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        January Festivals & Events:

        Capri Putip� Band Concerts (Jan. 1st)
        In the picturesque little piazza of Capri and Anacapri local musicians play lively concerts on the putip�, a folk instrument that emits a unique sound.
        Castiglione Di Garfagnana (Lucca)
        Feast of the Gift (Jan. 1st)
        This is a celebration which combines the elements of religious devotion and folklore, and the town's mayor offers gold, incense and myrrh to the church.
        Ortisei, St. Ulrich (Bolzano/Bozen)
        Parade in Costume (Jan. 1st)
        Colorful parade of marchers in the costumes of the Gardena Valley, with horse-drawn sleighs.
        Castiglione D'Asti - Bean Festival (Jan. 2nd)
        The "Feast of San Defendente" is celebrated in the main square with a traditional bean festival, which has its origins in ancient times. The beans are collected from house to house, cooked in the square and offered to all present.
        "Premosello Chiovenda" (Novara) - Carcavegia - (Jan. 5th)
        This very old folk celebration culminates with the burning of two dummies called "al vece" and "la vegia" (the old man and the old woman).
        Faenza (Ravenna) - Night of the Bis� (Jan. 5th-6th)
        On the night of the bis�, a salute to the New Year is celebrated in the evening in the Piazza del Popolo, where mulled wine and local food specialties are offered to the crowd. At midnight a dummy called the "Niballo" is burned on a bonfire to signify the banishment of all the cares of the past year and to be a good omen for the new one.
        Tarcento (Udine) - Feast of the Pignarui (Jan. 5th-6th)
        In the evening a long procession of marchers in 14th-century costume, carrying torches on tall shafts, follows figures representing the The Kings as the ascend a hill. At the summit of the hill a huge bonfire called the "pignarui" is lit, and this is the signal for the lighting of similar bonfires on the hills and mountains all around.
        Cividale Del Fruili (Udine) - "Mass of the Sword" (Jan. 6th)
        It is called the Mass of the Sword because the celebrant wields a sword that belonged in the 14th century to the patriarch Marquardo di Randek, who is reported to have always worn it at his waist, even when he entered church.
        Gemona Del Fruili (Udine) - Taller Mass - Jan. 6th
        A mass at which the town's mayor, accompanied by a cortege in medieval costume, offers a taller - an ancient coin - to the celebrant in homage to ecclesiastical authority.
        Lizzano (Taranto) - "Coming of the Magi" (Jan. 6th)
        A typical folk celebration, with a reenactment in costume of the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child.
        Mezzojuso (Palermo) - "Epiphany (Jan. 6th)"
        A traditional celebration of the Epiphany according to the old Byzantine rite, which has its most significant aspect in the ceremony of the blessing of the water.
        Piana Degli Albanesi (Palermo)) - "Epiphany (Jan. 6th)
        Solemn celebrations according to traditional Albanian rites, with processions of women in folk costumes and the blessing and offering of oranges.
        Parma Feast of Sant'Ilario (Jan. 13th)
        For the feast day of Parma's patron saint, special cookies in the form of a shoe are baked as reminders of an old legend connected with the saint.
        Aci Castello (Catania) - Feast of San Mauro (Jan. 15th)
        The town's patron saint, San Mauro, is called "the young man" by the people of Aci Castello, and they celebrate this feast day by carrying his statue through the streets and launching balloons in the air.
        Tuscania (Viterbo) Fritella Festival (Jan. 15th)
        Tasting of fritters made of cauliflower fried in batter in an enormous frying pan, and rally of the "butteri" (cowboys) of the Maremma district.
        Collelongo (L'Aquila) Feast of Sant'Antonio
        (Jan. 16th-17th)
        <On the evening of the patron saint's feast day, cooking pots are blessed, prizes are awarded for the most beautiful copper vessels and cooked grain is offered to the public.
        Novoli (Lecce) - "Intorciata" (Jan. 16th-17th)
        A procession in honour of Sant'Antonio, held in the evening, is followed by the lighting of the "focara," a huge bonfire of dry grapevines. At the end of the festivities, everyone plucks a glowing ember and some ashes from the fire for good luck.
        Sutri (Viterbo) - "Parade of Caparisoned Horses" - (Jan. 17th)
        On the feast of Sant'Antonio there is a traditional parade of caparisoned horses called the "cavalleria." Animals are blessed and local gastronomic products are offered.
        Velletri (Rome) "Ring Race" - (Jan. 17th)
        To celebrate the feast of Sant'Antonio there is a race in which horsemen try to lance a ring suspended in the air.
        Aci Reale (Catania) "Feast of San Sebastiano" (Jan. 20th)
        The celebrations in honour of the patron saint dates back to the early 1600's. There is a procession of the faithful who, barefoot, their heads swathed in multicolored scarves, sing hymns in honour of "rizzareddu" (San Sebastiano), as they bear his silver images through the streets.
        Milis (Oristano) "Feast of San Sebastiano" (Jan 20th)
        The festivities in honor of the town's patron saint features folk traditions and a procession in the typical local costume.
        Ortona (Chieti) "Feast of San Sebastiano" (Jan. 20th)
        On the occasion of the feast of the town's patron saint, a metal framework laden with fireworks and called the "vaporetto" is set off.
        "Casale Di Carinola"(Caserta)- Festival of the Salatielli (Jan 24th)
        The festival of lupine seed is held near the church of San Paolo di Tarso, outside the town.
        Foligno (Perugia) "Feast of San Feliciano" (Jan. 24th-25th)
        The traditional celebration in honor of the town's patron saint ends the following day with a fair.
        Trevi (Perugia) Feast of Sant'Emiliano (Jan. 27th)
        In honor of the patron saint, toward evening a "procession of lights" is held with the participation of local guilds.
        Cant� (Como) "Bonfire of the Giubiana" (Jan. 28th)
        A traditional bonfire in the Piazza Garibaldi, with fireworks on the church steps.
        "Bellinzano Novarese" (Novara) "Bean Festival" (Jan. 29th)
        A centuries-old country custom, this festival originated at the time when San Giulio came to these parts. Several days before the festival, volunteers go from house to house collecting the required ingredients which, on the day of the festival, are cooked in seven copper kettles and then offered to the public.
        Aosta "Fair of Sant'Orso" (Jan. 30th-31st)
        Of very ancient origins, this fair is traditionally reserved for handcrafted products produced by local artisans; it is also called the "Wood Fair," for most of the objects displayed are in wood. Among the typical wares on sale, the "grolla" is a finely worked wine vessel used in the Aosta Valley.


        February Festivals & Events:

        "Revello Cuneo" "Blessing of the Throats" (Feb. 1st-3rd)
        On the feast day of San Biagio (St. Blaise), the traditional blessing of the throats takes place in the 17th-century chapel on the slopes of Mount Bracco.
        Taranta Peligna (Chieti) - "Feast of San Biagio" - (Feb. 1st-3rd)
        The feast of the patron saint is marked by the baking of small, hand-shaped rolls called "panicelle." The parade of the "pi�tene" is a feature of the festivities.
        Fiuggi (Frosinone) - "The Stuzze" - (Feb. 2nd-3rd)
        In the evening great bonfires are lit in remembrance of the legendary feast of San Biagio.
        Monte San Biagio (Latina) - "Feast of San Biagio -(Feb. 3rd)
        Traditional events honouring the town's patron saint, and a fair of local handicrafts and food products.
        Catania - "Feast of Sant'Agata" (Feb. 3rd-5th)
        Impressive celebrations in honour of the city's patron saint include a procession of the saint's statue, accompanied by groups of the faithful, dressed in white, and punctuated by the noise of firecrackers and the sound of hymns.
        Forli - "Feast of the Madonna of Fire" - (Feb. 4th)
        A typical celebration honouring Forli's patron saint, with parades and exhibitions of local products.
        Spello (Perugia) - "Olive & Bruschetta Festival" - (Feb. 4th)
        Highlights of this festival is a parade of groups of olive pickers on tractors, each with a bought which symbolizes the conclusion of the harvest. Bread toasted over wood fires and spread with Spello's olive oil, salt and garlic, a specialty known as "bruschetta," is offered to the public. Folk groups perform traditional songs and dances.
        Mamoiada (Nuoro) - Parade of the Mamuthones - (Feb. 5th) Folklore and Traditional dances and singing in the streets.
        San Marino - "Procession of Sant'Agata" - (Feb. 5th)
        Celebrations in honour of one of the tiny republics's patron saint in remembrance of freedom rehained in 1740 after occupation of the republic by the Legate of Ravenna.
        Agrigento - "Festival of the Almond Blossoms" (Feb. 7th-14th)This is the traditional festival which includes a pageant in historical costume, parades of Sicilian carts, fireworks and band concerts.
        Sappada (Belluno) - "Carnival" (Feb. Dates Vary)
        The traditional carnival includes typical parades, opening with Sunday of the Poor (pettlar suntag), and ending with Ash Wednesday (osche mittag). The principal figure in Rollate, an autre personage dressed in a fur mantle with a hood, his face covered by a carved wooden mask of ancient origin.
        Viareggio (Lucca) Carnival (Feb.-Dates Vary)
        This is one of Italy's most popular and traditional carnival celebrations. There are parades of enormous mechanized floats based on allegorical themes. After the final parade prizes are awarded for the best floats.
        Berbenno (Sondrio) - Festival of the Bello (Feb. 12th)
        This folk festival recalls a friar of the Humiliati Order who arrived in the Valtellina in 1466 to establish a monastery there. His name was "Fra" Benigno, but he was so handsome that he was soon nicknamed San Bello (St. Beautiful). The celebrations begin with a procession and end with bountiful dinners of risotto, chicken, salami, and wine.
        Venice - Carnival (Feb. Dates Vary)
        This classic and renowned carnival is a succession of events featuring culture and folklore, transforming the city into a magical stage full of figures in costumes of all kinds.
        Taggia (Imperia) Feast of San Benedetto (Feb. 13th-14th)
        In the evening a ceremony is held for the lighting of bonfires and special fireworks called furgari. The next afternoon a parade of costumed figures evokes historical events and is accompanied by music and various types of entertainment.
        Terni - Feast of San Valentino (Feb. 14th)
        A torchlight procession, various religious ceremonies and traditions mark the feast of Terni's patron saint.
        Fano (Pesaro-Urbino) Carnival (Feb. Dates Vary)
        The Adriatic Carnival festivities features dancing, music, and fun, culminating in a large parade in costume on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday.
        Brescia - Feast of San Faustino (Feb. 15th)
        A large fair and traditional events are held to celebrate the feast day of Brescia's patron saint.
        Gradoli (Viterbo)- Feast of the Incappuciati (Date Varies)
        On the Thursday before Ash Wednesday the members of the Confraternity of Purgatory make the rounds of the town dressed in traditional hooded robes, bearing a banner and walking to the beat of a drum. They stop at every house to collect foodstuffs in the ame of the souls in purgatory; the food is then served at a banquet on Ash Wednesday.
        Modena - "Carnival" - (Dates Vary)
        The city celebrates the arrival of the traditional carnival figures, "the Pavironica family", made up of the Sandrone, his wife Pulonia and their son Sgorghiguelo,who came from the legendary Bosco di Sotto in an antique carriage, accompanied by valets in 18th century livery. They pay their respects to the city officials at the city hall, where Sandrone addresses the crowd from the balcnony, making impertinent comments on current events.
        Aci reale (Catania) Carnival (Dates Vary)
        One of the most characteristic of Sicily's carnivals it features parades in costume with floats and flower-bedecked carts.
        Bosa (Nuoro) - Carnival - (Dates Vary)
        A figure dressed in the traditional costume of Laldaggiolu opens the parades in costumes on the Thursday, Saturday, and Monday preceding Ash Wednesday. During the parade the people of Bosa satirize the idiosyncrasies and faults of their fellow-citizens. On Tuesday a group dressed in mourning costumes improvises a funeral lament as it searches for milk - the s'attidu - and in the evening everyone dresses in a white costume, carrying a lantern, to personify carnival.
        Cagliari - Carnival Parades (Dates Vary)
        Cagliari's Carnival includes parades of allegorical floats, costumed figures and a huge bonfire on which a dummy called "Cancioffali" is burned.
        Tempio Pausania (Sassari) - Carnival (Date varies)
        Throughout the carnival season there are numerous events in costume that culminate in the parades of carnival floats on Thursday and Shrove Tuesday.
        Verona - Becanal de Gnoco (Date Varies)
        On the Friday before Ash Wednesday, a procession of revelers in 15th-century costumes, led by a figure representing the "pap� del gnoco," wends its way to Piazza del Duomo, where plates of steaming gnocchi with a piquant sauce are served. The events is also known as venerd� gnocolar.
        Arco - Carnival (Dates Vary)
        Parades of floats, folk songs and dances.
        Ivrea (Turin) "Carnival" (Dates Vary)
        This is the only carnival in the world that follows a precise script, telling a story involving more than 1,500 people who re-enact the events of an era that is far in the past. On Saturday evening the chief character, the miller's wife, is presented to the public from the balcony of the town hall. On Sunday afternoon, Monday, and Shrove Tuesday, figures in costume parade through the town. Then the "Battle of the Oranges," the most colorful feature of Ivrea's carnival, takes place.
        Ronciglione (Viterbo) - Carnival (Dates Vary)
        This is the most important carnival in the Tuscia area, north of Rome. It includes parades of horsemen in costume, riderless races of spirited steeds through the streets of the town, and parades of floats with people in costume.
        Santhia (Vercelli) - Carnival (Dates Vary)
        Parades of floats and the traditional "fagiolata" (Bean festival) in the city park.
        Schignano (Como) - Parades of the Bei e Brutt
        (Feb. 20th-23rd)
        Carnival festivities contrast two types of costumed figures: one with pleasing aspect and elegant garb "(the bei"), the other forlorn and ragged "(the brutt)." The carnival ends with the burning of the "Carlisep."
        Ascoli Piceno - Carnival (Dates Vary).
        A traditional open-air carnival in which the entire town takes part, filling the historic town centre with merrymakers
        "Oristano Equestrian Carnival" (Dates Vary)
        Highlight of this carnival is the Sartiglia, reenactment of a medieval tournament on horseback, in which the rider must thrust his sword into an opening in a star-shaped object suspended in the air. A long procession of figures in vividly coloured medieval costumes in Sardinian and Spanish style precedents the contest.
        Putignano (Bari) - Carnival (Dates Vary)

        It is considered the longest carnival of all, for it begins on December 16th with the feast of the town's own patron saint and the "propagini," propitiatory rites for a good harvest. From Sunday to Shrove Tuesday, traditional floats are paraded through the town.
        "Bagolino (Brescia) - Carnevale Bagoss" (Date Varies)
        A traditional carnival characterized by two opposing groups: dancers and musicians decked out in sumptuous costumes trimmed with lace and colored ribbons; and noisy, unkempt roisters who are ironic and grotesque imitators of local figures.
        Milan - Carnival Week (Dates vary)
        Carnival week is held according to local tradition, with shows and festive events for children on Tuesday and Thursday. Parades of floats, figures in the costumes of local folk characters, Meneghin and Cecca, parties and more traditional events are held on Sunday.
        Ivrea (Turin) - Polenta and Codfish Festival (Feb. 23rd)
        A final feast before the Lenten fasts, the traditional offering of polenta and codfish to the public takes place in the Borgospesso quarter.
        Castel D'Ario (Mantua) - Bigolada (Feb. 24th)
        This traditional event is held on Ash Wednesday, when spaghetti with anchovies, onions and other ingredients is offered to the public in the main square.
        Gradoli (Viterbo) - Purgatory Banquet (Date Varies)
        On Ash Wednesday, gourmands are on hand for the banquet of penitence for the souls in purgatory, held on the premises of the cooperative winery.
        Palio Del Colle (Bari) - Palio del Viccio (Feb. 24th)
        This contest is held in the old centre of town and consists of attempts to piece an animal bladder suspended at a height of about four meters (12 feet). The contestants are young men in costume astride donkeys.
        Grosio (Sondrio) - Carneval Vece (Date Varies)
        A traditional carnival is celebrated on the first Sunday in Lent with parades of characteristic local costumes and floats. A local specialty called "chiacchiere" is offered to the public along with mulled wine.
        Tonco (Asti) - Pitu Festival (Feb. 28th)
        This festival recalls an old propitiatory rite performed by farmers and derived from the even more ancient custom of banishing evil spirits at certain times of the year and persecuting a scapegoat for all the ills of the past year. In this case, a pitu (turkey) is put on trial and condemmed, but is allowed to make its last will and testament, a highly satirical and amusing comment on local mores. A parade of figures in costumes precedes the trial and the public is offered candlesticks and Barbera wine.









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