What's on in Italy: 11 events to look forward to this spring
Caravaggio 2025 exhibition, Rome, March 7th-July 6th
The National Galleries of Ancient Art and Galleria Borghese have partnered up to offer one of the largest-ever displays of Caravaggio's works this spring as part of celebrations for the Catholic Church's Jubilee year.
Held in Rome's Palazzo Barberini, the Caravaggio 2025 exhibition will feature over 20 artworks by the Italian master, including paintings never before displayed in Italy, such as Ecce Homo and Martha and Mary Magdalene, loaned by Madrid's Prado Museum and the Detroit Institute of Arts respectively.
The exhibition will open on March 7th and close on July 6th.
More information about times and tickets can be found here.
Almond Blossom Festival, Agrigento, March 8th-16th
The Almond Blossom Festival (or Sagra del Mandorlo in Fiore in Italian) is an annual event held in Agrigento, southwestern Sicily, to mark the arrival of spring and the blooming of almond trees.
Originally started in the 1930s, the festival transforms the city into a vibrant scene of folklore, live music and cultural traditions every March.
This year's programme features performances from folk bands, colourful parades and food stands giving visitors a chance to sample local almond-based delicacies.
Rome Marathon, March 16th
The 2025 edition of the Rome marathon will take place on Sunday, March 16th.
The 42-kilometre race will start on Via dei Fori Imperiali at 8.30am, with runners passing by some of the city's most famous landmarks – from Piazza Navona to Castel Sant'Angelo and the Vatican – before crossing the finish line at the Circo Massimo.
Another event will take place on the same date: the Run4Rome relay race, which allows teams of four people to collectively cover the full marathon distance by running one of four race segments each.
Further details can be found on the marathon's website.
Vinitaly, Verona, April 6th-9th
This annual Verona-based fair draws producers and buyers from around the world for several days of talks, tastings and workshops.
A man pours a glass of wine during the 50th edition of the Vinitaly wine exhibition in Verona in 2016. Photo by VINCENZO PINTO / AFP
While Vinitaly itself is an event for industry professionals, its spin-off Vinitaly and the City, held in the days leading up to the main fair (April 4th-6th) specifically caters to amateur oenophiles.
You can find more information about Vinitaly here.
Milan Furniture Fair, April 8th-13th
If you're short on inspiration on how to decorate your new Italian home or simply like to keep up with the latest home design trends, the Milan Furniture Fair (or Salone del Mobile) – a yearly benchmark event for the international furnishing and design sector – may just be what you're looking for.
The event will run from April 8th to April 13th at the Rho Fiera complex.
Access will be limited to industry professionals from April 8th to April 11th, and open to all on Saturday, April 12th, and Sunday, April 13th. Tickets can be purchased here.
Fuorisalone (literally, 'outside the fair') – a series of smaller shows, events and parties held across the northern city – will run parallel to the main furniture fair.
Explosion of the cart, Florence, April 20th
All of Italy will be celebrating Easter Sunday on April 20th, but only Florence will do so by blowing up a cart right in front of its cathedral in what's known as scoppio del carro ('explosion of the cart').
Every year, a two-story cart full to the brim with fireworks is pulled from the Church of Santi Apostoli to the central Piazza Duomo by four white oxen followed by a crowd of people dressed in 15th-century garb.
There, a dove-shaped rocket flies into the cart via a cable, setting off a spectacular fireworks display overhead. The 'explosion' generally takes place at around 11am. No booking is required.
Rome birthday celebrations, April 21st
Italy's capital celebrates the anniversary of its founding on April 21st every year (legend has it that the first king of Rome, Romulus, ploughed the city's boundaries on April 21st, 753 BC).
The 2025 programme hasn't been unveiled yet, but celebrations generally include talks with historians and writers, art exhibitions and historical reenactments, including a traditional parade of centurions marching through central Rome.
Happy birthday, Roma! 🎂 Here is my video of the day in Rome on April 21:
Forum,
Atrium Vestalium for the Parilia,
Fori Imperiali procession, Circus Maximus spectacle! Watch! https://t.co/cgjwzGDvt4 #nataledirome #roma753 @Gru_Sto_Romano @_MiBACT @museitaliani @SaveRome pic.twitter.com/3p7g4HzqGu
— Darius Arya (@DariusAryaDigs) April 20, 2020
Giro d'Italia, May 9th-June 1st
This year's Giro d'Italia will start in Durres, Albania, on May 9th and pass through two other Albanian cities (Tirana and Vlore) before returning to Italy.
Once in Italy, riders will weave their way up across the peninsula from Lecce, Puglia, riding through cities, lakes and mountain ranges all over the country on the way.
Rome will once again host the closing stage of the Giro, with the riders set to cross the finish line on Via dei Fori Imperiali.
If you're in Naples on May 15th, Siena on the 18th, Modena on the 22nd, or Rome on June 1st, you'll have the opportunity to see a leg of the race in person.
More information is available here.
Venice Architecture Biennale, May 10th-November 23rd
Curated by architect and engineer Carlo Ratti, Venice's 19th International Architecture Exhibition will focus on the evolving role of architecture in response to climate change, calling on architects to harness a variety of intelligences – natural, artificial and collective – to rethink their designs' impact on the environment.
Displays will be spread across two venues: the Central Pavilion at the Biennale Gardens and the Arsenale complex.
Turin Book Fair, May 15th-19th
The Salone Internazionale del Libro in Turin is Italy's largest book fair and will once again be held in the Lingotto Fiere exhibition space.
The event brings more than 1,000 publishers to the Piedmont capital.
While open to anyone (not just publishers and editors), this is primarily a commercial trade fair; so if you're looking for something on a smaller scale, literary festival Una Marina di Libri ('A Shore of Books') will take place in Palermo from June 6th to June 9th.
More information on the Turin Book Fair can be found here.
Infiorata di Noto, May 16th-20th
The Infiorata di Noto sees the main street of this Baroque southeastern Sicilian city decorated with a carpet of colourful blossoms stretching for over 700 square metres in total.
The event will unfold over four days – from May 16th to May 20th. According to the Noto town hall's website, access to the display will cost €5.
This year's event will celebrate themes of peace and hope.
l'incantevole infiorata di noto, sicilia
— James Lucas (@JamesLucasIT) June 29, 2022
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