The Italians are a celebratory people and it certainly shows in the large number of festivals and other events that take place every year. You won’t want to miss the pre-Easter Carnivale in Venice, perhaps Italy’s most famous celebration, with numerous masked balls, parades, and musical festivities taking place over a two week period. Italy has a number of other religious themed events such as the San Gennaro Festival In Naples (September), Festas di San Nicola in Bari, Festa di Sant’Antonio in Padua (June), the Snake Charmer’s Procession in Abruzzo (May), and the famous Explosion of the Cart, occurring on Easter Sunday in Florence.

Other events of note include the San Pietro di Castello Feast in Venice (June), the Venice Film Festival (Cinema Biennial), Vinitaly in Verona, and the Historic Regatta in Venice (September).