1. Italian Festivals and Celebrations
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2. January- La Befana

3. La Befana
The Feast of the Epiphany, celebrated January 6 with a national holiday in Italy, and the tradition of La Befana are a big part of Italian Christmas celebrations. Epiphany commemorates the 12th day of Christmas when the three Wise Men arrived at the manger bearing gifts for Baby Jesus. Italy's traditional celebration includes the tale of a witch known as La Befana who arrives on her broomstick during the night of January 5 and fills the stockings with toys and sweets for the good children and lumps of coal for the bad ones.

4. February-Carnival

5. Carnival
Carnevale, Italian for carnival, is one of the most popular festivals in Italy. Carnevale comes 40 days before Easter so the date changes each year (and festivals can sometimes start in January). See carnevale dates by year. The biggest Carnevale celebrations last for several weeks. Although Venice and Viareggio have the most well- known celebrations, Carnevale is celebrated all over Italy in a variety of ways. Some of the more unusual Carnevale celebrations are the orange-throwing battle in Ivrea, Albanian celebrations in Calabria, and a Roman carnival in the Aosta Valley. Read about more Carnevale celebrations

6. March, April- Easter

7. Easter
While you probably won't see the Easter bunny if you're in Italy for Easter, you will find some interesting Italian Easter celebrations. Like all holidays in Italy, Easter, Pasqua in Italian, has its share of rituals and traditions. The Monday following Easter, la Pasquetta is also a public holiday throughout Italy. While the days before Easter in Italy include solemn processions and masses, Easter is a joyous celebration.In Florence, Easter is celebrated with the Scoppio del Carro, explosion of the cart. A huge, decorated wagon is dragged through Florence by white oxen until it reaches Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence's historic center. Following mass, the Archbishop sends a dove-shaped rocket into the cart, igniting the fireworks held in the cart. This spectacular display is followed by a parade in medieval costumes.

8. 25 April- Liberation Day

9. Liberation Day
Liberation Day, or Festa della Liberazione, on April 25 is a national public holiday marked by ceremonies, historic re-enactments, and celebrations commemorating the end of World War II in Italy. Many towns hold fairs, concerts, food festivals, or special events. Some places still ring bells to commemorate the original day of liberation for Italy on April 25, 1945.

10. 2 June, festa della Repubblica

11. Festa della Repubblica
June 2 is an Italian national holiday for the Festa della Repubblica, or the Festival of the Republic, similar to Independence Day in many other countries. The city celebrates with a big parade in the morning, presided over by Italy's president, along Via dei Fori Imperiali, the street that runs alongside the Roman Forum A large Italian flag is usually draped over the Colosseum too. On Republic Day, the Italian President also lays a wreath on the monument to the unknown soldier (from World War I), near the Monument to Vittorio Emmanuele II. In the afternoon, several military bands play music in the gardens of the Palazzo del Quirinale, the residence of the Italian President, which will be open to the public on June 2. A highlight of the day's festivities is the display by the Frecce Tricolori, the Italian Air Force acrobatic patrol. 9 planes emitting red, green, and white smoke fly in formation over the Monument to Vittorio Emmaneule II (the first King of unified Italy), creating a beautiful design resembling the Italian flag. The Vittorio Emmaneule II monument is a huge white marble structure between Piazza Venezia and the Capitoline Hill, but the Frecce Tricolori display can be seen over most of Rome. Republic Day celebrates the day in 1946 that Italians voted in favor of the republican form of government. Following World War II, a vote was held June 2 and 3 to determine if Italy should follow a monarchy or republic form of government. The majority voted for the republic and a few years later, June 2 was declared a holiday as the day the Italian Republic was created.

12. July- Palio di Siena

13. Palio di Siena
The exciting horse race for the Palio of Siena is one of the most popular and well-known historic festivals in Italy. The contest to win the palio is a horse race run in Siena's fan-shaped main square, Piazza del Campo or Il Campo.
Siena is divided into 17 neighborhoods, or contrade, each with a rider. Ten contrade take part in the first race, July 2, chosen by a draw 20 days before the race. The other seven plus three from the July race compete August 16. Horses are assigned to the riders by a draw three days before the race. There are other events around the days of the palio, too, starting June 29 and August 13.
People often mistakenly believe that a palio is a horse race or that the only palio is held in Siena. In fact there are many palio contests in Italy. The palio itself is the banner won in the contest.

14. September, Rificolona

15. Rificolona
One of Florence's biggest and most traditional festivals, the Festa della Rificolona is also known as the Festival of the Lanterns. On this day, which commemorates the eve of the birth of the Virgin Mary (though some say it the festival really took off as a local event after Florence's victory over Siena in 1555), young and old take part in a lantern parade, where hundreds of mostly hand-made lanterns are displayed, and there is also a boat parade along the Arno. The festival is accompanied by a large fair in Piazza Santissima Annunziata featuring street performers, food vendors, music, and more.

16. November, All Souls Day

17. All Souls Day
All Saint's Day, Ognissanti, is a day honoring all the saints and is normally celebrated with a mass on November 1. On the following day, All Soul's Day (which is not a holiday), Italians place flowers on the tombs of their ancestors so you'll see lots of flowers on sale leading up to November 2 and if you visit a cemetary it will be full of flowers. 

18. December, Christmas

19. Christmas
Although Babbo Natale (Father Christmas) and giving presents on Christmas are becoming more common, the main day for gift giving is Epiphany on January 6, the 12th day of Christmas when the three Wise Men gave Baby Jesus their gifts. In Italy, presents used to be brought by La Befana, who arrives in the night to fill children's stockings. The main focus of decorations continues to be the presepe, Nativity scene or crib. Almost every church has a presepe and they are often found outdoors in a piazza or public area, too. Typical cakes of the period are: Panettone from Milan. Pandoro from Verona and Panforte from Siena.