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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. Access 160 Issues of Our Award-Winning Travel Publication. ...
On April 25, 1945, Italy was liberated from the grip of Mussolini and the German-Fascist regime. The country celebrates this historic day with parades, ceremonies, and speeches. Rome, as the capital, enjoys the biggest celebrations, including a visit by the President to the Ardeatine Caves Mausoleum, where the Nazis massacred 335 Romans in 1944. Dream of Italy is a membership ...
As if the the intimate vie in Italy couldn't get any more charming, the streets in the historic center of the quaint town of Spello in Umbria are filled with flowers for the infiorata di Spello. Residents decorate their window sills, balconies, staircases, alleys and corners in a blossoming botanical display for everyone to enjoy all leading up to the main ...
You've heard about the world's largest Christmas tree lighting in Umbria and now there is the world's largest presepe in the town of Manarola, one of the five towns in the Cinque Terre. The project was realized by Mario Andreoli, a retired railway worker who has dedicated over 30 years to the installation and in 2007 it was added to the ...
One of Italy's oldest and weirdest traditions, Corso dei Ceri, or "Running of the Candles," takes place once a year on May 15th in the picturesque Umbrian town of Gubbio. Three "candles" (actually 30 foot-high wooden pillars) crowned with statues of saints are paraded around the town by "ceraiuoli" and then run up the streets of Gubbio to the Basilica of ...
