Festival trip guides

Siena's calendar is the Palio and everything the Palio implies: 17 contrade running year-round, two race days, and a classical festival most visitors miss.

Spring is when Italy's calendar reopens — Easter processions, Rome's birthday, wine fairs and a May packed with local festivals, before summer prices arrive.

Summer is Italy's biggest festival season and its hardest travel conditions. What runs in June, July and August, and why August is a different country.

Verona's Veronetta district fills with traditional street games every September. A UNESCO Good Practice, free to attend, with a guest country each year.

Venice Carnival always ends on Shrove Tuesday, 47 days before Easter. The rule, a computed table through 2036, and why the start date is never derivable.

Verona fills Piazza dei Signori with a giant heart of market stalls each February. What the programme covers, and how it works around Juliet's House.

Verona's year: the Arena opera season from June, Vinitaly in April, the UNESCO-listed Tocatì street games in September, and Christmas in Piazza dei Signori.

Vinitaly runs 11-14 April 2027 at Veronafiere. It is a trade fair — here is how the public-facing Vinitaly and the City programme works instead.

Italy's winter runs in three distinct acts: the Christmas markets, a deep January lull, and Carnival. Here is what each one is actually like.

Plan your visit to the Bolzano Christmas market with dates, Piazza Walther hours, parking tips, and the best day trips across South Tyrol.

Plan the Merano Christmas market: stall hours, parking near Piazza Prader, satellite markets in Lagundo and Lana, and how it compares to Bolzano.

Plan your trip to the Verona Christmas market: dates, Piazza dei Signori vs Piazza Bra, Nadalin and pearà, transport, and how it compares to Alto Adige.