Festival trip guides

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.

Plan your visit to the Florence Christmas market at Piazza Santa Croce with dates, hours, food, transport options, and the city's smaller local markets.

Plan the Milan Christmas market season with neighborhood-by-neighborhood dates, Piazza Duomo and Oh Bej! Oh Bej! locations, ice skating logistics, and metro routes.

Compare Rome's Christmas markets — Piazza Navona, Christmas World, Natale all'Eur, and Giftland — with Metro access, entry costs, and seasonal dates.

Plan around Italy public holidays with a guide to national closures, Ponte long weekends, museum schedules, and city patron saint days.