Food & leisure

Distinct regional cuisines, a 'coperto' charge in restaurants and course-based menus; neighbourhood markets everywhere. Football, cycling, skiing and CAI trails; free beaches next to paid 'stabilimenti'; evenings that start late.

Italy

The municipality includes Lake Baratz, Sardinia's only natural lake, with trails and guided walks run by the municipal CEAS; the Baratz-Porto Ferro special conservation area covers about 10 km of coast. Since 2016 Sassari has been a signatory of the Pelagos Sanctuary charter for marine mammals.

Sassari

Oristano's year revolves around the Sartiglia, on the last Sunday and Tuesday of Carnival, with a dedicated documentation centre. The tourism portal lists the "Domenica in concerto" series at the Auditorium San Domenico and the sea of the gulf, with Torre Grande.

Oristano

The city's calendar revolves around the Festa del Redentore (the 126th edition in 2026, with a dedicated website), the Scuola Civica di Musica "Antonietta Chironi" and the multipurpose centre in via Brigata Sassari, a meeting place with reading areas and games.

Nuoro

Fregola with clams, malloreddus alla campidanese, culurgiones, burrida, bottarga, pane carasau and seadas; the San Benedetto market. The Poetto for sea, windsurfing and running; Sella del Diavolo and Monte Urpinu for free. Teatro Lirico, football at the Unipol Domus; evenings in Marina, Stampace and Castello, at the Poetto in summer.

Cagliari

The summer calendar revolves around the Luglio Musicale Trapanese (in 2026 its 28th season, in late August) and the August patron-saint celebrations. The municipality manages school gyms for shared use, small pitches and a roller-skating rink, and has launched sport vouchers for minors in difficulty.

Trapani

On the city's doorstep the Fiume Ciane e Saline di Siracusa reserve protects the papyrus along the river and a wetland for migratory birds. In the province there are the reserves of Vendicari, Cavagrande del Cassibile, Pantalica and the Anapo Valley, and the Priolo salt pans. In early July Ortigia hosts the Feste Archimedee.

Syracuse

Panelle and crocchè, pane ca meusa, arancine, sfincione, stigghiola, cannoli and cassata at the Ballarò, Capo and Vucciria markets. Mondello and Monte Pellegrino, Favorita park, Botanical Garden. Teatro Massimo and Politeama; football at the Barbera. Evenings in the Vucciria, Kalsa and Via Chiavettieri.

Palermo

The Teatro Vittorio Emanuele, run by a regional autonomous body, has three halls with drama, music, dance and jazz; the Palacultura Antonello da Messina is on viale Boccetta. To the north, the Capo Peloro Lagoon reserve protects the Ganzirri and Faro lakes, on the migratory route. In the province, reserves range from the Peloritani to the Aeolian Islands.

Messina

Teatro Massimo Bellini (1890) programmes opera, ballet and concerts and also runs the Teatro Sangiorgi; the Benedictine Monastery hosts evening visits, theatre and concerts. Villa Bellini is one of the four main city parks; Etna is the destination for excursions. At the table, arancino and pasta alla Norma.

Catania

The municipality lists as leisure venues the Teatro Regina Margherita, the Palazzo Moncada multiplex, the Parco Palmintelli amphitheatre, the municipal pool, the PalaMilan and the Lago Sfondato and Monte Capodarso nature reserves. Recurring events include the feasts of San Michele.

Caltanissetta

The fixed appointment is the Mandorlo in Fiore: the 78th edition ran from 7 to 15 March 2026, with parades, concerts and the "Tempio d'Oro" prize. The municipality also lists the "I Bambini del mondo" festival, Piano City Agrigento and the Teatro Pirandello, under works.

Agrigento

The municipality runs a city theatre with a drama season (the current one was presented in October 2026), organises summer events at the Vibo Marina port area and has introduced the AmuseApp audio guide for cultural sites.

Vibo Valentia

The Italo Falcomatà seafront, about 1.7 km along the Strait, and the Arena dello Stretto, an open-air theatre for concerts, shows and festivities. Municipal sports facilities are allocated to clubs each season; from 9 to 13 December 2026 the PalaCalafiore hosts the Next Gen ATP Finals tennis tournament for the first time.

Reggio Calabria

Morzello in pitta bread, 'nduja and chilli, fish at the Lido, wines from Cirò and Lamezia. The Biodiversity Park and Villa Trieste, the Lido promenade, the Sila for skiing and hiking. Football at the Ceravolo, the Politeama season; summer evenings at the Lido, winter ones in the centre.

Catanzaro

The Comune publishes the Teatro comunale «Vincenzo Scaramuzza», devoted to theatre and music, the Kroton Jazz Festival (2026 edition on 10 August, in the square in front of the theatre) and the Biblioteca «Armando Lucifero». The Castello di Carlo V has a dedicated site.

Crotone

For families the municipality lists the Città dei Ragazzi, a space for children up to 14, families and schools inaugurated in November 2003; the Museo dei Brettii e degli Enotri hosts small classical-music concerts, temporary exhibitions and educational activities.

Cosenza

Peperoni cruschi, lagane e ceci, strascinati, salt cod, podolico caciocavallo and Aglianico del Vulture. Montereale and Baden Powell parks, the Basento river park, skiing at Sellata-Pierfaone in winter. Teatro Stabile and football at the Viviani; evenings along Via Pretoria.

Potenza

The Comune di Trani lists five parks (including Giardino Telesio and Parco dei Cinque Sensi) and an auditorium. The regional guide mentions beaches along the Cristoforo Colombo and Mongelli seafronts and on the Boccadoro coast.

Trani

The Parco della Musica, opened in 2024 on the site of the former Baraccamenti Cattolica in the Borgo; the municipal Teatro Fusco and the Cinema Teatro Orfeo; among municipal facilities the PalaMazzola, the Mediterraneo Village pool, the Valente athletics stadium in Salinella and the Iacovone stadium.

Taranto

The municipality lists the city's theatres: Teatro Comunale Giovanni Paisiello, Politeama Greco, Cantieri Teatrali Koreja, plus the Roman amphitheatre and theatre, which host shows only in summer. The regional circuit is the Teatro Pubblico Pugliese; the calendar is in the "Vivi Lecce" section.

Lecce

The Teatro Umberto Giordano runs a drama and dance season from November to April, organised by the Comune with Puglia Culture. The Campi Diomedei are a 23-hectare urban park in the centre; there is also the Parco San Felice. The civic museum is in Palazzo Arpi; the municipal stadium is the Zaccheria.

Foggia

Barletta has the Pietro Mennea seafront with a long cycle path and beaches divided by the port into Levante and Ponente. The Comune promotes the Disfida re-enactment, the Yoga Fest and the "Origami" family services centre.

Barletta

Focaccia, panzerotti, handmade orecchiette in the old town, raw seafood at the San Nicola pier and spaghetti all'assassina. Free seafront, Pane e Pomodoro beach and Parco 2 Giugno; the Petruzzelli season; football at the San Nicola stadium. Nightlife in the old town, Murat and Umbertino.

Bari

The Comune lists Parco IV Novembre, on corso Cavour, two cinemas (Multisala Roma and Cinemars) and the "Andria countryside and the Murgia" with its masserie and trulli. The portal also lists stadiums, sports clubs and a swimming pool.

Andria

The Teatro Verdi is the municipal theatre, with an annual season of opera, concerts and ballet. The main green spaces are the Mercatello park, the Pinocchio park for children and the Minerva Garden. Saint Matthew in September and the winter Luci d'Artista are the city's two big events.

Salerno

Neapolitan pizza (the pizzaiuolo's art is UNESCO heritage), seafood cooking and pastries are the first pastime. Markets: Pignasecca, Porta Nolana, Poggioreale. The pedestrian seafront and the Posillipo rocks serve as urban beach; the Capodimonte woods and Parco Virgiliano are the parks. Napoli play at the Maradona in Fuorigrotta; evenings in Chiaia, piazza Bellini and the old centre.

Naples

Lago Patria is a Natura 2000 special area of conservation, with migratory and wintering birds. On the coast, between Licola and Varcaturo, the Comune has opened an equipped, accessible free beach. In town there are the municipal library on via Verdi and the feast of San Giuliano in September; the municipal park is listed as closed.

Giugliano in Campania

The Comune publishes the European Carnival of Zoomorphic Masks (mid-March editions in 2025 and 2026, free entry) and, among its cultural venues, the «Unità d'Italia» Auditorium. The pages consulted do not list parks or sports facilities.

Isernia

The food is rural and pastoral: cavatelli, pasta with truffles, caciocavallo and scamorze, lamb, pampanella and Tintilia wine. The weekly market and the centre's shops are the reference. The villa De Capoa is the historic garden; the Matese and the drove roads are the nearby nature. Campobasso play at the Selvapiana stadium. Evenings along the corso and in the old town.

Campobasso

The Comune lists the Villa Sabucchi park, with children's play areas, the Teatro Cavour, one of the city's most active cultural venues, and the Ludoteca Thomas Dezi, a space for exhibitions and events.

Pescara

The Comune presents the Villa Comunale, a multi-level terraced complex with an Italian garden and a small forest, and the Teatro Marrucino, built between 1813 and December 1817 on the walls of a former church. The events calendar is on the municipal site.

Chieti

The food is that of inland Abruzzo: arrosticini skewers, saffron from the Navelli plateau, Santo Stefano lentils, pecorino, Aquila torrone, ferratelle. The piazza Duomo market is daily. The Gran Sasso offers skiing, hiking and climbing half an hour away; the Castle Park and Parco del Sole are the urban greens. Evenings are spent in the bars of the corso and piazza Regina Margherita.

L'Aquila

Roman cooking is trattoria food: pasta (carbonara, gricia, amatriciana, cacio e pepe), offal dishes, artichokes, pizza by the slice and supplì. Neighbourhood markets in Testaccio and Esquilino, Porta Portese on Sundays. Large parks (Villa Borghese, Villa Pamphilj, Appia Antica), the sea at Ostia, the Roma–Lazio derby at the Olimpico, evenings in Trastevere, Testaccio, Pigneto and San Lorenzo.

Rome

The municipal Gabriele D'Annunzio Theatre, in the Palazzo della Cultura, has 716 seats and hosts drama and dance seasons and concerts. The Comune lists three libraries, including the one at Latina Scalo. For nature there is the Circeo National Park, with coastal lakes, a dune and the Selva di Circe forest.

Latina

The Comune's website lists the Officine Municipali (seven free courses from October to December 2026), the "N. Turriziani" Library, the Archaeological Museum and the National Festival of Music Conservatories in piazza Norberto Turriziani.

Frosinone

The Rossini Opera Festival uses the Teatro Rossini and the Auditorium Scavolini; the Comune's calendar mentions concerts from the balcony of Casa Rossini, open-air cinema at Rocca Costanza and beach initiatives. The city has 12 quartieri with municipal halls and community gardens.

Pesaro

The calendar includes the Teatro Lauro Rossi season (subscriptions from 16 October), the 57th edition of Macerata Jazz, the Macerata Opera Festival at the Sferisterio and the "Natura in città" outings in the Fontescodella park.

Macerata

Among cultural venues the Comune lists the Biblioteca civica "Romolo Spezioli", the Teatro dell'Aquila and the civic museums, and publishes a calendar of cultural, tourist and sports events. The Teatro dell'Aquila was inaugurated in 1791.

Fermo

The Comune runs the Teatro Ventidio Basso (drama season, free guided visits) and the Teatro dei Filarmonici, looks after sports facilities and promotes the Colle San Marco adventure park. Ascoli was European City of Sport 2025.

Ascoli Piceno