St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, is not widely celebrated in Italy, but since Italy loves a party, several Italian cities host Irish parties and festivals. St. Patrick’s Day is especially popular in cities that have sizeable expat communities from the United States and Ireland. If the Italian city has an Irish pub or two (and many, like Rome, Florence, and Milan, have several), then there’s probably something for St. Patrick’s Day.
Ireland at Festa is a multi-day celebration of all things Irish and Saint Patrick; It takes place in various cities in northern Italy. Here are some of our favorite places to find Irish festivals and holidays for Saint Patrick in Italy.
Bologna – Ireland in Festa
Bologna is a great university city with a lot of nightlife, and it is a great place to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day. There is an Ireland in Festa event in Bologna that lasts for a few days, usually culminating on March 17, and includes lots of music, beer, and fun.
Celtic Druid Irish Pub is a good place to go to Guinness. They have a big party on March 17th, be sure to go green. Madigan’s Irish Pub (no website), The Irish Times Pub (no website) and The Cluricaune are Irish pubs in the historic center of Bologna.
Bari – Joy’s Shop Irish Pub
Joy’s Shop Irish Pub in Bari, Puglia, celebrates St. Patrick’s Day from the weekend until March 17 with live music, special events and green beer. Throughout the year, Joy’s Pub offers music, Irish food and beers.
Bolzano – Authentic Irish Pub
The Temple Bar in the historic center of Bolzano, in the Alto Adige region of northern Italy, was named the most authentic Irish pub outside of Ireland by the Global Federation of Irish Pubs in March 2015. It was chosen for its atmosphere traditional and its offerings. It’s a great place to gather a pint with other celebrators on St. Patrick’s Day, or any day of the year for that matter.
Florence – Ireland at Festa
Florence celebrates St. Patrick’s Day with everything Irish : parties, concerts, games, special events and Irish food and drink for 3 days around March 17 with Ireland in Festa .
There are almost two dozen Irish pubs in Florence, and they have varying degrees of authenticity. The Fiddler’s Elbow, The Florence Irish Pub and Finnegan’s are among some of the most beloved places in the city to enjoy a Guinness.
Rimini – Saint Patrick’s Week
A handful of Irish pubs, some more authentic than others, line Rimini’s long seafront and are a great excuse for a St. Patrick’s Day pub crawl.
In Forli, a smaller town near Rimini, the Wild Horse Pub is a good place to have an Irish drink and celebrate Saint Patrick.
Rome – Irish pubs and churches
Rome has a good number of Irish expats and you can find them celebrating in Irish pubs, but you are also likely to find them in one of Rome’s Irish churches. A good activity for St. Patrick’s Day might be to take a look at some of the interesting churches. The Basilica of San Clemente, San Patrizio a Villa Ludovisi and Sant’Isidoro a Capo le Case are the three churches in Rome affiliated with Ireland.
Irish Pubs in Rome: The Scholars Lounge Irish Pub offers live music with Guinness and typical Irish dishes on March 16 and 17. The two Druid Irish Pubs have live Irish music and promise a St. Patrick’s Day party. Finnegan’s Irish Pub says it is the only Irish-owned pub in Rome.
Verona
Hartigan’s Irish Pub and Birreria is a small pub where you will find Guinness and Irish music. Across the river Adige, there is also a lot of fun at the Celtic Pub Verona. Although not exclusively Irish, Campus Pub is also a lively place to celebrate on March 17th.
