Events in Italy

Landing of the Saracens
Positano
August 1 - August 31, 2010

Each year the town of Positano on the Amalfi Coast remembers the landing of the Saracens with a re-enactment of the battle that took place on the night of the 15 of August 1558. Music, food and the almost- guaranteed spectacular sunset make for an excellent family event.

Dragon Boat Competition
Lake Caldonazzo
August, 2010

Every year the Valsugana boroughs compete against each other in the Palio dei Draghi, a colorful dragon boat race. It is held in Trentino-Alto Adige, Lake Caldonazzo, the biggest lake in the area, which is 15km from Trento center. Each year competitors reproduce a Dragon boat that was gifted to the city in 1985 by the Hong Kong Tourist Association for their participation in the Hong Kong Festival.

Venice Film Festival
Lidi de Venezia
September 1 - September 11, 2010

The Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica, or as it is known internationally as the Venice Film Festival, is the oldest film festival still in existence today. Screenings are presented in various cinemas around the area, but the center of the action takes place in the Lido area. This festival dates back to 1932 and has recently become one of the most glamorous end-of-summer events in the world.

Historic Regatta
Canal Grande, Venice
September 5, 2010

On the first Sunday of September, the city of Venice shuts down for the Historic Regatta. The Grand Canal is filled with exquisitely-crafted 13th-century boats and the banks are overrun with thousands of spectators. A boat parade begins the celebrations, with a vessel at the front hold the famous bucintoro, the symbol of the Serenissima. It commemorates the arrival of Caterina Cornaro, wife of the King of Cyprus, who in 1489 gave up her throne in favor of Venice. Following this is the regatta itself, which consists of four separate competitions. Most notable is the double-oared gondolas. Afterwards you can find art shows in the piazza, and music and celebrations on board of modern gondolas.

Grape Fest
Marino
October, 2010

Grape fest is a celebration to grapes and wine that only Italians could pull off. It involves thousands of litres of free wine, hundreds of kilos of grapes, and a central fountain of the town the overflows with wine for the entire day, a true Bacchanalian spectacle. This event was started in 1925 where an atmosphere of fermented levity pervades the event. The day ends with entertaining shows and a grand fireworks display. This is sure to be one of the most interesting and eventful of the Lazio festival season.

The Festival of La Salute
Basilica Santa Maria della Salute, Venice
November, 2010

The Festival of La Salute is one of Venice's most important religious festivals. This commemorates the end of a plague of 1630. In order to commemorate their delivery from the epidemic, the Senate decided to build the church of the Basilica Santa Maria della Salute, one of the most famous in Venice. The church contains numerous Titans, including Cain and Abel on the ceiling, and Tintoretto's Wedding at Cana. Since 1687 a procession has traveled from Piazza San Marco all the way to the church by that of a temporary wooden bridge specially built over the Grand Canal from Santa Maria del Griglio. Thousands join this procession and light a candle.

Feast of the Immaculate Conception
The Spanish Steps, Piazza di Spagna, Rome
December, 2010

Pilgrims and Romans, headed by the Pope himself, celebrate their devotion to the “sun-shrouded one”, the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception, by placing floral wreaths and decorations on and around her statue in Piazza di Spagna. Contrary to what many believe, it is not the immaculate conception of Jesus which is celebrated, but the conception of the Virgin mother herself.