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Where to celebrate St Patrick’s Day 2023 in Italy

St Patrick's Day is coming up on March 17th. Here's a look at where to celebrate if you're in Italy.

Published: 13 March 2023 13:35 CET
There are plenty of options for those wanting to celebrate St Patricks Day in Italy.
There are plenty of options for those wanting to celebrate St Patricks Day in Italy. Photo by Paul FAITH / AFP.

Milan

Milan has an entire week of St Patrick’s festivities planned with Ireland Week, a joint initiative by the City of Milan and the Irish embassy in Italy, which features film screenings, music and dance performances, and even a Gaelic football match.

As part of the event, the Spirit de Milan venue will host Spirit of Ireland, a three-day festival offering a combination of traditional Irish dance classes, live music concerts and Irish food experiences.

Rome

If St Patrick’s Day is more about religious observance than partying it up for you, you can attend a Lá Fhéile Pádraig mass at 10am at St Isidore’s College on March 17th.

READ ALSO: Nine of Italy’s best events to catch in spring 2023

Later the same day, the Scholars Lounge near Piazza Venezia will host 18 hours of “great Irish craic”, with five live music gigs followed by two DJ sets and free giveaways. 

On Saturday, March 18th, the Irish Club of Rome is putting on a three-course traditional Irish dinner followed by music and festivities at MONK, starting at 7pm and running till late. Tickets are €40 per person.

The Colosseum illuminated in green for St. Patrick's Day 2017.

The Colosseum illuminated in green for St. Patrick’s Day 2017. Photo by FILIPPO MONTEFORTE / AFP.

Florence

Finnegan’s Pub will be celebrating St Paddy’s day with live music and a green beers and shots promotion. The merrymaking will start as early as 1pm and run through 1.30am.

Fitzpatrick’s on Via Ghibellina is hosting a week of Irish-themed events, including ‘A Taste of Ireland’ on the 15th, an Irish karaoke party on the 16th, a St Paddy’s party with a live DJ on the 17th, a performance by the Drunken Willow band on the 18th, and an ‘Irish Super Brunch’ on the 19th.

Other Florence-based Irish pubs putting on events or promotions on March 17th reportedly include JJ Cathedral, Il Trip per Tre, Michael Collins and The Old Stove.

At the Hard Rock Cafe, from 8.30 until 10.30pm, the Shamrock Dance Company will be performing on stage as patrons are served up a ‘Guinness Bacon Jam Cheeseburger’.

Bologna

Bologna will once again be hosting Irlanda in Festa, a four-day festival of live music, food and drink at Piazza Lucio Dalla from 16th-19th March; entry is free.

This year’s programme includes workshops for children, a craft market, darts tournaments, performances of Irish folk music, and a street food area for sampling Irish delicacies including steak cooked in Guinness and Bailey’s cheesecake.

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What’s on: 9 unmissable events taking place around Italy in August 2024

As everyone prepares for the long summer holidays, Italy's cultural calendar fills up with all sorts of open-air events and festivals. From high-energy races to a nationwide stargazing festival, here are nine picks for things to do this August.

Published: 25 July 2024 12:19 CEST
What's on: 9 unmissable events taking place around Italy in August 2024

Palio del Golfo, La Spezia, Liguria: August 4th

The Palio del Golfo is a spectacular rowing race held every year on the first Sunday of August which sees four-man teams from each of the 13 seaside villages lining the Gulf of La Spezia, Liguria, vie for the top spot of the podium.

The race is held in the waters facing La Spezia’s Morin promenade, and is followed by a firework show.

Miracolo della Neve, Rome: August 5th

Every year on August 5th Rome celebrates the Madonna della Neve (or Our Lady of the Snows) by recreating a miraculous summer snowfall that, according to legend, covered the Esquiline Hill in 358 AD, tracing the outline of the future Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica.

Annual celebrations include an artificial snowfall spectacle, a shower of white rose petals, and a spectacular light display illuminating the basilica’s facade amid a live music performance from Italy’s Carabinieri orchestra.

The Summer Snow Miracle, held on August 5th every year, is one of Rome's most evocative cultural events during the summer.

The Summer Snow Miracle, held on August 5th every year, is one of Rome’s most evocative cultural events during the summer. Photo by ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP

Notte di San Lorenzo, nationwide: August 10th

The Notte di San Lorenzo (or Night of Saint Lawrence) is one of the most magical nights of the summer in Italy as thousands of locals gather at outdoor stargazing spots in hope of seeing shooting stars cross the sky.  

August 10th and the days immediately around it are the best time of year to catch the annual Perseid meteor shower (debris from the Swift-Tuttle Comet catching fire as it collides with the Earth’s atmosphere), with up to 100 stelle cadenti etching the night sky every hour.

Towns around the country may hold special stargazing events on the day, but if you’re not in the mood for an organised activity, you won’t struggle to find quiet spots to gaze skyward, even in major cities.

Ferragosto, nationwide: August 15th

The Ferragosto national holiday, falling on August 15th every year, marks the peak of Italy’s summer vacation season. 

Though it is celebrated on the same day as the Catholic Assumption of Mary holiday, Ferragosto has pagan roots as it traces back to the Feriae Augusti – festivals introduced by Roman emperor Augustus in 18 BC to give farmers a period of rest following harvest season.

Despite being Italy’s most important summer holiday, Ferragosto is typically fairly low-key, with most Italians taking the whole week around the feast off work and heading to the beach. 

Ferragosto, Italy

Most Italians head to the beach on the Ferragosto public holiday, falling on August 15th every year. Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP

Cookouts and seaside barbecues are among the most popular activities of the day around the country.

Palio di Siena, Tuscany: August 16th

The Palio di Siena is one of the most popular horse races in the world, with ten of the city’s 17 contrade districts competing against each other in an intense three-lap race around oval-shaped Piazza del Campo.

First held in 1633, the race takes place twice a year: on July 2nd and August 16th. The July palio is called Palio di Provenzano, whereas the August one is known as Palio dell’Assunta as a homage to the Assumption of Mary, celebrated on August 15th. 

A number of events are held in the days leading up to the race, including several trial runs and the momentous tratta (draw), where each competing contrada is randomly assigned a horse.

Notte della Taranta, Melpignano, Puglia: August 24th

One of the most hotly anticipated events of the Pugliese summer is the Notte della Taranta, taking place in Melpignano, just outside Lecce, on August 24th.

It’s a night of high-energy pizzica, a folk dance owing its name to the legend that anyone bitten by a tarantula would have to dance in a frenzy for days to flush out the venom.

Bravio delle Botti, Montepulciano, Tuscany: August 25th

The Bravio delle Botti, which takes place every year on the last Sunday of August in Montepulciano, southern Tuscany, is one of Italy’s oddest contests. 

Two-man teams of ‘pushers’ (or spingitori) representing Montepulciano’s eight contrade districts compete to be the first to roll an 80-kilogram wooden barrel through the streets of the historic centre.

The total distance is around 1700 metres and is uphill for nearly the entire course, with collisions between contestants being far from rare.

Suoni delle Dolomiti, Trento Dolomites: August 28th-September 29th

Once you’ve soaked up all the August sun Italy’s beaches have to offer, why not see out the end of the summer by heading up north to the Trento Dolomites and experiencing live music performances immersed in nature.

The four-week-long Suoni delle Dolomiti music festival takes place in different locations around the Trento province, set against spectacular mountain backdrops, some of which can only be reached by a trek.

Venice Film Festival: August 28th-September 7th

If you want to rub shoulders with cinema stars in Italy, there’s no better time and place to do so than Venice from late August to early September.

Founded in 1932, the Venice Film Festival is the oldest of its kind in the world, with the Golden Lion being one of the most prestigious and distinguished prizes in the film industry.

The 2024 edition of the festival will run from August 28th to September 7th, with stars of the likes of Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman and Hollywood pals George Clooney and Brad Pitt all expected on the red carpet.

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

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