Events and the yearly calendar
Carnival in February, Holy Week, Salone del Mobile in April, Palio di Siena in July and August, Umbria Jazz in July, Notte della Taranta in August, Venice Biennale from May to November, truffle fairs in autumn. Official calendars come from municipalities and regions.
Sections: Calendar · Organisers · Dates, venues & access
Winter
Winter. The Venice Carnival, organised by the municipality with Vela, fills the two to three weeks before Ash Wednesday (between late January and early March depending on the year) with masks, parades on the water and paid and free events; historic carnivals are also held in Viareggio, Ivrea (battle of the oranges), Putignano and Acireale. In December-January cities have Christmas markets (Bolzano, Trento and Merano are the best known) and the ski season peaks. Umbria Jazz Winter takes place in Orvieto between New Year and Epiphany.
Spring
Spring. Holy Week, between March and April, has processions of great appeal especially in the South and the islands (Trapani, Enna, Taranto, Sulmona, Chieti) and ends with Easter and Easter Monday, both public holidays. In April Milan hosts the Salone del Mobile at Fiera Milano Rho and in parallel the Fuorisalone in the city's districts, the busiest week of the year for the city. The Giro d'Italia crosses the country in May. The Venice Biennale opens its exhibition (Art and Architecture alternate each year) between April and May and remains open until November at the Giardini and the Arsenale.
Summer
Summer. The Palio di Siena is run in Piazza del Campo twice, in early July and mid-August, with the preceding days of trial runs and contrada dinners. Umbria Jazz takes over Perugia for ten days in July with paid concerts in the arenas and free ones in the squares. In July and August almost every municipality has its patron-saint festival and its sagra, and summer arenas bring open-air music and cinema (Arena di Verona for opera, Caracalla in Rome). The Notte della Taranta closes August in Melpignano, in Salento, with the final mass pizzica concert. Ferragosto, 15 August, is the day the country stops; the Venice Film Festival straddles late August and early September at the Lido.
Autumn
Autumn. This is the season of food fairs: the Alba International White Truffle Fair runs over the weekends from October to December with a truffle market and the donkey Palio; grape, chestnut and new-oil festivals fill the villages of the Centre and North. Many city marathons are run in September and October. 1 November (All Saints) and 2 November (All Souls) mark the end of the outdoor festival season. 8 December, a public holiday, opens the Christmas season and, in Milan, La Scala's opening night on 7 December, Saint Ambrose's day.
Where to find calendars and how tickets are sold
Official event calendars are published by municipalities (events or culture section of institutional websites, often under the tourist office's brand) and by the regions through regional tourism portals; the pro loco, volunteer associations present in almost every village, organise and publicise the sagre. For major events (Salone, Biennale, Palio, music festivals) tickets are bought only on the organisers' websites or authorised ticketing networks; touting is prohibited and named tickets are checked. For concerts and football the ticket is personal and requires ID at the entrance. Accommodation in cities during major events must be booked months ahead and prices are far above normal.
Sources
Updated: 2026-10-14
Updated: 2026-10-14
Updated: 2026-10-14
Updated: 2026-10-14
Updated: 2026-10-14
Updated: 2026-10-14
Reviewed: 10/22/2026 · by piero.avolio · rev. 1 · Period: → 2027-10-31
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