Country: Italy

The birthday of Rome will be celebrated on the 21st of April, this year the city will be 2774 years old! Legend says that Romulus & Remus founded the city of Rome in 753 BC on a small hill near current Rome. After that the city quickly evolved into the famous capital of the Roman Empire,  this date has been celebrated ever since.

These days the annual celebration of the birthday of Rome is still a big event. You can enjoy impressive parades, historical shows, and FREE entrance to the museums.

One of the events during the birthday of Rome is a beauty contest to become Rome’s Goddess of the year. But the main event is a historical parade. From all over Europe people will come to re-enact and dress like historical Romans to put on an incredible show. The parade ends with spectacular gladiator performances.

It is not all about parades and Roman characters. During the festivities ‘old’ Roman dishes, like stews and veal, are served around the city. You can find most of the events around the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.

If you are planning a family trip, read our section Travel with Children to get more useful tips. Read our article about festivals in Italy to learn about them.

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The Flower Festival in Noto is called Inforiata in Italian. Inforiata festivals are held throughout Italy, but the one in Noto on Sicily is one of the best. That is because the flower designs in the streets are the most elaborate and the surrounding activities plentiful.

The Flower Festival in Noto is an annual event held in the third week of May. A couple of months before the festival they will choose a theme, so the artists can start working on their designs. On Friday evening they will start making the outlines of their designs which they will fill with thousands of flower petals during the night.

By Saturday morning the streets of Noto are filled with a carpet of colorful and aromatic flowers with intricate designs. But that’s not all. There are plenty of other activities like exhibitions, food- and wine tasting, guided tours, and concerts.

One of the highlights of the festival is the baroque historical parade. This parade is a display of the long history of the town. It is held on Sunday around 5 pm.

If you are planning a trip to Sicily check out this page to learn more. Read our article about festivals in Italy to learn about them.

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The festival of San Giovanni in Florence is better known as Festa di San Giovanni Florence. This annual celebration is held in honor of Florence’s patron, San Giovanni. This celebration takes place on the 24th of June.

San Giovanni Battista or St. John the Baptist represents morality and fairness for the people of Florence. That’s why you will find his statues and paintings all over the city. Furthermore, one of these pictures is from the hand of the renowned painter Raffaello.

The city started to celebrate its patron in the 13th century and is held ever since. So, these festivities start with a morning mass. After that, a wide variety of activities will take place, for example, soccer games, boat rides, historical parades, and fireworks.

And around 10 or 11 pm the festival will come to an end with some spectacular fireworks. This will take place on the Pizzale Michelangelo where you can also watch them. However, it might be even better to enjoy them from the streets along the river Arno. Here they even sell beverages and food here.

If you want to visit the festival of San Giovanni in Florence check out this page to learn more. Or, read our article about other festivals in Italy and see where else you can go.

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The Celebration of the Madonna Bruna in Matera is a religious festival that takes place every year on the 2nd of July in Italy. The ‘Festa della Madonna Bruna Matera’ is held to show devotion and dedication to the brown-faced Madonna. These festivities originated over 600 years ago.

They also call this event ‘the longest day’ because it will start early in the morning and end late at night. They will start out the day with a procession of shepherds and end the day with spectacular fireworks.

An essential element of the day is the chart with the image of the ‘brown’ Madonna. Local artists will start building the chart months before the final procession. The chart is made of papier-mâché and is an impressive work of art with the image of the Madonna in the middle.

Meanwhile, there will be parades all around the city involving historical characters and horsemen. At the end of the day, the chart with the Madonna arrives at the main square. To end the day, you can enjoy some awesome fireworks.

If you want to visit the Celebration of the Madonna Bruna in Matera check out this page to learn more. Or, read our article about other festivals in Italy and see where else you can go.

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