Venice is a magical city at any time of year, but there’s a reason why its famous Carnival celebrations attract tens of thousands of visitors from all over the world. 

This year, three weeks of events officially kick off on Saturday, January 27th, with musical and theatrical performances at various locations around the city.

The main events are held between February 8th and 13th – which is also when you can expect to find the floating city’s calli and squares at their most crowded. 

If you’re planning to visit, find out more about the biggest dates and events in this year’s edition and what else to expect in the article below:

Venice Carnival: What to expect if you’re attending in 2024

Of course, Venice is not the only place you can celebrate carnival season in Italy. Many other towns and cities have their own festivities, including Rome and Milan.

In and around the Italian capital, this year’s Carnevale runs from January 28th to February 13th (Shrove Tuesday). You can find Rome’s official events program here: highlights include the parade of boats along the River Tiber on February 11th, and there’s usually a parade on Piazza del Popolo.

If you want to see a really impressive Carnevale display, it’s worth heading outside of Rome to nearby Ronciglione. Last year voted Italy’s most beautiful village, this charming hilltop comune puts on a parade of giant papier mache floats. 

In Rome, there are plenty of other events happening in the coming month that are sure to keep the winter blues at bay. We’ve listed some of our favourites below:

Six things to do in Rome in February 2024

Most people would probably say that the Italian language sounds romantic or musical, even if they don’t understand a word. And, unlike some languages, Italian doesn’t feature many words that sound unpleasant, rude or shocking to Anglophones.

But there is one Italian word that readers say has earned them some funny looks when they’ve used it outside of Italy.

One reader in the US told us: “I’m constantly having to tell my husband who’s Italian to stop shouting dai when we’re out walking our dogs.”

As you might know, dai has an innocent enough meaning in Italian, but – especially when combined with certain other, equally innocent Italian words – it can sound pretty unnerving to non-Italian speakers:

What’s the one Italian word that English speakers find alarming?

Remember if you’d like to have this weekly newsletter sent straight to your inbox you can sign up for it via Newsletter preferences in “My Account”.

Is there an aspect of the Italian way of life you’d like to see us write more about? Please email me at [email protected].