Sunday, March 17th will mark St Patrick’s Day, which commemorates Ireland’s patron saint and, more broadly, Irish culture and heritage all around the world. 

Generally speaking, celebrations won’t be as widespread in Italy as in some other countries but most major cities will still offer a number of Paddy’s Day-themed events on Sunday or, in some cases, even in the days leading up to it.

Milan

Milan is Italy’s most popular city among Irish nationals (it’s home to a 800-strong Irish community) and has no shortage of St Patrick’s Day events taking place this week.

Lombardy’s capital has an entire week of celebrations 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, Irish food tasting experiences and even a Gaelic football match.

The Spirit de Milan venue, northern Milan, will once again host Spirit of Ireland, a three-day festival offering a combination of traditional Irish dance classes, live music concerts, including gigs from bands Cuig and Seo Linn, and food experiences.

A number of bars and restaurants across the city will also offer special dishes from Ireland’s culinary tradition for the entire week. A full list of involved venues can be found here.

Rome

The Eternal City has no shortage of venues putting on special events for St Patrick’s Day. 

The Citta’ Altra dell’Economia venue, located just south-east of the city centre, will set up an ‘Irish village’ offering live music, street food and lots of beer over the weekend.

The Parco Avventura in Fregene will also put on a series of events, including music performances, late-night DJ sets and food experiences.

Traditional Irish music band The Foggy Brew will perform live in multiple Rome locations this week, closing their city tour with a gig at 9pm on Sunday at the Friccicore venue. 

For those who plan to raise a toast to St Patrick in a more traditional setting, the best Irish pubs in Rome include the Scholars Lounge, the Druid’s Den, the Fiddler’s Elbow, and The Shamrock, all located in the city centre.

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 St Patrick’s Church on Via Boncompagni at 10.30am on Sunday.

Rome’s Colosseum has been previously illuminated in green in celebration of St Patrick’s Day, but there’s currently no confirmation on whether or not this will happen this year.

Florence 

Florence’s Mercato Centrale will host a live gig from Irish Folk group Dirty Old Band and draught beer sampling experiences from 7pm to 10pm on Sunday.

The Fitzpatrick pub, on Via Ghibellina, is hosting four days of Irish-themed events, including an Irish karaoke party on Friday.

The Shamrock Dance Company will perform on the stage of Florence’s Hard Rock Cafe from 8.30pm on Sunday.

Bologna

Bologna will once again be hosting Irlanda in Festa, a four-day festival of live music, food and drink in Piazza Lucio Dalla from March 13th to 16th. Entry is free.

Venice 

Venice’s Hard Rock Cafe will offer a ‘limited-edition’ Irish menu on Friday.

Forte Marghera, on Venice’s mainland, will also put on a number of Irish-themed events over the weekend. Entry is free.