May in Italy is a great time to find spring festivals. Visiting in the spring generally brings nice warm weather and slightly fewer crowds compared to June and July. You’ll find flower festivals, food and wine festivals, medieval reenactments, and events celebrating spring rituals. You will likely come across other local festivals during your visit, but some major festivals you can count on recur annually in many parts of the country.
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Italy takes several things seriously, such as enjoying life outside of work, delighting in history and art in its museums, its wine, and its beautiful scenery. If you are visiting in May, you can definitely find locals and visitors enjoying it all.
- May 1st: May 1st, is a public holiday throughout Italy. It is celebrated similarly to Labor Day in the United States. Many services will be closed, but you can find interesting parades and festivals to celebrate the day. Expect large crowds at popular Italian tourist destinations.
- Giro d’Italia – The great Italian cycle race, similar to the Tour de France, begins in early May and lasts for most of the month. The run encompasses picturesque landscapes and it’s fun to see a leg or two.
- Museum Night: On a Saturday in mid-May, museums in many Italian cities are open late, often with free admission and special events.
- Cantine Aperte: » Open Canteens ” is a great celebration of wine throughout Italy on the last two weekends of May, when canteens and cellars, many normally closed to the public, invite guests to tastings and tours. There is often food and live music and of course bottles of wine available for purchase. Do an internet search for “cantine aperte” and you will find the events closest to you.
Abruzzo
Abruzzo is east of Rome with the Adriatic coast and the Apennine Mountains in this region. National parks and forests cover much of its rugged interior. The region includes hilltop towns dating back to the Medieval and Renaissance periods.
- Snake Handlers Procession : On the first Thursday of May, in the city of Cocullo, Italy, a statue of Santo Domingo, the city’s patron saint, is carried through the city covered in live snakes. According to tradition, the festival dates back thousands of years to pre-Christian times. To appease the Vatican, the event was adapted to additionally honor Santo Domingo, who is believed to provide protection against snakebites for people working in the fields. Additionally, Santo Domingo can intercede on your behalf to relieve toothaches and wolf bites.
- The Flower Festival of Bucchianico: in preparation for the feast of St. Urban, the patron saint of the city, the people of this city makes a recreation of a military event of the thirteenth century and organizes a parade of more than 300 women who balance beautiful bouquets of flowers on their heads The third Sunday in May.
- The Narcissus Festival: In the town of Rocca di Mezzo, in Abruzzo, you can celebrate the arrival of spring with folk dances and a parade on the last Sunday in May.
Emilia Romagna
The Emilia Romagna region is located between the Po River, the Adriatic Sea and the Apennine mountain range that forms the backbone of Italy. It is most famous for its cuisine offerings such as prosciutto (ham) from Parma , Parmesan Reggiano (cheese) , and balsamic vinegar from Modena.
- Il Palio di Ferrara: Ferrara is home to a historic horse race dating back to 1279. It is held on the last Sunday in May. There are parades, flag-throwing contests, and other events every weekend in May, including a historic procession to the castle with more than 1,000 people in Renaissance costumes on the Saturday night of the weekend before the race.
- Medieval Parade and Jousting Tournament: The town of Grazzano Visconti is a replica of a medieval Italian town and hosts a parade and tournament with a nod to the medieval period on the last Sunday in May.
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Lazio, also known as Lazio in a more archaic way, is the region that contains Rome. However, when you hear people refer to Lazio, most are referring to the cities and the area outside of Rome.
- The wedding of the trees: in Italian, called Sposalizio dell’Albero , this festival takes place on May 8 in the town of Vetralla, in northern Lazio. A couple of oaks are decorated with garlands, riders offer bouquets of the first spring flowers and new trees are planted while everyone enjoys a free picnic lunch. The ceremony revives Vetralla’s sovereignty over the forests and continues the traditional tradition of giving each citizen a cubic meter of firewood annually.
- La Barabbata: The Barabbata Festival is held every year on May 14 on the shores of Lake Bolsena in the fishing village of Marta, near Viterbo. The festival is a Catholic interpretation of the pagan rites of spring that consists of a parade in honor of the Virgin Mary. In this procession, the men wear costumes that represent the ancient trades and carry their tools, while the white buffaloes pull the floats that carry the fruits of the trades.
Liguria
Liguria is a coastal region in northwestern Italy; Its capital is Genoa. The region is considered the Italian Riviera and is popular with tourists for its beaches, towns, and gastronomy.
At the San Fortunato Fish Festival , the patron saint of fishermen is celebrated in the village of Camogli, south of Genoa, on the second Sunday in May. On Saturday night there is a huge fireworks display and a bonfire competition followed by free fried fish on Sunday.
Piedmont
The northwestern corner of Italy is the Piedmont region, which borders the Alps. Piedmont is translated from Latin to mean “the foot of the mountains.”
- The Risotto Festival: The first Sunday of May in the Piedmontese town of Sessame is a great feast celebrating Italian risotto, a special rice dish dating back to the 13th century.
- Roman Fest: The Roman Fest is a three-day reenactment of a typical ancient Roman festival in the Piedmontese city of Alessandria, on the last weekend of May. The festival includes parades, parties, gladiatorial matches and chariot races.
Sardinia and Sicily
Sardinia and Sicily are large Italian islands off the coast of Italy in the Mediterranean Sea. They both have beautiful beaches. Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean and has one of the most active volcanoes in the world, Mt. Etna
- Sagra di Sant Efisio: On May 1, one of the most important festivals in Sardinia features a colorful four-day procession from Cagliari to the Romanesque church of San Efisio on Nora beach. Decorated ox carts and horsemen accompany the statue of the saint in a parade followed by food and dancing.
- Infiorata di Noto – A large festival with flower petal art displays and a parade takes place in Noto, Sicily, on the third weekend of May.
Tuscany
Tuscany is the largest region in Italy and was the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. Florence is its capital.
- Pinocchio’s birthday: on May 25 in the Tuscan town of Pescia, within the village of Collodi, the town celebrates the “puppet with the growing nose”, Pinocchio. Collodi is the pseudonym of the Italian author who wrote the story in the 1880s, which has since been further popularized in a 1940 Disney film.
- The Chianti Wine Festival: On the last Sunday in May and the first Sunday in June, the Chianti Wine Festival takes place in Montespertoli, in Tuscany’s Chianti wine region.
Umbria
Umbria, called the green heart of Italy, is similar to the adjacent Tuscany with green forests. Although it is landlocked, it has Lake Trasimeno, one of the largest lakes in Italy.
- Ring Race and Procession: This festival in Narni features performances of 14th century pageants and parades until May 12. It usually starts at the end of April.
- Calendimaggio – Held in early May in Assisi, this festival is a spectacular display of medieval and Renaissance life and costumes. The festival includes theater performances, concerts, dances, processions, archery, crossbows, and flag displays.
- La Palombella: Organized in Orvieto, this festival represents the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. The festival is celebrated on Pentecost Sunday, seven weeks after Easter, which generally falls in May. The festival takes place in the square in front of Orvieto Cathedral and ends with a fireworks display.
- La Festa dei Ceri: This candle race and costume parade in Gubbio takes place on May 15 and is followed by a historical cross-arch display on the last Sunday in May.
Veneto
Veneto is a gem of a region in the northeast corner of Italy. It is bounded to the west by Lake Garda, to the north by the Dolomite Mountains and to the east by the Adriatic Sea. It is the region of origin of Venice, the city built on 100 small islands.
The Festa della Sensa , or Festival of the Ascension, is celebrated on the first Sunday after Ascension Day (40 days after Easter) in Venice. The ceremony commemorates Venice’s marriage to the sea and, in times past, the doge threw a gold ring into the sea to unite Venice and the sea. In modern times, a regatta heads from St. Mark’s Square to Saint Nicolo, culminating in a gold ring thrown into the sea. There is also a great fair.
