Carnival and other events
It’s winter and I don’t think you are planning a holiday in Italy. What a great pity!
You will miss a particular time of the year. The reasons why you should visit Italy in February are plenty. For example there are mostly locals around and tourists are rare in the cities and also places reveal aspects of themselves that you cannot see in other seasons. Just think about the snow. Now it’s the best time of the year to see it falling on the mountains and do all the winter outdoor activities.
So don’t waste time and take a look on what’s on in Italy in February.
Carnival
We talked a lot about Carnival on Italian Storytellers explaining you the birth of this event and we still have something to tell you. Everywhere you go in Italy you will find a special Carnival event with its own traditions. That’s surprising to me as well, because I know just the most important Carnival festivals, like those in Venice, Viareggio (Tuscany), Putignano (Apulia), Fano (Le Marche), and I would like to take part to all of them one day.
In the following list you will find further information about other particular Carnival events along Italy:
- Ivrea
- Bagolino
- Sauris and other places in Friuli
- many towns in Sardinia
- the homeland of Pulcinella
- Lajetto and other places in Piedmont
- bizarre Carnival in Aosta Valley
Do you know which is the most common mask of Italian Carnival? The answer is Harlequin and Claudia talked about it here where she suggests a visit to an important museum not far from Bergamo.
Even if the end of the Carnival is generally on Mardi Gras (9th February), some Carnival celebrations are held after this day when Lent is already started and Easter is going to come. For example in Viareggio floats parades are held until 5th March. In Milan, where there is the Ambrosian rite, Carnival is until 14th February this year but in this big city the Lent starts on Sunday.
Probably the next Sunday I will take part to Carnival in Fano, in Le Marche region. Here there is a long tradition dating back to 14th century. The floats are amazing and people start to create them just after the closure of the Carnival.
St. Valentine’s day
February is the month of love. On the next 14th lovers will exchange gifts to remember how much they love each other. But if you strongly believe in this celebration, you cannot miss the events organised in some Italian regions.
Don’t forget to buy Baci Perugina or chocolate bonbons for your partner as every Italian does and remember that Valentine was a saint who lived in Terni, Umbria. Every year in this city they remember the saint organising some events. This is the perfect chance to visit more the Umbrian region and spending a romantic weekend. Another city where to go is Verona, where Shakespeare’s drama Romeo e Giulietta took place. From 11th to 14th February it is held ‘Verona in love‘, an event to celebrate the love with some appointments not to be missed.
What’s on more?
February is a cold month with frigid temperatures, but this year it seems that the sun doesn’t want to leave us. So let’s wear warm clothes and go across Italy to discover other upcoming events.
At the beginning of February in Catania, Sicily it is celebrated Saint Agatha. This celebration can be compared in terms of popularity just only to the Holy Week in Seville and the Corpus Domini in Cuzco, Peru.
What’s on in Valdagno, Veneto? Fora Febraro, that literally means ‘out of February’. It takes place on 28th February and it is like a ritual to shoo away the winter and welcoming the spring along with a rich harvest. At the end of February there is an important market exhibition in Umbria dedicated to the black truffle. In the last weekend of February you can appreciate one of the precious ingredients of the Umbrian kitchen.
Would you like to recommend other events? Leave a comment below!
Read something else about Italian events!
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Have fun during Carnival!
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Falling in love in Italy
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Agatha is Catania!
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