Below is a list of the Italian national holidays plus feast days for a number of the major Italian cities and a sampling of the festivals:
JANUARY
1: Capodanno (New Year’s Day)
6: Epifania/La Befana (Epiphany)
7: Giornata Nazionale della Bandiera (Flag Day), celebrated principally in Reggio nell’Emilia
FEBRUARY
3: San Biagio (patron saint of Doues)
9: San Rinaldo (patron saint of Nocera Umbra)
14: Festa degli Innamorati (San Valentino)
Movable: Martedì Grasso (Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday) – part of Carnevale
Movable: Mercoledì di Ceneri (Ash Wednesday)
MARCH
8: La Festa della Donna
16: San Ilario and San Taziano (patron saints of Gorizia)
19: Festa del Papà (San Giuseppe)
19: San Proietto (patron saint of Randazzo)
Movable (can also occur in April): Domenica delle Palme (Palm Sunday)
Movable (can also occur in April): Venerdì Santo (Good Friday)
Movable (can also occur in April): Pasqua (Easter Sunday)
Monday after Easter (can also occur in April): Pasquetta, Lunedì di Pasqua (Easter Monday)
APRIL
1: Pesce d’Aprile (April Fool’s Day)
25: Festa della Liberazione (Liberation Day)
25: San Marco (patron saint of Venezia)
MAY
1: Festa del Lavoro (May Day)
JUNE
2: Festa della Repubblica (Republic Day)
24: San Giovanni Battista (patron saint of Firenze)
29: San Pietro and San Paolo (patron saints of Roma)
JULY
10: San Paterniano (patron saint of Grottammare)
15: Santa Rosalia (patron saint of Palermo)
AUGUST
2: San Alessio (patron saint of Sant’Alessio in Aspromonte)
15: Ferragosto/Assunzione (Day of the Assumption)
SEPTEMBER
19: San Gennaro (patron saint of Napoli)
22: San Maurizio (patron saint of Calasetta)
OCTOBER
4: San Petronio (patron saint of Bologna)
NOVEMBER
1: Ognissanti (All Saints Day)
2: Il Giorno dei Morti (All Souls Day)
3: San Giusto (patron saint of Trieste)
11: San Martino (patron saint of Foiano della Chiana)
DECEMBER
6: San Nicola (patron saint of Bari)
7: Sant’Ambrogio (patron saint of Milano)
8: Immacolata Concezione (Immaculate Conception)
25: Natale (Christmas)
26: Santo Stefano (St. Stephen’s Day)
31: San Silvestro (St. Silvester’s Day)
