With so many events in Italy in 2024, we have decided to write a follow-up to our last post which you have enjoyed so much. This time, we have moved on to the second half of the year and we can promise that events in Italy in 2024 from July – December will be just as much fun as those you enjoyed in our last post on events in Italy 2024 from January – June. We could write a book (or even a library!) on Italy’s vibrant festivals, exhibitions and events so it’s been quite a challenge to create this shortlist for you to enjoy. Here are some of the most famous events in Italy in 2024, along with some of our (potentially) less well-known favourites which we want to share with you.
July Events in Italy 2024
Festa della Madonna Bruna, Matera
The Festa di Maria Santissima della Bruna is held every year in Matera. Festivities peak on 2 July, but you will find celebrations taking place across the whole week. The celebrations are held in honour of the Madonna della Bruna and have been taking place since 1389. Today, the event involves several days of celebrations with lights and market stalls filling the streets accompanied by music and processions. The processions begin with a parade of shepherds making their way through the town but plenty of other processions follow. The most important includes the statue of the Madonna and child. The statue is taken to a float crafted from papier-mâchè which is positioned near the Church of Annuziata. The procession then continues with men on horseback leading the float to Matera’s cathedral where it is carried three times around the square before the statues are placed inside. Spectators may then be surprised to see the float being smashed to pieces by those gathered with everyone desperately trying to grab a piece of it. It’s believed that doing so will bring them good luck for the following year. The day’s festivities culminate with a spectacular fireworks display.
Ancona Jazz Festival
Ancona, the capital of the Marche region in Italy, has hosted a jazz festival each July since 1973, in celebration of this wonderful musical genre. The programme (and dates) change each year but what you can be guaranteed is that Ancona Jazz will always attract an eclectic and talented group of jazz musicians from all over the world who perform in concerts and events over the course of the fortnight. Visitors can buy a card which permits unlimited access to the various concerts, exhibitions and performances held across the city during the festival.
Siena Palio
Quite possibly Italy’s most famous festival, and certainly one of its oldest, the Siena palio takes place not once but twice a year on both 2 July and 16 August. The palio in July is the Palio of Provenzano, held in honour of the Madonna of Provenzano.
The palio is a competition between ten of the seventeen contrade in Siena. The contrade are wards of Siena and every resident of Siena will belong to a contrada. While there were originally 59 of them, these days there are seventeen – Snail, Wave, Eagle, Panther, Forest, Tortoise, Shell, Owl, Tower, Ram, Caterpillar, Dragon, Giraffe, Porcupine, She-Wolf and the Goose – however only ten actually compete in the palio. Of these, seven take part by right and the remaining three gain their place by being lucky enough to be drawn via lot (tratta). Interestingly, each jockey only knows which horse he will be riding four days prior when these lots are drawn.
A spectacular parade of flag wavers dressed head to toe in medieval costumes kicks off the Palio with their grand pageant – the Corteo Storico. Each flag shows the unique emblem and colour of the contrada it represents. As you pass through the city, you’ll see the flags of the contrade displayed on buildings throughout Siena so you’ll always know which contrada you’re in.
The event itself involves the ten horsemen riding bareback around the Piazza del Campo. The winner is the first to cross the finishing line after racing around the track three times. They are competing to win the coveted drapellone (large drape) which is a large, uniquely painted silk canvas, designed by a different artist each year. The winning contrada will go on to display the drappellone in its museum as part of the celebrations.
Quintana, Ascoli Piceno
The palio in Siena is just one of many palios taking place in July and August. If you head to Ascoli Piceno on the second Saturday in July (or on the first Sunday in August), you will witness the Quintana – a Medieval jousting tournament that is one of the oldest in Italy. Just like in Siena, events begin with a grand procession before the incredible jousting tournament begins. The different Sestieri of the city battle each other to be crowned winner of the palio. Exactly as in Siena, every Sestiere has its own colour, coat of arms and its own knight. The horse race is preceded and followed by other events, such as the historical parade and the flag wavers palio. Packed stands spill over with spectators cheering on their favourite champion, each representing their specific neighbourhood.
Stresa Music Festival
From mid-July, for six weeks, a series of concerts takes place in and around the popular lakeside town of Stresa on the banks of Lake Maggiore.
This event has been running annually since 1961 and is now renowned as one of the leading classical music festivals anywhere in Europe.
L’Ardia di San Costantino, Sardinia
Also in July, one of Sardinia’s largest festivals, is held in the village of Sedilo in the north of the island. The festival dates back many hundreds of years old and celebrates St Constantine who became a Roman co-emperor in 306AD. As the story goes, Constantine’s brother in law, Maxentius, declared war on him however Constantine successfully defeated him at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312AD. During the festival, the battle is skillfully re-created via a horse race in the Sancturio di San Constantino. Spectators look on as two riders are appropriately dressed to represent the Roman brothers, while an army of others are dressed to represent their armies.
August Events in Italy 2024
Ferragosto
Widely known as the modern bank holiday – Ferragosto – dates back to the time of Mussolini. He declared the 15th of August a bank holiday in his attempts to give Italy a national identity. These days, it marks the unofficial start of Italy’s summer holiday season and many businesses will choose to just shut down from this date until the beginning of September. Fireworks displays mark the evening celebrations in towns and cities across Italy and there is a real air of celebration and festivity right across the country. This event in Italy 2024 is always worth joining in with – you’ll be sure to have lots of fun as locals let their hair down for their summer break.
Castrum Sarnani
One of our favourite festivals in the run up to Ferragosto is in Sarnano, Le Marche. On the days running up to the 15th August, the town is transformed back in time into a wonderful Medieval scene. Cross through the entrance gates and you’ll need to exchange your money for the local Medieval currency – the Sarnano denari – so that you can make purchases from the ancient traders whose stalls fill the streets of this picturesque town. These include the cartographer, carpenter, astronomer, blacksmith, architect, falconer, stonecutter, herbalist and many more. All are keen to offer you their humble services in exchange for your Sarnano denari. Wherever you roam, you’ll come across fire eaters, sword fighters, archers, jugglers, belly dancers, fortune tellers, minstrels and artists. Meanwhile, in the piazzas and bars, you’ll be able to enjoy some wonderful musical and theatrical performances.
Rossini Opera Festival
This annual festival is a celebration of Rossini’s music. It is held each August in the coastal town of Pesaro in Le Marche. This year Pasaro has been named the Italian capital of culture for 2024 and is in fact the birthplace of composer Gioachino Rossini. During the festival, operas are performed both in the smaller historical Teatro Rossini as well as at the modern Adriatic Arena which can seat up to 11,000 people.
Macerata Opera festival
Marche offers music for all tastes across the Summer months and we have included a few of these in this guide to events in Italy 2024 . Macerata is famous for its iconic opera house – the Sferisterio – which is one of the most prestigious and acclaimed open-air theatres in Italy and provides a wonderful setting to watch some hugely talented opera singers perform. The Macerata opera festival is an annual three week event at the open air theatre. Over the years, the festirate has welcomed some of the world’s best performers including Luciano Pavarotti, Montserrat Caballé and Placido Domingo. In 2024 the festival will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the opera season. Each year the festival has a different theme and the performances will all revolve around this theme. This year it is the celebration of Giacomo Puccini. This is a popular event so be sure to book your tickets for performances in advance here.
Summer Jamboree
Senigalia’s summer jamboree is one of our favourite music festivals in Le Marche. There are dozens of free concerts to enjoy, all celebrating American music and culture of the 1940s and 1950s along with a vintage market every evening selling 40s and 50s memorabilia and delicious street food. There’s even a vintage car parade that will whisk you back in time as you admire these classic cars.
Siena Palio
Are you ready for another palio? Round two of the Siena palio takes place on 16 August each year. This time it is the Palio of the Assumption, which is held in honour of the Virgin Mary’s Assumption. Although events mirror those in July, there’s no reason at all not to enjoy both events.
Ravello Festival
Held annually, the Ravello Music Festival takes place in both Ravello and a number of other towns and villages along the Amalfi Coast. If you’re a music lover this is a must-visit event in Italy 2024
Known widely as the Wagner Festival, the event has taken place every year since 1953. Originally, it was a celebration of the visit by the German composer Richard Wagner to Ravello in 1880 and was intended as a way for the town to boost tourism. Much of the original emphasis of the festival was on Wagner’s music but today it has evolved into a two-month-long festival featuring a breadth of musical performances from large orchestras to small chamber groups and jazz quartets.
Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival is now one of the most highly renowned events in the film industry calendar. An annual event, it runs from the end of August and across into the first week of September. Held on the Venice Lido, it promotes and raises awareness of all aspects of international cinema.
September Events in Italy 2024
Regata Storica, Venice
Traditionally held on the first Sunday in September (7 September in 2024), the Venice Regatta (Regata Storica) is held on the city’s Grand Canal. It is one of the oldest events that takes place in Venice, dating back to the late 13th century and is one of the finest events in Italy 2024. It begins with a ceremonial parade during which a magnificent fleet of historical boats, manned by Venetians dressed in historical costumes, travel along the Grand Canal. This includes the bisonni (eight-oared gondolas), the balotine (six-oared gondolas) as well as with the ceremonial and highly decorated gondolas of the various rowing clubs within Venice. After this grand opening, the competitive event begins. There are various regattas ranging from events for youngsters, one for women as well as a men’s race. The starting line is in front of the public gardens in the Castello Sestiere. A rope – spagheto – stretches across the water to mark the starting area. Competing boats must then make their way from here around a pole in the centre of the Grand Canal in front of the Church of Sant’ Andrea de la Zirada and back to the finishing line indicated by the Machina. The latter is erected on a beautifully painted wooden raft. This is where the prize-giving ceremony is also held.
When the various races have finished, the canals of Venice are filled with boats of all shapes of sizes, full of Venetians celebrating. Back on dry land, there are numerous street performers and artists to provide plenty of entertainment.
Festa della Rificolona, Florence
This annual Festival of the Paper Lanterns will be held on 7 September 2024. The event’s roots are in Christian tradition, which states that the Virgin Mary was born on 8 September. Today, the event and celebrations are much smaller than they would have been historically. Back then, the day would have attracted many hundreds of farmers and rural labourers into the city to pay their respects. Since they travelled at night to make it to the services in time, they would carry lanterns with them. This tradition still continues today. During the Festa della Rificolona, on the eve of 8 September, Florentines will carry paper lanterns on the end of a stick as they make their way from the Piazza Santa Felicita to the Piazza Santissima Annunziata. A wonderful – and huge – market is held in the square on the 6 and 7 September reflecting the way farmers would once have brought their produce into the city with them to sell.
Luminara di Santa Croce, Lucca
Every year on 13 September, Lucca’s ecetric lights are switched off and instead, this stunning town is lit up with thousands of candles to mark the Luminara di Santa Croce. This important religious festival celebrates the legendary Volto Santo crucifix – a wooden carving of Jesus Christ that stands over two metres tall. It was supposedly sculpted by Nicodemus who assisted Saint Joseph in placing Christ in the tomb after his crucifixion. It is widely believed that the crucifix came from Palestine to Lucca in AD 782 and its home is in the Cathedral of San Martino in Lucca. Legend has it, Nicodemus didn’t actually finish carving the face – it miraculously appeared whilst he was sleeping. The story says that he then hid the crucifix in a cave in Lebanon where it remained hidden for centuries.
At around 8 pm on 13 September, a procession which begins at the Church of San Frediano in Lucca, makes its way to the Cathedral of San Martino along with a banner portraying the Volto Santo crucifix at its head. Priests dressed in white robes lead the way singing prayers and a band provides accompanying music. Residents join the festivities adorned in historic costumes. At 11.30, fireworks ignite the sky to provide the perfect finale to the event.
Couscous Fest
Another foodie of our events in Italy 2024, held in San Vito lo Capo every September since 1998, the Couscous Festival celebrates the Arab influences on Sicilian cuisine and now attracts many hundreds of thousands of visitors. Chefs from all over the world will come to participate and attempt to re-create the best version of this ancient Arabian delicacy. That said, couscous isn’t the only foodstuff celebrated but it’s definitely the star of the show! During the event, there will be cooking shows, wine tasting, talks, music performances and so much more. In 2024, the event will take place from 20-29 September.
La Festa di San Gennaro, Naples
In Italy, September 19th marks the Feast of Saint Gennaro, the Bishop of Benevento. He was persecuted for his Christian beliefs, before being beheaded in 305 AD. The saint’s relics (including two sealed vials of his blood) are kept in the Duomo in Naples.
On the morning of 19th September, many thousands of Neopolitans flock to the Piazza del Duomo in Naples hoping to see the saint’s blood liquefy, in what is known as the Miracle of San Gennaro. As spectators watch in awe, the Cardinal removes the vials of blood from the chapel in which they are housed and processes with them and a bust of the saint to the cathedral altar. The crowd holds their breath waiting to see if the blood liquefies (which it usually does). If it doesn’t, then it is considered a bad omen. The church bells ring out and the liquified blood is taken out to the masses in the square to be observed. Following these ceremonial events, it’s left on display in the cathedral for the next eight days. As you’d expect from an Italian festival, there are plenty of other events that make up the festival including a religious procession through the streets. It’s worth noting that the miracle of San Gennaro’s blood is also performed on 16 December and on the Saturday before the first Sunday in May so there’s plenty of opportunity to be part of this spectacle.
Genoa Boat Show
Experience the pinnacle of Italian refinement at the 67th edition of the Genoa Boat Show, which will showcase the best Made in Italy brands. This could be one of the most visually indulgent events in Italy 2024! This year, the event will take place from 19-24 September and will be located at the stunning Waterfront Marina in Genoa. The show offers a remarkable opportunity for both industry experts and enthusiasts to indulge in these stunning boats on display in the 200,000 square of exhibition space on land and water.
Milan Fashion Week
Milan Fashion Week is held twice a year in Milan. The Autumn and Winter collections are presented in January and February and the Spring and Summer collections in September and October. Designer brands will put on cat-walk shows in some of the most beautiful spots throughout the city. Whilst access to the shows is extremely limited and only open to a select few, many of them will be live-streamed and available to view on a big screen in one of Milan’s main squares. And even if you can’t attend the events themselves, the city has a real atmosphere and buzz to it during the Fashion Week. In 2024, Milan Fashion Week takes place from 17 to 23 September and if you’re a fan of fashion is one of the events in Italy 2024 that you can’t miss out on.
October 2023 Events in Italy
Autumn is the time when a whole plethora of food festivals take place in Italy, celebrating the bountiful harvest that nature provides at this time of year. And as self-confessed foodies, these are some of our favourite events in Italy in 2024. There are chestnut festivals, mushroom festivals, olive oil festivals and many more. It would be impossible to list them, all but we’ve included a taste of some of the most famous food festivals to give you a flavour for the sorts of food events you will find in Italy at this time of year.
Chestnut Festivals
In September but predominantly in October, several festivals celebrate the chestnut harvest in Italy. Most of these take place north of Rome with many being centred in Tuscany. One of the most well known is held in Monticello Amiata, from the Friday to Sunday in the second weekend in October. This three day festival – Festa della Castagna – celebrates everything we love about the humble chestnut! The sweet smell floods the streets as large pans (tegliate) are positioned throughout the town in which chestnuts are roasted.
Alternatively, one of the longest celebrations of the chestnut takes place in Marradi at the Sagra delle Castagne. Events take place in the town every weekend in October. Food stalls sell a selection of delicious creations all made using chestnuts. Favourites are marmalades and jams, pasta (tortelli di marroni) cakes and puddings (torta di marroni and il castagnaccio).
Over the 3rd and 4th weekends of October, in Caprese Michelangelo , another famous Festa della Castagna takes place. Caprese Michelangelo is home to some of Tuscany’s most delicious chestnuts. The trees here were originally planted in Medieval times by monks. For many centuries the chestnut harvest played a vital role in staving off starvation for the town’s inhabitants during the Winter months.
Other festivals that are centred around the chestnut include Castagnata d’Autunno in Bagno Vignoni at the end of October, the Bacchereto chestnut festival and the Palaia chestnut festival on the last Sunday in October and. Also of note is the Piancastagnaio chestnut festival and the two day Castagnalandia festival that takes place every year in Castelnuovo Val di Cecina on the third weekend of October. And last but not least there is the Festa del Marrone in Campiglia d’Orcia where the streets are filled with vibrant colours and the humble chestnut is once again celebrated in its many delectable forms.
International White Truffle Fair, Alba
This world-famous truffle fair takes place every weekend between October and December. Celebrating the tuber magnatum Pico, there is no better time to sample and buy the famous white truffles that are found in the woods around Langhe Roero and Monferrato. Held annually, the fair includes historical reenactments and events as well as cookery demonstrations, tastings, sales and much more.
Acqualagna White Truffle Fair
Alba is not the only town to host a truffle fair. Over in Le Marche, the week-long White Truffle Fair takes place in Acqualagna each year in October or November. It attracts truffle buyers from around the world, ever keen to get their hands on this prized Italian delicacy. Staggeringly, nearly two thirds of Italy’s national truffle production comes from Acqualagna. Visitors to the event will find stalls filling the main square. Tastings, cooking competitions and exhibitions run across the 7 days and there are plenty of opportunities to buy truffles and other local food specialties.
Eurochocolate
For those with a sweeter tooth, Perugia, Umbria, hosts 10-day celebration of chocolate every October. Perugia is well known for its chocolates, thanks to being the HQ for the Perugina company whose Baci chocolates are (according to their website at least!) the most popular brand consumed in Italy. Eurochocolate will take place from 18-27 October 2024 and is predicted to attract nearly a million visitors to the city. Read about the Spring installment of this chocolatey festival in our post here and if you’re traveling with children (or chocolate-loving grownups!), this has to be on your list of events in Italy 2024.
Pistachio Festival
Every October, in the town of Bronte near Mount Etna, one of our favourite Italian sagras celebrates the humble pistachio, which grows on the fertile slopes of the volcano. A great variety of pistachio-inspired dishes are on hand for visitors to go nuts for during the Sagra del Pistacchio.
Sagra del Tordo, Montalcino
The Sagra del Tordo in Montalcino has taken place on the last Sunday of October ever since 1958. It translates literally as the ‘song thrush festival’ to reflect the age-old tradition of hunting in this area due to bird migration. The festival involves participants from each of the four districts of Montalcino competing in an archery competition.
To mark the start of events, the town crier releases a number of thrushes whilst hundreds of residents add to the atmosphere by dressing up in Medieval costumes and parading through the streets.
Halloween
In Italy. Halloween isn’t a recognised holiday. However, the influence of traditional American Halloween customs are beginning to creep in. For much of Italy, this is much more a time to remember loved ones and visit their graves. More commonly, Italians celebrate not on 31 October but on the following day – All Saints’ Day – on 1 November.
November Events in Italy 2024
All Saints’ Day
In Italy, November 1 is celebrated as All Saints’ Day and is both a religious and public holiday. Known as Tutti i Santi or La festa di Ognissanti, across the country, Italians celebrate and remember those who have entered heaven.
Festival dei Popoli, Florence
First taking place in 1959, the Festival dei Popoli is a renowned annual film festival that takes place in Florence and 2024 will mark the 64th edition of this event. It is also the oldest film festival in Europe dedicated to documentary cinema. This week-long event, which includes several screenings throughout the city, is visited by people from all corners of the globe. Dates for 2024 are yet to be confirmed but it’s likely to take place between 4 and 12 November.
Feast of Our Lady of Good Health, Venice
November 21st marks the Feast of Our Lady of Good Health in Venice and is one of the most important religious events in Italy 2024. It has been celebrated every year since 1631, although it’s believed that the roots of the festival go back to Medieval times. In 1630 and 1631, swathes of northern Italy were hit by a wave of the plague. In Venice alone, 47,000 people died. At a loss of what to do, in the height of the epidemic, the government here organised a procession of prayer to the Virgin Mary for 3 days and nights. The Doge also made a pledge: should Venice survive the plague, he would build a temple as a sign of gratitude and thanks. As it turned out, not long after the procession, the epidemic died out. To give their thanks to Mary, the great Basilica in the Dogana da Mar district began and the building was finally completed in 1687. Today, the city’s citizens still give thanks to the Virgin Mary on 21 November and once hourly masses are held in the Basilica of Saint Mary of Health. To make it easier for worshippers to attend, each year a temporary iron and wooden bridge – the votive bridge – is erected on the Grand Canal a few days before the Feast.
Feast of Santa Lucia, Siracusa
To mark Santa Lucia (Saint Lucy) festivities in Syracuse begin on 30 November but will continue for 3 weeks, until 20 December. It begins, on the 30 November, when a parade travels through the streets of the town. Later, on 9 December, the silver simulacrum of Santa Lucia is displayed in the chapel dedicated to her within the cathedral. Festivities continue when on the 13th December, a procession carrying her relics and the silver simulacrum from here to the Basilica of Santa Lucia al Sepolcro takes place. Ceremoniously escorted by twelve cilii (large wooden candelabras), it is followed close behind by the Senate Carriage. This solemn event lasts several hours with pilgrims shouting Siracusana jè! as the procession passes. Many walk barefoot as a sign of their thanks. Bells ring out to announce its arrival at the church.
During the next eight days, crowds gather to visit the Saint and the Martyr’s tomb in the Basilica where the relics are displayed before they are returned to the Cathedral on 20 December. To mark the end of the event, there is another long procession as the Saint makes her way back, via the Basilica Sanctuario della Madonna delle Lacrime and the Umberto I Hospital as well as via a stop at the Ponte Umbertino. Here, fireworks greet the Saint’s return.
December Events in Italy 2024
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
December 8th marks the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. This is a public holiday meaning most people get to enjoy a day off. It also marks the official start of the Christmas period for Italians. Many Italians will celebrate the occasion by putting up their Christmas decorations.
An important date in the Roman Catholic church, it marks the day when Mary herself was conceived. Catholics believe that her mother Saint Anne fell pregnant in the usual biological way, however, they also believe that the conception was immaculate since it involved the intervention of God who absolved Mary of sin. Throughout the country, masses are held. In Rome, the Pope lays a wreath at the base of the Colonna della Immacolata statue in the Piazza Mignanelli and a representative from the Italian fire service will place a floral wreath on the arm of the statue. Elsewhere in Italy, you will find many towns celebrating with music, parades and entertainment. In Abruzzo and Puglia, the day is marked with bonfires. Meanwhile, the city of Naples lights up for the festivities with magical illuminations in the Rione Sanita district, and with the more traditional fairs of San Biagio dei Librai and San Gregorio Armeno.
Christmas Markets
December is the month when Italian Christmas markets take over many of the piazzas in Italy’s main towns and cities and will be some of our favourite events in Italy in 2024.
That said, Italy’s smaller towns and villages don’t like to be outdone and many of these also hold magical Christmas markets during the festive season. Some of the biggest are in the Piazza Navona in Rome, at Oh Bej! Oh Bej! and in Milan, famous for celebrating the city’s patron saint, Saint Ambrose. And of course, many markets will give you the chance to meet Babbo Natale (Father Christmas) while he prepares for the big day.
Candles in Candelara
There are also a number of non-religious festivals which revolve around Christmas. Probably our favourite of these is in the Marche region of Italy – Candles in Candelara. Here, the street lights are completely switched off and instead, the village is magnificently lit by tens of thousands of candles, providing the most magically idyllic backdrop for to you wander around the wooden market, which houses many stalls selling Christmas gifts and handicrafts. Being in Italy there are plenty of traditional dishes on offer to sample too. These include polenta with mushrooms, piadina, salted codfish , fried olives and roasted chestnuts, all to be washed down with the newest wine of the season. To finish off this magical scene, in the background, traditional music is played by bagpipe players, all adding to the festive atmosphere.
Live Nativity Scenes
When it’s Christmas in Italy, mention must also be made of the live nativity scenes (presepio) that take place across the country. Francis of Assisi staged the first-ever living nativity scene in the early 13th century in the village of Greccio. In the following two centuries, the setting up of live nativity scenes spread to towns and villages across Europe. In Italy, the tradition is still going strong today.
You can find our favourite living nativity scene in Genga, Le Marche, taking place 26 December and 29 December each year. Set in the stunning backdrop of a cave in the beautiful Frasassi Gorge, each year 300 actors re-create the nativity scene earning it the title of the largest living nativity in the whole world. All the performers make their way up to the cave, dressed as local craftsmen from blacksmiths to bakers and from cobblers to carpenters. To add to the magic proceeds from the event all go to charity and good causes.
In Rome, presepi can be found in the Piazza Euclide, the Piazza del Popolo, at Santa Maria in Travestere and also at Santa Maria d’Aracoeli on the Capitoline Hill.
Not to be outdone, in northern Tuscany, there is a wonderful living nativity in Equi Terme. Just a handful of people live here all year round but between 23 and 26 December every year, dozens of people come to re-enact the events of the birth of Jesus in its town centre.
There are also notable living nativity scenes in Greccio, in Custonaci on the South West coast of Sicily, in the Sassi of Matera in the Basilicata region of Italy, in San Bagio near Mantova and in Dogliani in Cuneo.
Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day
As in much of Europe, both 25 and 26 December are public holidays in Italy. This is a time for Italians to spend in the company of family and friends. As I’m sure you can imagine, some wonderful food is prepared and shared as Christmas is celebrated Italian style.
Umbria Jazz Winter
This, the Winter edition of this Umbrian Jazz Festival, offers yet another chance for music lovers to immerse themselves in some incredible jazz performances across seven different venues throughout Orvieto. With more than 150 performers taking part during the five days and coinciding as the event does with Capodanno (New Year’s Eve), it’s a really fantastic event. Since most of the musicians are ‘in residence’ there are also many opportunities to listen to the same performer more than once. The main venue for performances is the Teatro Manincelli. However, other venues include the Emilio Greco Museum, the Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo and the Palazzo dei Sette among others. Here, jam sessions will take place between midnight and the early hours of the morning.
For those who want to stay up late, also at the Palazzo dei Sette, great fun can be had at the jam sessions which have been one of the most identifiable rituals of jazz since its origins. These start at around midnight with the house band and continue through to the early hours. And as always, the Funk Off band parades through the streets of the Città della Rupe.
And that’s it! We hope you enjoyed reading about these events in Italy 2024 and we hope we managed to include something for everyone to make a trip to Italy in 2024 full of the magical memories it deserves. If your trip is in the first half of the year, then remember to also check out our post on events in Italy 2024 from January – June. And don’t forget to check out our top tours and experiences across all regions in Italy here.