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DISCOVER ITALY

What’s on: 9 unmissable events taking place around Italy this July

Italy in July offers an embarrassment of riches when it comes to summer events and activities. From film festivals to medieval jousting tournaments, here are nine events you definitely shouldn't miss out on.

Published: 3 July 2024 12:50 CEST
What's on: 9 unmissable events taking place around Italy this July
A firework show marking Venice’s Feast of the Redeemer. Photo by Marco Chilese on Unsplash

Quo Vadis?, Rome: July 8th-17th

The Temple of Venus and Roma, an impressive Roman Forum structure located right next to the Colosseum, will once again host a free film festival this July.

Born out of a partnership between city authorities and Italy’s national film archive, the Quo Vadis? festival will run from July 8th to July 17th, featuring blockbusters such as Ridley Scott’s Gladiator and William Wyler’s Roman Holiday as well as Italian classics including La Grande Bellezza by Paolo Sorrentino.

All films will be shown in their original version with Italian subtitles, or English subtitles for films in Italian. Admission is free of charge, but advance booking is recommended. 

Umbria Jazz Festival, Perugia: July 12th-21st

One of Europe’s leading jazz festivals, Umbria Jazz has both a summer and a winter edition, with this year’s summer festival set to run throughout the third week of July.

Lenny Kravitz, Thornetta Davis, Ray Gelato & The Giants, and Sammy Miller and the Congregation are some of the acts due to make an appearance in 2024.

Puccini Festival, Torre del Lago, Tuscany: July 12th-September 7th

Located right between the Tyrrhenian coastline and Lake Massaciuccoli, the small town of Torre del Lago, Tuscany, famously hosts an open-air opera festival entirely dedicated to Italian maestro Giacomo Puccini every summer. 

This year’s edition, which marks 100 years since the Italian composer’s death, will run on various dates from July 12th up until September 7th.

This season, opera buffs will have the opportunity to see performances of La Boheme, Tosca, Turandot and Madama Butterfly among other classics.

All shows will be held in a purpose-built lakeside arena offering spectators unique views of Lake Massaciuccoli and the surrounding hills.

Giostra della Quintana, Ascoli Piceno: July 13th

If attending a medieval jousting tournament is on your bucket list, the city of Ascoli Piceno in the Le Marche region is the place to be in July.

The event takes place twice a year, with the first Giostra held on the second Saturday in July (falling on July 13th this year) and the second one unfolding on the first Sunday in August. 

The Quintana joust sees six ‘knights’, one from each of the city’s sestieri (districts), ride their horse around a treacherous racetrack and insert their lance through a ring held by a statue of a Saracen warrior. The knight who hits the target with the greatest accuracy in the shortest time is declared the winner.

The city of Ascoli goes all out to celebrate the Giostra, with a flag throwers contest and a costumed historical parade among the events preceding the tournament.

Festino di Santa Rosalia, Palermo: July 14th-15th

On July 15th, Sicily’s capital celebrates its patron saint’s day with the Festino di Santa Rosalia (in dialect, U fistinu).

Rosalia Sinibaldi was a young 12th century Norman noblewoman who ran away shortly before her wedding to live as a religious mystic and hermit on Monte Pellegrino.

According to legend, when a deadly plague hit Palermo in 1624, Rosalia appeared on two separate occasions instructing people to find her bones and parade them around the city; they did so, and the plague abated.

Every year on July 14th, a statue of La Santuzza is paraded down the city’s main thoroughfares to music and singing, ending with a fireworks display at sea. July 15th is a more solemn affair, with a silver urn containing the saint’s relics brought down Corso Vittorio Emanuele in a sombre procession.

Both the church and the city of Palermo put on a programme of additional events leading up to the feast day itself.

This year’s celebrations will be particularly special, as 2024 marks the 400th anniversary of Rosalia’s miraculous appearance; a new statue has been made in honour of the occasion.

Stresa Festival, Lake Maggiore: July 16th-Sept 6th

From the third week in July to the start of September, the waters of Lake Maggiore come alive with the sounds of classical music from the Stresa Festival, the lake’s most eagerly anticipated summer event.

This year’s 63rd edition of the festival features performances from Ludovico Einaudi, the Barbican Quartet, and the Trio Chagall, among many others.

Venues include such sites of such artistic and historic importance as the hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso, Isola Bella and Isola Madre islands in the lake’s centre, and the Chiesa di Madonna di Campagna.

Festa del Redentore, Venice: July 19th-21st

Venice’s Festa del Redentore (Feast of the Redeemer), held on the third Sunday of July, commemorates the end of a plague that decimated Venice’s population, killing as many as 46,000 residents between 1575 and 1576.

A number of events take place on the weekdays preceding the feast itself, including the construction of a floating walkway connecting Venice to the nearby Giudecca island.

Celebrations traditionally kick off on Saturday afternoon, punctuated by a 40-minute fireworks display over the lagoon’s waters at 11.30pm.

A view of the firework display marking Venice’s traditional Feast of the Redeemer.

A view of the firework display marking Venice’s traditional Feast of the Redeemer. Photo by James Robinson su Unsplash

Archery contest, Fivizzano: July 19th-21st

A historical reenactment of a contest that dates back to the 16th century, the Disfida degli Arcieri di Terra e Corte sees archers from Fivizzano’s five neighbourhoods compete to see their district’s flag raised in the historic centre.

The event itself is preceded by two days of food fairs, performances and workshops, with local fare such as testaroli, polenta incatenata and tordelli on offer.

A detailed programme has yet to be released, but the contest is scheduled to start at 8.30pm on the 21st; keep an eye on the organisers’ Facebook page for updates.

Giostra dell’Orso, Pistoia: July 25th

If you miss out on Ascoli Piceno’s Quintana, don’t despair – you’ll have the opportunity to attend another medieval jousting tournament towards the end of the month in the Tuscan town of Pistoia.

The Giostra dell’Orso, or Bear Joust, involves costumed rivals from the city’s four districts of Porta al Borgo, Porta Carratica, Porta San Marco and Porta Lucchese competing to strike a target in the shape of a wooden bear with their lance.

The event is held on Pistoia’s patron saint’s day, the Festa di San Jacopo, and is preceded by a historical procession with flag-throwing and trumpets.

Do you have a July event that you’d like us to highlight? Let us know in the comments section below.

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FOOD AND DRINK

15 typical Roman foods you need to try at least once

Rome’s 2,000-year-old food scene has something to make everyone’s taste buds tingle. So what are the typical dishes you really must try?

Published: 20 June 2024 15:20 CEST
15 typical Roman foods you need to try at least once

It almost goes without saying that Italy is a very regional country when it comes to food. From pesto in Liguria to tortellini in Emilia Romagna, Italy is chock-a-block with regional specialities. Rome, and wider Lazio, are no different. 

If you try a carbonara in Lombardy, you’ll more than likely be told by the Laziali (people from Lazio) that you haven’t tried a real one. This is the same for most regions in Italy. 

READ ALSO: Seven surprising Italian food rules foreigners fall foul of

While breakfast in Rome is made up of coffee and some form of cornetto, there are plenty of specialties to try and things to know, such as pork being as abundant as vegetables, or the two popular types of artichoke you’ll want to try.

A carby affair

Pasta reigns supreme in Italy, but Rome has its fair share of options. The city’s key four pasta dishes are: cacio e pepe, amatriciana, gricia, and carbonara.

Word of advice, skip the restaurants that include cream and ham in their carbonara; if they’re getting that wrong, imagine what else they’re getting wrong.

The traditional Roman carbonara is supposed to be a blend of guanciale (pork cheek), eggs, and pecorino. There are lots of legends as to where carbonara came from, but the most well-known is that it was invented during World War Two when Americans came to Italy during the liberation of Rome. Legend has it that the Italians supplied the eggs and the Americans the guanciale.

READ ALSO: Do Italians really eat pasta every day?

Amatriciana is a bit more tomato-based. Originating from a Lazio town named Amatrice, the guanciale-tomato blend of this pasta dish is a firm favourite. It is known locally as ‘matriciana.

Cacio e pepe is perhaps the most simple in terms of taste but not necessarily in terms of preparation. The dish only includes pecorino and black pepper, but the right technique is needed to make the sauce perfectly creamy.

Then there’s pasta alla gricia. This is said to be the ancestor of Amatriciana, as it doesn’t have the tomato base, but some say it’s the ancestor of all four of the pasta dishes, cacio e pepe included. 

Spaghetti alla carbonara being prepared. Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP.

Gnocchi Thursdays

A special mention goes to gnocchi, the potatoey pasta. Romans have gnocchi Thursdays, and you’ll see many tavole calde (a type of Italian diner) serving it up.

The common custom is due to eating a high-calorie meal before Friday, which according to Catholic tradition is the day to abstain from meat or fast.

The quinto quarto

Most parts of an animal is eaten in Rome. Dishes with the quinto quarto, or fifth quarter, can be seen on most menus. It just means offal and no organ goes to waste. Tripe (trippa) is a popular meal, as is oxtail (coda alla vaccinara) . It’s also not uncommon to see tongues or brains on the menu. 

READ ALSO: The essential vocabulary you’ll need to dine out in Italy

If offal is not your thing, there are meat options without it. For example, saltimbocca alla romana which is veal wrapped in prosciutto, flavoured with sage and cooked in butter and wine. Lamb is also another rustic delight as is often on menus as abbacchio alla cacciatora. 

Is it all meat?

Strictly speaking, no, although it’s hard to come by a traditional meatless option for a second course in Rome. Artichokes are extremely popular here with carciofi alla giudia and carciofi alla romana being the favourite two.

Carciofi alla giudia (Roman-Jewish artichokes) are entirely fried twice making them crisp and then sprinkled with salt. Carciofi alla romana (Roman artichokes) are braised and seasoned with salt, pepper, parsley and garlic.

Though not strictly from Lazio, friarielli, a type of leafy green, is also a popular topping on pizzas and a constant side dish.

Artichokes are used frequently in Roman cuisine. Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP.

Street food galore

Rome is pretty big on street food and fried fare. Supplì, little balls of stuffed rice bread-crumbed and fried are beloved. They’re usually filled with mincemeat and mozzarella. If you buy one, see if you can make a cheese bridge also known as supplì al telefono. 

READ MORE: Do Italians really hate all spicy food? 

Pizza cut into square slices is also very common. This is known as pizza al taglio. The dough is thin and crisp, which is very common for Roman pizzas even if you get a circular, whole one. They are the opposite of pizzas from Naples.

For the sweet tooth

Lastly, what is a guide to food without a bit of sugar at the end? Light, sweet, cream-filled buns named maritozzi are the go-to in Rome. They can be enjoyed any time of day. 

If you’d prefer something cooling, other than gelato, try grattachecca, an iced drink full of flavour and occasionally topped with fruit. Lemon and cherry are popular favourites.

Do you have another favourite Roman dish or a story about trying one? Let us know in the comments below.

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