Close

People often say that Halloween is completely foreign to Italian culture and folk traditions. This is both true and false: rites, traditions, legends scattered throughout the peninsula cover the night of All Saints' Day, which coincides with that of Halloween... but it is much older.

11643

The Palio della Rocca is a historical re-enactment founded in 1987 in the municipality of Serra Sant'Abbondio in the Marche region. The event covers many cultural, tourist, religious and social meanings. The central point is the challenge that takes place on the second Sunday of September between the 3 ancient villages and 3 ancient castles, which...

2114

The Quintana Horse Race is a competition among six knights, each one representing a local district. During the race, the knight must use a spear and ride a horse on a 8 shape route to hit the “moro” in the middle. Each assault corresponds to a certain score. The knight has to make 3 assaults in a row for each turn (named “tornata”). There are 3 tur...

3507

Every year on July 14 the Legend of Innamorata is celebrated in Capoliveri, in the Elba Island, Tuscany. It is said that the legend of Innamorata originated back in 1534, when the coasts of Elba Island were sacked by the pirate Barbarossa and his Saracen crew. The legend tells about two young lovers, Lorenzo and Maria, whose love was, however, hind...

2248

Corpus Domini, also known as Corpus Christi, is a Catholic feast day. It honors the Eucharist, and as such it does not commemorate a particular event in Jesus's life. Many places in Lazio celebrate the days around this festival with infiorata, or flower displays.

1930

The popular legend says that a local plague in 1436 brought death and desolation among men and animals in town. The desperate people asked grace to Saint Vittore, with the promise of organizing a run of the slower animals, the oxen, as a sign of joy and gratitude. The Holy man heard these prayers and the plague ceased. The earliest historical docum...

2402

A huge explosion detonated on April 16, Easter Sunday, in front of the magnificent green and white-marbled neogothic church in Florence's centro storico. Instead of running in fear from a terrorist's bomb, though, thousands of spectators will cheer the noise and smoke, for they will be witnesses to the annual Scoppio del Carro—explosion of the cart...

5041

On the Sunday after Easter, Sunday “in albis”, takes place in the Marche small village of Fermignano the "Palio della Rana" (A Palio is a traditional contest between the neighborhoods of the town). The seven districts of Fermignano compete in the race, pushing a wheelbarrow on which is located a frog. A truly unique race, recognized by the Federazi...

2783

Apulia is the Italian region with the most Carnival celebrations: from Massafra to Gallipoli, from Dauno to Manfredonia and beyond to Poggio Imperiale, the season sees a continual succession of processions and masquerade balls. Particular mention goes to the Carnival of Putignano, a town in the Province of Bari; standing on the Murge Plateau, it is...

2711

Famous in all of Italy and, above all abroad is the Carnival in the Piedmontese town of Ivrea (Province of Turin). Established in 1808, the Carnival of Ivrea is one of the oldest and most particular festivals in the world.

2825