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DISCOVER ITALY

Eight events to look forward to in Italy this June

As the days lengthen and the weather warms, Italy's cultural calendar becomes filled with open-air events and festivities. From regattas to light shows to music festivals, here's what we can look forward to this June.

Published: 1 June 2023 16:34 CEST
This June will see Venice host the annual Regatta of the Ancient Maritime Republics.
This June will see Venice host the annual Regatta of the Ancient Maritime Republics. Photo by MARIO LAPORTA / AFP.

Whether you live full-time in Italy or are just passing through in the coming weeks, there’s a large number of events on this month that will satisfy sports enthusiasts and culture lovers alike.

Here are our eight top picks for things to do in Italy this June.

Regatta of the Ancient Maritime Republics, Venice – June 2nd-3rd

Kicking off June’s events is the Palio delle Antiche Repubbliche Marinare, in which Italy’s four historic maritime republics of Venice, Amalfi, Genoa and Pisa compete in a close-fought rowing race.

The cities take it in turns to host the race; this year’s will take place on Venice’s north lagoon and Grand Canal, with the women’s teams competing on the Friday and the men’s on the Saturday.

Infiorata, Genzano and Spello – June 10th-12th

June sees more than one Italian town erupt in colour as its streets are carpeted with elaborate flower blossom formations stretching hundreds of metres long.

The title for the oldest infiorata belongs to the Roman town of Genzano, which this year will celebrate its 245th edition from June 10th-12th; the infiorata in Spello, Umbria will take place on the same weekend, to coincide with the Corpus Domini religious festival.

Caracalla Festival, Rome – May 30th-August 10th 

Set among the atmospheric ruins of the ancient Roman Caracalla baths, Rome’s annual Caracalla Festival features a combination of opera, ballet, classical and pop music performances.

On Friday, June 23rd, attendees will be treated to a special screening of Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator, with a live orchestra playing Chaplin’s original score.

READ ALSO: What to expect when travelling to Italy in summer 2023

Arena di Verona Opera Festival – June 16th-Sept 9th

Italy’s city of love is holding a special 100th edition of its celebrated Arena di Verona Opera festival this year.

The city’s Roman amphitheatre will play host to operas including Aida, Carmen, the Barber of Seville, La Traviata and Tosca, among others.

The Arena di Verona will this year host the 100th edition of its opera festival.

The Arena di Verona will this year host the 100th edition of its opera festival. Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP.

Luminara of San Ranieri, Pisa – June 16th

The Tuscan city of Pisa celebrates its patron saint’s day by lighting up the city’s buildings with a magical display made up of over 100,000 wax candles perched on wooden supports known as biancherie.

The evening is topped off with a fireworks show and is followed the next day with the Palio di San Ranieri, in which crews of rowers from the city’s four districts race down the Arno and must climb a 10-metre pole to claim the winner’s flag.

Festival of Two Worlds, Spoleto – June 23rd-July 9th

The 66th edition of the Festival dei Due Mondi or Two Worlds Festival in Spoleto, Umbria will feature the usual mix of music, dance, operatic and theatre performances.

The festival was founded by the composer Gian Carlo Menotti in 1958 and was originally twinned with Charleston in South Carolina, with the intention of marrying the ‘two worlds’ of American and European culture.

The hilltop town of Spoleto in Umbria hosts the annual Festival of Two Worlds. Photo by TIZIANA FABI / AFP)

Italia loves Romagna concert, Reggio Emilia – June 24th

The proceeds from this charity concert will go to residents of the northeastern Italian region of Emilia Romagna, after heavy flooding in May caused widespread devastation.

The concert will be held in the RCF Arena and will feature performances from singers including Giorgia, Gianni Morandi, Blanco and Laura Pausini.

Ocean Race Grand Finale, Genoa – June 24th-July 2nd

The final leg of the of the Ocean Race, a six-month round-the-world sailing competition, will finish for the first time in Genoa this year for its 50th edition.

To mark the occasion, the city will host a nine-day events programme, turning its Waterfront di Levante marina into the Ocean Live Park, featuring cultural events, educational workshops, sailing-themed exhibitions and experiences, and regional food and beverage stands.

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TOURISM

‘Not even that ancient’: The harshest TripAdvisor comments about Italy’s sights

From Roman ruins to grand Gothic palaces, Italy’s most popular tourist attractions welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors every year – but not everyone leaves satisfied.

Published: 16 May 2024 09:47 CEST
'Not even that ancient': The harshest TripAdvisor comments about Italy's sights

With its rich cultural heritage and plenty of art and architecture wonders, Italy draws hundreds of thousands of visitors from all corners of the world every year. 

But a quick scroll through the review section of travel website TripAdvisor will be enough to show that some of the country’s most famous attractions aren’t to everyone’s taste.

Colosseum, Rome

It may be Italy’s biggest tourist attraction, but even the Colosseum – the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, dating back to 80 AD – fails to impress some.

“I came. I saw. I left,” wrote one reviewer, saying that looking at pictures of the building and reading about its history will spare you from “a long wait line, a port a john [sic] bathroom, and a big disappointment”.

READ ALSO: Nine tips for making the most of a Rome city break

Others were seemingly not so happy with the overall state of the attraction.

“[It] was a lot more broken than I thought it would be, at £15 a pop you’d think they’d invest in repairing it,” one wrote. 

“Not even got a roof? When they finishing it [sic]?” asked another. 

Milan, Duomo 

Though it is often regarded as one of, if not the greatest example of Italian Gothic architecture, not everyone seems to be impressed by Milan’s Duomo cathedral. 

“The outside is gaudy and tacky as the worst of Las Vegas,” while “the inside is as bad taste as the outside” and not worth the wait, “even if they paid you”, one reviewer wrote.

READ ALSO: Stay away! How Europe’s most popular spots are fighting overtourism

Another said the Duomo was no different than any “old cathedral” found in every European city, claiming that “pigeons watching [sic] is more exciting than this building”.

Speaking of pigeons, one tourist warned future visitors about the aggressiveness of the local bird population, saying that the area surrounding the Duomo is “swarming with thousands of pigeons that have long ago lost any fear of humans” and will “fly directly at your head”, forcing you to “take evasive action”.

Just another cathedral? The famed Duomo in Milan. Photo by Martin Anselmo on Unsplash

Doge’s Palace, Venice

Venice’s Palazzo Ducale is the third most-visited tourist attraction in the country and arguably one of the best-preserved traces of the ancient Venetian Republic’s power. 

But the palace isn’t everyone’s cup of tea – at least judging from its reviews.

“When you go inside, there’s nothing to see except a lot of paintings on the ceilings and high on the walls. The paintings are impressive but very samey,” one reviewer wrote.

READ ALSO: What’s the difference between Italy’s city taxes and new ‘tourist tax’?

“Really boring,” complained another, saying that the rooms were “bland” and “the view never got any better”. 

Other visitors said they were disappointed with some of their tour guides’ choices.

One wrote: “Our guide took pleasure in telling about people being tortured here. It was a bit grizzly [sic]. Personally I would give the place a miss.” 

Tourists sit under the archway of the Doge's Palace in Venice

The Doge’s Palace in Venice, which some visitors found abit “samey”. Photo by Marco BERTORELLO / AFP

Pompeii 

Even the Pompeii archaeological site, which consists of the ruins of a city buried under volcanic ash following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, has its fair share of detractors.

A reviewer described the site as being “poorly paved street after poorly paved street of pretty much the same old same old terraced house over and over and over and over”.

Another said: “I really don’t get what the hype is about.

“It’s not even that ancient since they had to build so many structures around it to keep it standing. Even the freaking pillars didn’t make it (some barely did I guess).”

One reviewer even went as far as saying it was the “worst place” he’d ever visited, mentioning he had “too much ground to cover in sweltering heat” and he “should have stayed at the nice beaches of Vico Equense”. 

Trevi Fountain, Rome

A prime example of Italian Baroque aesthetics, the Trevi fountain is one of Rome’s most widely recognised symbols worldwide, but not all visitors are impressed by it.

“It splashes and splashes. It spurtles and flows. It fountains and gurgles and is as romantic as my oldest pairs of smelly socks,” wrote one reviewer, who concluded they felt “let down”.

Tourists around Rome's Trevi Fountain

Tourists around Rome’s Trevi Fountain in March 2024. Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP

That said, many reviewers expressed appreciation for the fountain’s architecture, but complained that their visit was ruined by hordes of fellow tourists. These complaints are far from unjustified given the attraction’s long-standing overcrowding issues. 

One reviewer suggested that “packing a pair of 8 foot stilts” may be the only way to “ensure a satisfying visit to the Trevi”.

Another called the attraction a “claustrophobia mecca” that’s “nearly impossible to deal with because of the thousands of pushy, sweaty, rude and large tourists”.

Have you seen a surprising review of an Italian landmark? Are there any Italian sights you think are overrated? Let us know in the comments section below.

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