Dream of Italy

Genoa: A Thousand Sails
2024-09-23 | Portico Antico Bay, Genoa, Italy
The Italian Yacht Club’s biggest regatta, this sailing festival brings boats from all over Europe to Genoa‘s Porto Antico Bay. The millevele or one-thousand sails along the Ligurian coast is a sight not to miss!
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.

Monza: Italian Grand Prix
2024-09-30 - 2024-10-02 | Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Via Vedano, 5, Monza, Italy
Monza is regarded by many as the embodiment of Formula One racing. Not only is it a fantastic example of a track that combines speed with skill, it also has a heart and soul all of its own. It has seen some of the finest races of all time, but also some of the sport’s worst accidents. The names of great drivers and the sounds of engines from years gone by linger in the grand old trees surrounding the track in the royal park.
Formula One racing visited the circuit as part of the inaugural season in 1950, and it has remained a permanent fixture on the calendar ever since. Over that time, Monza has borne witness to an incredible list of historic moments, famous victories and horrifying crashes. All combine to make it one of the most magical places on the Formula One calendar. For many there is nowhere that encapsulates the sport better than this circuit. The Italians call it La Pista Magica, the magic track, a description few would disagree with.
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.
Related article: Dream of Italy’s Lombardy Travel Advice

Alba: White Truffle Festival
2024-10-01 - 2024-12-03 | Alba, Alba, Piedmont, Italy
This fall festival in Piedmont features fine wines, exquisite wines, the rare and prized white truffle (that can only grow in nature) and much more to tempt the taste buds.
Note: Pricing starts at 22€ and may vary depending on event. Admission ticket to the white truffle world market is included with purchase of any wine tasting experience, Food Moments and Analisi Sensoriale del Tartufo events. Dates have not been confirmed; please check the event website for updates.
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.
Dream of Italy’s Turin/Piedmont Travel Advice
Related Article: On the Trail of Truffles in Alba

Rome: Fantafestival
2024-10-04 - 2024-10-10 | Multisala Barberini, Rome, Italy
Rome‘s Fantafestival is dedicated to fantastic and horror cinema. The location at Multisala Barberini is confirmed and so are the “Golden Bats” for the best picture and short in both the Italian and international categories. There will once again be the Z-Day, with a zombie-walk along the streets of Rome.
Note: Dates have not been confirmed; please check the official event website for updates.
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.
Photo credit: event website

Trieste: Barcolana Regatta
2024-10-13 | Unnamed Venue, Trieste, Italy
This regatta is an annual boating competition that takes place in the gulf of Trieste in which 2,000 boat owners come together to test their skills on the Mediterranean. The main event is on the water and takes place on every second Sunday of October, but there are plenty of on-land activities to enjoy, in addition to a host of water events in the week leading up to the Barcolana itself.
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.

Milan: Yoga Festival
2024-10-15 - 2024-10-17 | Palazzo del Ghiaccio, Via Giovanni Battista Piranesi 14, Milano, MI, 20137, Italy
If you’re in the city and find your body telling you it needs a break from all the sight-seeing, take the time to wind down at this festival. It offers free classes for yoga novices as well as events for those who are well-schooled in various yoga techniques.
Note: Pricing varies by event; Please visit event website for more information on individual event pricing.
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.
Photo credit: event website

Rome Film Festival
2024-10-18 - 2024-10-29 | Auditorium Parco della Musica, Viale Pietro De Coubertin, 30, Rome, Italy
Rome‘s International Film Festival, with 80 films shown in five categories, has 50 judges awarding prizes of 200,000€ to the best film, best actor and best actress. The festival is free and should you desire a cinematic experience, you can purchase tickets for 5€.
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.

Venice Marathon
2024-10-27 | Unnamed Venue, Venice, Italy
Runners can sign up to cover either the traditional 26.2 miles from the town of Stra (near Padova) to Venice, or the 6.2 miles starting from the San Giuliano Park in Mestre both ending at the city’s Riva dei Sette Martiri on the waterfront. There’s a children’s 3K, a moonlight half marathon, and a big pasta party!
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.
Note: Registration fee starts at 30€ with the 6.2 mile race whereas the 26.2 mile race starts at 55€; registration fee can increase the more people sign up.
Dream of Italy’s Venice Travel Advice
Related Article: Get Your Sports Fix, Italian-Style

Turin: Artissima
2024-11-01 - 2024-11-03 | Oval – Lingotto Fiere, Via Giacomo Mattè Trucco 70, Torino, Italy
Artissima, or “very art,” is just that — around 200 emerging galleries from around the world will meet in Turin Lingotto to showcase all forms of contemporary art, from paintings and drawings to performances and installations. The fair also features four special sections: “Present Future,” on emerging artists, “Back to the Future,” for artists from 1975-1985, “New Entries,” for all galleries established after 2001 with a demonstrated interest in experimental art, and finally, “Per4m,” which showcases performance art.
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.
Related Article: **Discover Turin’s Surprises (Free Access)**

Naples: Christmas Alley
2024-11-01 - 2024-12-31 | Via San Gregorio Armeno, Naples, Italy
Southern Italy is romanticized for its gorgeous countryside, sunny weather and its even warmer welcome from the locals. If you’re in the Campania region, take the time to stop over in Naples and visit Christmas Alley, also known as Via San Gregorio Armeno in the Historic Center of Napoli. The via is lined with handicraft workshops adorned with the artisans’ charming holiday art. A lot of their handicrafts involve making pieces for the presepe, a long-standing tradition of making elaborate mangers. The handmade figurines include all sorts of personalities including politicians, celebrities, athletes, religious figures and more.
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.
Photo credit: Umberto Rotundo, flickr.com

Campania: Luci d'Artista
2024-11-01 - 2025-01-06 | Umbria
If you are looking for a charming experience during the holidays and find yourself in Campania, take the time to visit Salerno where the piazzas will greet you with spectacular artistic light installations. Now nearing its 15th edition, this public display has captivated even international audiences. There is even a ferris wheel that gives guests a bird’s-eye view of the twinkling light installations.
Note: Please visit event website for updates.
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.
Photo credit: event website

San Miniato: La Sagra del Tartufo Bianco (Truffle Festival)
2024-11-08 - 2024-11-23 | Unnamed Venue, San Miniato, Italy
The small Tuscan town of San Miniato near Pisa celebrates truffle season on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th weekends of November. Enjoy local foods, entertainment, shopping and, of course, the prized white truffles!
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.
Related Article: Tuscany: Ceramics, Castles and Culinary Adventures
Photo credit: unpodimondo

Cremona: Torrone Festival
2024-11-11 - 2024-11-19 | Cremona, Piazza del Comune 5, Cremona, Lombardy, 26100, Italy
If you’ve ever tried this sweet treat and found yourself falling head over heels for it, then do yourself a favor and head on down to Cremona for the Festa del Torrone. Here, the unique nougat confection is celebrated in a very big way with events including the Costruzioni Giganti di Torrone, where people compete to build the largest torrone, and then there’s the re-enactment of the 13th century nuptials between Italian military leader Francesco Sforza and Bianca Maria Visconti, Dutchess of Milan. Other events include the Torrone Street Festival in Giardini di Piazza Roma, then the degustazione, or tasting, where guests can follow experts as they demonstrate the 3 crucial phases in the making of torrone. There are even events geared towards children such as the 4 seasons lab that’s free for all.
Note: Please visit event website for updated dates.
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.
Photo credit: Alberto Piso

Florence Marathon
2024-11-24 | Florence, Florence, Italy
This popular 42,195 km marathon attracts 10,000 runners, who pass by the Ponte Vecchio along the Arno River and finish at the breathtaking Piazza Duomo. If you’d like to participate in this marathon through the historic center of Florence, you can enroll through the event website below.
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.

Turin: Cioccolatò
2024-11-28 - 2024-12-07 | Piazza San Carlo, Via Roma, Torino, TO, Italy
Attention all chocolate aficionados, supporters and enthusiasts: The annual chocolate fest in Turin known as Cioccolatò is back! This sweet treat has been enjoyed even by the Savoy royal court and this month-long event invites chocolate lovers to gather and participate in various labs and tastings including events for children. Hosting master chocolatiers from all over the country and highlighting the history of this tasty dessert, Turin’s annual chocolate festival, will delight cocoa lovers of any age.
Note: Dates have not been confirmed; please check the event website for updates.
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.

Venice: Rowing Lesson Through the Canals
2024-12-01 - 2025-11-30 | Venice, Fondamenta Gasparo Contarini, Venice, Veneto, Italy
Enjoying a gondola ride through the Venice canals is quite the experience, but have you ever wanted to commandeer one yourself? Treat yourself with a rowing lesson with Row Venice called vogata di sera. During the lesson you can learn the Venetian style of rowing — standing up and facing forward.
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.
Photo credit: event website

Gubbio (Umbria): Lighting of the World's Largest Christmas Tree
2024-12-04 | Gubbio, Umbria, 06024, Italy
Gubbio kicks off the Christmas season and keeps it going with the lighting of the world’s largest Christmas Tree (first recorded in 1991 in the Guinness Book of Records). This charming medieval town on Mount Ingino in Umbria is home to the light installation for nearly the entire month of December and into the first week of January. Quite a sight to see and to be admired by all!
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.
Photo credit: Alessandro Scarcella, flickr.com

Cannara: Onion Festival
2024-12-04 - 2024-12-16 | Cannara, Cannara, Perugia, 06033, Italy
Cannara, in Umbria, welcomes people to their onion festival! The perfectly sweet onions typical of Cannara are of the red, gold and borrettana varieties. For two weekends in a row locals and tourists can celebrate by partaking in the eating of specialty dishes involving the beloved vegetable.
Note: Dates have not yet been confirmed; Please visit event website for updates.
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.

Florence: Green Line Festival
2024-12-08 - 2025-01-09 | Umbria
If you want to experience the charm of Florence at its peak allure during the holidays, then the Green Line Festival (formerly called the Florence Light Festival or F-Light), is the place to be. This event illuminates the evening by casting Christmas projections on the city’s buildings and the Ponte Vecchio. Don’t miss the chance to awe in the city’s beauty during this enlightening festival.
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.
Photo credit: event website

Rome: Baroque Christmas Concert in Capuchin Crypt
2024-12-22 17:15 - 2024-12-29 22:00 (Europe/Rome) | Santa Maria Immacolata & Capuchins Museum, Via Vittorio Veneto, Rome, Lazio, 00187, Italy
If you’re looking for a unique and one-of-a-kind experience for the holidays in Italy (as if just being in the bel paese was not enough) then you should take a trip to Rome and visit the Church of Santa Maria Immacolata. This historical church is home to the beautifully haunting crypt of the Capuchin monks of the 17th century and the place where they kept their friars remains. In December, the church also hosts a Baroque Christmas concert where performances by the Schola Romana Ensemble.
Note: The price includes the concert and a guided tour of the crypt in English.
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.
Photo credit: JvL, flickr.com

Venice: New Year's Concert
2024-12-29 - 2025-01-01 | Teatro La Fenice, Campo San Fantin, 1965, Venice, Italy
Venice celebrates the end of the year with a classical concert at Teatro La Fenice conducted by Myung-Whun Chung. As tradition dictates, the first segment of the concert features the talented La Fenice Orchestra, while the choir joins in during the second segment performing “Va’ Pensiero” from Nabucco and “Libiam ne’ lieti calici” from La traviata.
Note: Dates have not yet been confirmed; Tickets start at 99€; Pricing varies on day of performance; Please visit event website for further information.
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.
Get your FREE copy of Dream of Italy’s Christmas in Italy Guide

Rome: I Solisti dell'Opera, New Years Concert
2024-12-31 - 2025-01-01 | All Saints Church, Via del Babuino, 153, Rome, Italy
The excellent singers of the Filarmonica d’Opera di Roma offer an unforgettable performance. The orchestra and singers dress in 18th century costumes as they perform their solos both on New Years Eve and New Years Day. The event is at the All Saints Church, which offers an English-speaking community in Rome.
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.
Photo credit: Stefano Parmesan
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Venice: New Year's Day on Lido Beach
2024-12-31 23:00 - 2025-01-01 13:30 | Lido Beach, Venice, Italy
If you find yourself in Venice during the holidays, kick off the new year with a party on the beach! Head to Blue Moon beach and join in their annual “Auguri di Capodanno sulla spiaggia” party to ring in the New Year. Drink wine, partake in the traditional New Year’s meal of lenticchie and cotechino (a savory combination of lentils and sausage), bring the kids so they can also partake in activities including a sideshow children entertainers Nico e Mamma Bolle before lunch. If you are daring, go for a swim in the cold water in the Venetian Lagoon along with the ibernisti or hibernators who take a dip every year. If you’re inspired to spend an elegant evening instead, attend the annual New Year’s Concert at the Teatro La Fenice. With so much going on for people of all ages, it might be hard to choose!
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.

Venice: New Year's Greeting on Lido Beach
2025-01-01 | Lido Beach, Venice, Italy
Welcome the New Year with an invigorating dip in the freezing waters along Venice’s Lido Beach…or at least join more than 2000 onlookers while you watch others splashing their way into the New Year from 11 am – 1:30 pm on New Year’s Day. The day starts with a Viennese waltz, and concludes with a hearty, warming meal of wine, cotechino (sausage) and lenticchie (lentils, which are traditionally eaten for wealth in the New Year, as the lentils look like the many coins that you hope to acquire in the new year!)
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.

Venice: Epiphany Regatta
2025-01-06 | Grand Canal, Venice, Italy
In a city that holds hundreds of regatta races throughout the year, this one stands out, as it features 50 men dressed as La Befana (the Epiphany witch). The rowers paddle up the Grand Canal and toward the Rialto Bridge, competing to be the first to reach a giant stocking that hangs from the bridge.
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.
Photo credit: D’Arcy Vallance, flickr.com

Milan: La Befana Benifica
2025-01-06 | Duomo, Milan, Italy
Every year on the Epiphany, Italian motorcyclists gather for La Befana Benifica, a motorcycle procession for charity led by La Befana, the Epiphany witch. Beginning at the Duomo, motorcyclists hear a speech from the mayor and are blessed by the Bishop of Milan. The procession then continues to deliver items like food and gifts to charity centers, shelters and retirement homes around Milan.
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.
Photo credit: Bas_Ernst

Florence: The Ride of the Magi
2025-01-06 | Palazzo Pitti, Florence, Tuscany, Italy
On the 6th of January in Florence, just days before the Epiphany, many gather to watch La cavalcata dei Re Magi, Arrival of the Magi. Watch the Wise Men and their cavalcade as they make their way from Palazzo Pitti to Piazza Duomo where they greet a harmonious Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.
Photo credit: operaduomo.firenze.it

Rome: Epiphania
2025-01-06 10:00 - 12:00 | St. Peters, Via della Conciliazione, Rome, Italy
Each year in Rome, hundreds of people in medieval costumes walk along the avenue leading up to the Vatican carrying gifts for the Pope, who will then say a morning mass in Saint Peters.
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.

Novoli (Lecce): Bonfire for Sant'Antonio Abate Feast Day
2025-01-16 | Unnamed Venue, Fòcara in Novoli, Italy
Novoli, a small town near Lecce, honors the town’s patron, Sant’Antonio Abate, on the eve of his feast day January 17. The origin of the fire ritual is said to date back at least 1,000 years and is credited to monks from the east who settled in Novoli. The fòcara is a bonfire constructed of olive branches and grape vines in Piazza Tito Schipa. Using a huge ladder to pile the branches on top, the fire builders make a mountain as high as a three-story house. Thousands of pilgrims walk from nearby towns to honor the Saint. In addition to the bonfire, there are masses, religious processions, food, wine, and musical events.
Dream of Italy is a membership website and award-winning travel publication publishing 170 issues since 2002. Get a free issue to see what we are all about. Join now to access them all. Let our expert travel planners book your Italy trip. We also host a TV series and podcast.
Photo credit: Andrea Fistetto, flickr.com

Catania (Sicily): Feast of Saint Agatha
2025-02-03 - 2025-02-05 | Chiesa San Biagio, Piazza Stesicoro, 95100, Catania, Sicily, Italy
Located in an ancient port city on the east coast of Sicily, this is an all-night religious celebration of the patron saint of the city. A procession of candle bearers parade through the city with horse-drawn carriages. Street theater, fireworks, sweets, and clouds of incense evoke the pagan origins of this festival.
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