When you are traveling to Italy, you can make your trip even more memorable by being a part of the wonderful and unique festivals they celebrate. Italy has so much to offer that your trip is not complete without seeing some of these events and festivals!
Carnevale di Venezia
The whole of Venice becomes a platform for the Carnival with
different events happening here and there. St Mark’s Square is usually the hub,
but during the nearly 2 weeks of celebrations you’ll find people wearing masks
all over the city. You can combine your Venice Carnival experience with
sightseeing around this truly beautiful city; enjoy a gondola on the canals,
cross the famous Rialto Bridge, marvel at the architecture of St Mark’s Square,
and visit just a few of the many excellent museums.
The masks remain the trade mark of the Carnival of Venice
and there are many excellent shops in the city where you can buy a mask, from
the most beautiful to the frightening! Masks are on sale throughout the year,
not just during Carnival time, though obviously during Carnival time they are
in much higher demand! Carnival of Venice began in the late 1200s, so that
everyone could just enjoy themselves without the classification into upper or
lower classes. There are many Masquerade balls and many other events held in
Venice during this time.
The Venice Carnival is an adventure worth to be experienced
and it is one that you will never forget!
Festa del Redentore
The Festa del Redentore is an event held in Venice in July
where the fireworks light up the Venice Sky. In 2012, it will be the 14th and
15th.
On Saturday evening at 7pm the 333m-long bridge, called the
Ponte Votivo ('votive bridge') is opened and there is a special religious
ceremony at the Redentore Church. Around this time you'll see boats and barges
laden with festival-goers making their way along the canals to take their
places on the water.
Families sit around tables in specially-decorated boats.
All kinds of vessel are hired out for the occasion, including transport barges.
Some of these, packed with young revellers, moor cheek-by-jowl to create a kind
of multi-boat disco. People who do not have boats stay at the waterside. Local
people, some of whom have previously chalked 'reservations' on the waterfront,
bring out tables and chairs and enjoy convivial meals.
Around 10 o’clock, the lagoon shore and all Venice's roof
terraces are packed for the big event, the firework display. The firework
display takes place over the water between St. Mark's and the Giudecca, and
lasts around half an hour. The fireworks last for around 45 to 60 minutes,
illuminating the night and arousing intense emotions in both Venetians and
visitors. Once the fireworks are over, the young people of the city head off to
the Lido, where they sit on the sand and wait for dawn.
Palio di Siena
The Palio di Siena (known locally simply as Il Palio) is a
horse race that is held twice each year, on July 2 and August 16, in Siena,
Italy. Ten horses and riders, bareback and dressed in the appropriate colours,
represent ten of the seventeen contrades, or districts into which the town is
divided. The Palio is run to celebrate the miraculous apparition of the Virgin
Mary near the old houses that belonged to Provenzano Salvani. The holy
apparition was therefore called "Madonna di Provenzano" in whose
honour the very first Palio was run on August 16, 1656.
The preparations for this parade are slow and methodical
like a liturgical procedure. Four days before the day of the Palio trials take
place in the "Campo" square which is turned into a race track. A
thick layer of earth is spread on the ground and a row of mattresses is placed
against the walls at the dangerous corner of San Martino to protect the jockeys
in case they fall.
All around the track, perched up against the walls of the
houses, seats are arranged one behind and above the other like bleachers. Windows,
balconies and loggias, too, are made ready for the visitors; 33,000 seats in
all, but they are far from sufficient and are always sold out long before the
day of the performance.
Scoppio del Carro
The Scoppio del Carro ("Explosion of the Cart") is
a folk tradition of Florence, Italy. On Easter Sunday, a cart, packed full of
fireworks and other pyrotechnics, is lit and provides a historic spectacle in
the civic life of the city.
On the morning of Easter Sunday, the 30-foot-tall (9.1 m)
antique cart (in use for over 500 years), moves from the Porta al Prato to the
Piazza del Duomo . Hauled by a team of white oxen festooned with garlands of
the first flowers and herbs of spring, the cart is escorted by 150 soldiers,
musicians, and people in 15th century dress.
Meanwhile, a fire is struck using
the historic flints from Jerusalem at Chiesa degli Santi Apostoli. It is then
carried in procession to the cathedral square by members of the Pazzi family,
clerics, and city officials. The cart is loaded with fireworks while a wire,
stretching to the high altar inside the cathedral, is fitted with a mechanical
dove (the "columbina"). Shortly thereafter, at the singing of the
Gloria in excelsis Deo during Easter Mass, the cardinal of Florence lights a
fuse in the columbina with the Easter fire.
It then speeds through the church
to ignite the cart outside. During all of these stages, the bells of Giotto's campanile
ring out. The complex fireworks show that follows lasts about 20 minutes. A
successful display from the "Explosion of the Cart" is supposed to
guarantee a good harvest, stable civic life, and good business.
Infiorata – The Flower Art Festival
Many Italian towns hold an infiorata, flower art festival,
during May and June (look for posters announcing an infiorata). Flower petals
are used to create amazing works of art in the streets or in abbeys, a really
beautiful sight. In some places, the infiorata is a simple flower-petal design
in front of the church. At a more elaborate infiorata several different
tapestries are created, each with a different picture, but often centred on a
theme.
To create the picture, the design is first sketched in chalk
on the pavement. Soil is usually used to outline the design and then it's
filled in with thousands of petals and seeds, much like the making of mosaics
or tapestries (but with different materials). The entire process takes two or
three days to complete. Often a religious procession takes place on the flower
carpets after they are completed.
Truffle Fairs
Truffles are a top Italian fall culinary item and are
celebrated with truffle fairs and festivals in central and northern Italy.
Going to a truffle fair is a must for foodies visiting Italy.
Truffles are found primarily in the regions of Piedmont,
Tuscany, Umbria, and Le Marche. During October and November there are many
white truffle fairs held in these regions and fall dishes made with the white
truffle, tartufo bianco, are plentiful in this part of Italy. What could be
more romantic than feasting on a meal made with the sensuous truffle?
Going to a truffle fair is worthwhile even if you don't want
to buy truffles. The scent of fresh truffles fills the air and there are
locally made truffle dishes to try (usually for much less than you'd pay in a
restaurant). There's often entertainment and concession stands sell local foods
such as cheese, salami, honey, and wine.
Maschera di Ferro
Maschera di Ferro is a historic reenactment of the Man in
the Iron mask legend. According to the legend, the man in the iron mask was
held for 11 years in the French fortress of Pignerol (old spelling of Pinerolo),
in Piedmont on the first weekend of October.
Street performances in the squares and streets of Pinerolo's
historic center are the highlight of Saturday evening, la notte del
moschettieri. Other events include a Sunday morning special mass in the
cathedral, lectures, demonstrations, and dinners.
