see for travellers to Italy!
Expat Explore tour leader Roma Mackeviciute sat down to share a few of her top local events in Italy that she believes are worth experiencing! Roma is Lithuanian-born and calls both Italy and Lithuania home. She has led tours across most of Europe and her passion lies in Italy where she has spent the most time leading tours.
Read more below as Roma discusses the local Italian events that travellers should look out for on their next trip.
Tour leader Roma
Italians definitely know how to celebrate! Any and every excuse to gather the family and spend time together. When I lived in the south of Italy, in the little town of Pacognano near Sorrento, I realized just how much festivals, traditions and historical events mean to Italian communities. No matter how many people live in the town or village, effort will be made to celebrate whatever is important. From festivals dedicated to a single vegetable – like “Festa della Melanzana” (eggplant festival) – to the celebrations of their saint protector.
The south of Italy especially is known to be very superstitious and religious; saints are a very big part of their religious lives. And those saints’ feast days are my favourite! I have experienced many, from the very south to the very north of the country. My favourite saint is Francesco di Assisi and his day is celebrated on the 4th of October.
Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi – Assisi, Italy
Date: 4 October 2021 (annually)
On 4 October, gold-fringed blue and red banners – the colours of Assisi – will drape the medieval buildings of the town’s main squares. The trumpeters of Assisi will sound Assisi’s anthem, announcing the start of the procession to St. Francis’ Tomb – in the Basilica di San Francesco which was built to house St. Francis’s body. The next day, on 5 October, the town of Assisi becomes an open marketplace as the annual street fair, La fiera di San Francesco, takes place. 150 Vendors from all over Italy set up their booths and most of Assisi is a street market until sunset.
If you end up visiting any other town in Italy and it’s the day of the saint, make sure you check it out for any celebrations!
The Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi in Italy.
Carnival of Venice – Venice, Italy
Date: 12 February – 1 March 2022
Venice is the city where festivals and celebrations are hard to match! The world-famous Carnival is a must to attend. I was lucky enough to work in Venice for nearly two years and both times loved it. The Carnival of Venice (Carnevale di Venezia in Italian) takes place annually and is famous for its elaborate traditional masks!
During the centuries-old festival, street parades, theatrical performances, masked balls and shows on the city’s famous waterways fill the city. It’s all about pageantry and spectacle!
Travellers from all over the world flock to enjoy this highly anticipated annual spectacle!
Festa della Sensa – Venice, Italy
Date: 26 May 2022
Festa della Sensa also known as “La Sensa” is another great event in Venice, celebrating the deep relationship between the sea and glorious republic of Venice. During this festival, people gather to witness the regattas and rowboats on the Bacino di San Marco (San Marco basin) which proceed to the Church of San Nicolo at the Lido, facing Sant’Elena. The main attraction here is the replica of the Bucintoro which is a grand double-decker vessel wherein the Doge, embodied by the City Mayor, boards and throws a golden ring into the lagoon to symbolize Venice marrying the sea. Overall, it is a message of respect and in honour of the relationship between city and sea, the event occurs annually to give thanksgiving and prayer for another year of safety on land and sea.
This day is also important for sport. The first rowing regatta event of the season takes place on Festa della Sensa.
“The Floating City” and its waterways share an important relationship.
Infiorata Festivals – Across Italy
Dates: Usually around late May or early June
During May and June, Infiorata festivals (flower festivals) are held in various Italian towns. The word infiorata translates to “decorated with flowers” in Italian. This perfectly describes how large illustrations are crafted for the celebrations, adorning the grounds of piazzas and streets and forming large carpets of flowers for spectators to admire.
The designs range from simple to impressively elaborate! Flower petals, earth and occasionally even beans and wood cuttings are used to create these floral paintings. These festivals take place in various parts of Italy, the most famous would be Noto in Sicily, Spello in Umbria and Genzano in Lazio.
The designs created for Italy’s Infiorata festivals are truly marvellous!
Calcio Storico Fiorentino – Florence, Italy
Date: June annually
Calcio Fiorentino is an intense form of early football that originated in Italy. Bonkers, it would be my description of this event! I have never understood football in the modern-day, but this event is truly “something else” which makes it so popular. The sport first started back in 16th century Italy. Today, Calico Storico Fiorentino is an annual event that takes place on the Piazza Santa Croce in June with the final played on the 24th. The teams from the four historical districts of Florence (Santa Croce, Santo Spirito, Santa Maria Novella, and San Giovanni) challenge one another in an energetic competition (wrestling is ok in this game!) to obtain and to win the desired award, the famous type of cow called Chianina!
The build up to a game of Calcio Fiorentino in Florence, Italy!
Palio di Siena – Siena, Italy
Date: 2 July and 16 August 2021
Talking about the pride of the historical neighbourhoods, this brings us to another world-famous event, the Palio Di Siena. This event is a horse race that takes place twice each year in Siena. It is said to have originated centuries ago! Ten horses and riders represent ten of the seventeen contrades (city wards) in Siena. In the race, the jockeys ride bareback and dress in the appropriate city ward colours. The rules are complex and the main event takes place in the Piazza del Campo in the heart of the city. The race is a full-day event and the city thrums with passion and excitement!
The Palio di Siena is about excitement and passion!
Another similar event is the Palio di Asti. It claims to be the oldest recorded bareback horse race in Italy and has been run since the 13th century and it’s still going strong! It is lesser-known but it’s my “must-see” as soon as the pandemic will be over!
Are you ready to experience all the local delights that Italy has to offer? Enjoy a trip to Italy with Expat Explore’s travel packages to Europe to see the highlights and hidden gems of this incredible country. You could also experience some great Italy events! See it by coach or by rail tour. Better yet, you can start planning your next Italy trip, today!