• Goblets of Stars

    Goblets of Stars (Calici di Stelle) is a wine event held annually across Italy on the night of and the week leading up to the Feast of San Lorenzo, a night that is historically lit up with shooting stars, interpreted as the tears of San Lorenzo. Evening concerts, parades, and events celebrating wine are held in piazzas across the country. ...

  • Rome: Feast of San Lorenzo

    Basilica di San Lorenzo Via Tiburtina, Rome, Italy

    The martyrdom of San Lorenzo is celebrated in Rome with fireworks and celebrations throughout the area around his crypt on the Via Tiburtina, where he was killed in 258 AD. The patron saint of librarians, firemen, bakers, and other professions whose jobs involve fire and roasting, San Lorenzo's association with such incendiary professions is certainly a disturbing one -- His ...

  • Positano (Amalfi Coast): Landing of the Saracens

    Unnamed Venue Positano, Italy

    On this summer evening at sunset, costumed actors re-enact the battle that took place on the night of August 15, 1558. The landing of the Saracens is also celebrated with music, food and a certainly gorgeous sunset, making this an event for the whole family. Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since ...

    Free
  • Civitavecchia (Lazio): Feast of the Sea (Il Padellone)

    Unnamed Venue Civitavecchia, Italy

    Civitavecchia rings in the anniversary of its founding, as well as the defeat of the Saracens, in charming seaside style: A boat race, historical procession and a gastronomical fair featuring huge quantities of free seafood, and in particular, a gigantic Padellone -- a giant platter of fried fish that especially encapsulates the anniversary of the founding of the city. Other celebrations ...

    Free
  • Cappelle sul Tavo (Abruzzo): Palio of the Dancing Dolls

    To kick off ferragosto this friendly battle, also called the Palio delle Pupe, amongst 14 neighboring towns in Abruzzo puts on a show for spectators. Pupe are papier-mache lifesized dolls and are covered in fireworks. For over 40 years these dolls have a dance "battle" where representatives from the towns climb up inside the doll and perform a dance to folk ...

    Free
  • Ferragosto

    It's the summer and in August many Italians are looking forward to Ferragosto which starts on August 15th. It's known as a two-week vacation period with roots in ancient Rome. When Emperor Augustus invented the feriae Augusti to mark the end harvest he also made it a moment that signified a period of well-deserved rest. Later, during the fascist regime, this ...

  • Ferrara: Buskers Festival

    This August, if you find yourself in Emilia-Romagna take a train and walk through the historic streets of Ferrara and meet international street musicians as they perform various genres of music from around the world. The festival was originated by Stefano Bottoni, a native ferrarese, who was inspired by his visit to New York in the 1980s to see his own ...

    Free
  • La Morra (Piedmont): Mangialonga

    Piazza Castello La Morra, Italy

    Mangialonga is a 4km-long walk dedicated to the food of La Morra such as the fresh pasta dish tajarin al ragù, vitello al Barolo (veal bites braised in Barolo wine) with polenta, cheese platter from Cuneo, and last but not least the dessert, a delicious torta di nocciole from the renowned bakery Giovanni Cogno. Participants will meander through the town's villages ...

    50€
  • Nuoro (Sardinia): The Feast of the Redeemer

    Unnamed Venue Nuoro, Italy

    Since August 29th, 1901, when Pope Leo XIII erected a bronze, 23 ft. tall statue of Christ the Redeemer on Monte Ortobene in honor of the Jubilee Year, locals and visitors have participated in celebratory procession to the statue from Nuoro's Cathedral. At Dawn, the faithful participants of the march congregate in the square outside the cathedral. They sing songs ...

    Free
  • Montepulciano: Barrel Race

    Every last Sunday of August this Tuscan hilltop town is consumed in the, by then, week-long celebration of the Bravio delle Botti, also known as the "Barrel Race". The festivities kick off with the presentation of the Bravium, the victory banner, which is painted each year by a select artist with a winning design based on on a specific theme; the ...

    Free