The event has its roots in the Middle Ages: the tradition says that every year the St. Joseph feast in Scicli is honored with a ride through the streets of the city where the typical bonfires light up the night, recalling the escape to Egypt of Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus, riding on a donkey. According to some historians, the tradition of bonfi...
Every year in September the "Palio (contest) di Asti" is run: the oldest in Italy, it is an ancient tradition from the eight century, a real festival, which has kept unchanged its distinctive traits, qualities that have helped to make it a unique performance. The charm of the medieval history lives through the town districts and its places, includi...
The "Dama Castellana", one of the most important historical Italian events, evokes an important Renaissance battle that took place in the second half of 1200 between Conegliano and Treviso. The Living Checkers commemorates the battle where the soldiers from Conegliano, victorious in the dispute, forced the enemies to bring them on their shoulders,...
This tradition dates back to 1371 and is held during the celebrations in honor of the patron. On the eve of the race a great costume parade winds through the streets. In the town of Narni, Umbria, takes place every year between the last week of April and the second Sunday of May the re-enactment of an ancient tradition that originated in the fourte...
On Easter Sunday, from dawn, the town of Prizzi undergoes a metamorphosis: the inhabitants are awakened by groups of children who knock on their doors. Everyone of these kids is wearing a red dress (the devils) except one who is wearing a yellow ocher one (death). These entities, which roam up and down the streets waving the chains, ask relatives,...
The Arena of Verona is home to a selection of the most beautiful nativity scenes in the world, and works of art inspired by the theme of the Nativity. For the thirty-fifth consecutive year the Arena di Verona is home to the International Festival of the Nativity, a unique event with no competitors in the world.
Gubbio is a fine small medieval town, situated in the region of Umbria, a region located in the center of Italy. It is in Gubbio that San Francis encountered and tamed the famous wolf. Positioned at a height of approximately 500 meters above sea level, Gubbio is located at the base of Mount Ingino, a mountain about 900 meters high.
The Palio della Rocca is a historical re-enactment founded in 1987 in the municipality of Serra Sant'Abbondio in the Marche region. The event covers many cultural, tourist, religious and social meanings. The central point is the challenge that takes place on the second Sunday of September between the 3 ancient villages and 3 ancient castles, which...
The Quintana Horse Race is a competition among six knights, each one representing a local district. During the race, the knight must use a spear and ride a horse on a 8 shape route to hit the “moro” in the middle. Each assault corresponds to a certain score. The knight has to make 3 assaults in a row for each turn (named “tornata”). There are 3 tur...
Every year on July 14 the Legend of Innamorata is celebrated in Capoliveri, in the Elba Island, Tuscany. It is said that the legend of Innamorata originated back in 1534, when the coasts of Elba Island were sacked by the pirate Barbarossa and his Saracen crew. The legend tells about two young lovers, Lorenzo and Maria, whose love was, however, hind...
Corpus Domini, also known as Corpus Christi, is a Catholic feast day. It honors the Eucharist, and as such it does not commemorate a particular event in Jesus's life. Many places in Lazio celebrate the days around this festival with infiorata, or flower displays.
The popular legend says that a local plague in 1436 brought death and desolation among men and animals in town. The desperate people asked grace to Saint Vittore, with the promise of organizing a run of the slower animals, the oxen, as a sign of joy and gratitude. The Holy man heard these prayers and the plague ceased. The earliest historical docum...