Redentore Day

The Redentore Day is a festival that is particularly popular with Venetians as it combines a religious theme with a spectacular celebration that attracts thousands of visitors. On Saturday night, the inimitable setting of St. Mark’s Basin hosts a phantasmagorical firework display that lights up the spires, domes and bell towers of the city with a kaleidoscope of colours and reflections. At dusk, just as they have done for centuries, numerous small boats decked out with balloons, decorations and brightly coloured lanterns, begin to flock into St. Mark’s Bay and the Giudecca Canal. The boats then moor alongside each other and all the participants enjoy a sumptuous dinner of traditional Venetian specialities while they wait for the firework display that begins at 11.30pm and lasts until well past midnight.

The Festa del Redentore is a tradition that dates back to 1577. It was first held to celebrate the city’s deliverance from a terrible plague and the construction of Palladio’s “Redentore” (Redeemer) Church, commissioned for the same reason. The Church, built on the Island of the Giudecca, can still be reached by pilgrims during the festival by means of an impressive 330-metre-long pontoon bridge. The “Redentore” celebrations include a solemn religious service and procession presided over by the patriarch of the city, and the weekend ends with a series of gondola races, organised as part of the “Voga alla Veneta” rowing season.

 

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This festival takes place every year  on the same weekend in Venice, Veneto, Italy, and is suitable for people of all ages. This year, it is happening from July 14 to 15.

The Redentore day celebrates the end of the plague that spread through the city of Venice from 1575 to 1577, causing terrible losses of population. Almost 50,000 died, which was more than a third of the city’s inhabitants. In 1576, on the 4th September, the Senate decided that the Doge should announce the vow to erect a church dedicated to the Redentore (Redeemer), for asking him to stop the terrible plague, with the promise of celebrating it every year. The church was built after Palladio’s project in the island of Giudecca. In 1577, on July 13, the plague was declared definitively over and many people who survived it crossed the channel on the bridge, built for this occasion. Since that day it was decided that the city’s liberation from the terrible disease should be celebrated every year on the third Sunday of July, with a religious rite and a popular holiday.

For more information, please visit: http://www.veneziamarketingeventi.it/en/page/eventoDettaglio?idEvento=185.

Tourist Information Center:
APT della Provincia di Venezia Castello 5050, 30122 Venezia
Tel. +39 0415298711
Fax +39 0415230399
Email:info@turismovenezia.it

Porretta Soul Festival

The Porretta Soul Festival takes place usually in the third decade of July at Rufus Thomas Park in Porretta Terme in the province of Bologna. The festival, divided into four evenings, features international stars of soul music.

Since 1988 the Porretta Soul Festival, a Tribute to Otis Redding has become the most prestigious European event entirely dedicated to rhythm & blues and soul music: and particularly to the Memphis Sound, the music school of the great Otis Redding, to whom the festival is dedicated. Over the past 20 years the biggest names in soul have come to Porretta, many of them especially for the Festival on their first trip to Europe; others, authentic legends, were discovered in unknown spots in the Deep South of U.S.A. and introduced to the international public and press who spoke of the “miracle” of Porretta as the musical event of the year.

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2012 celebrates the 25th anniversar of this musical festival. It is taken place from July 19 to 22 in Porretta Terme, Emilia Romagna, Italy, and is suitable for people 18 and over.

Porretta Terme is a popular holiday destination famous for its thermal baths and is situated on the border between Tuscany and Emilia Romagna. The Porretta Soult Festival offers  a free entrance on the first evening of the festival while tickets for the other evenings can be bought on line at http://www.vivaticket.it/.

For more information please visit http://www.porrettasoul.it/.

Tourist Information Center:
Piazza Libertà, 11 – 40046 Porretta Terme (BO)
Tel. +39 053422021
Fax +39 053422328

Tournament of Niballo

The Niballo is one of the oldest and best-known medieval jousting that takes place every year on the 4th Sunday in June at the Stadium “Bruno Neri” The challenge iinvolves the knights of the 5 historic districts in Faenza: White (Borgo Durbecco), Yellow (Porta Ponte), Black (Porta Ravegnana), Red (Porta  Imola), Green (Porta Montanara.) The tournament is a horse race at gallop during which knights must hit with a spear the target  placed at the end of the two arms of a puppet called Niballo.

The first official news of the Niballo Tournament dates back to February 13, 1596. Some documents confirm that this competition was held until 1796. The first edition of the Tournament  in its modern version, was held  on Sunday, June 28, 1959, the eve of the patronal feast of St. Peter.

This historical festival is taking place every 4th Sunday of June in Faenza, Emilia Romagna, Italy and is suitable for people of all ages.

 

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The public has free acess to the rehearsal s of the tournament  that are held during the days before the event.  The tournament is preceded by a historical pageant in which  take part  more than 400 participants representing the five districts  of Faenza.

For more information, please visit http://www.paliodifaenza.it/index.php.

Tourist Information Center:
I.A.T. Faenza – Voltone della Molinella, 2 – Faenza
Phone: +39 0546 25231

Ischia Film Festival

Ischia Film Festival is one of the most popular festivals in Europe dedicated to the creation of works of contemporary theatre and represented by dozens of young actors and companies.

The Festival of the Hills was founded in 1996 to offer actors performances during the summer using locations such as villas, castles, churches in the hills around Turin, on the right bank of the River Po. The festival’s artistic evolution has led in recent years to qualify it as a recognized European showcase of contemporary creation of a more experimental and innovative theater.

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This film festival is taken place every year in Ischia, Campania, Italy and is suitable for those who are 18 and older. The festival dates for this year is from June 30 to July 7.

To attend shows and other events of the Ischia Film Festival it is necessary to have the accreditation pass. The accreditation for the audience is a “cultural accreditation” and gives free access to all the festival shows Audience can apply for the accreditation and book it online on festival  website or  can apply for it during the festival at the INFO POINT in Piazzale Aragonese in Ischia.

For more information, please visit http://www.ischiafilmfestival.it/.

Tourist Information Center:
APT Ischia – Via A. Sogliuzzo, Ischia
Phone: +39 081.5074211

Genzano Flower Festival

Every year, local artists cover an entire street (via Belardi) with detailed flower carpets, inspired by religious paintings and famous artworks. The Infiorata of Genzano begins with the harvesting of millions of flowers, 2-3 days before the event. They are stored fresh, in caves around Genzano, while the artists draw their masterpieces on the pavement of Via Belardi, for the Saturday parade. The Infiorata ends on Monday of the third week of June, when children are allowed to destroy the colorful artworks by playing on them.

The flower festival dates back to 1778 when, for the first time, some citizens decorated with flowers parts of the streets to celebrate Corpus Domini parade.

 

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Genzano Flower Festival, or Infiorata di Genzano, is taken place in Genzano, Lazio, Italy from June 16 to 18 this year. This religious/historical festival is suitable for people of all ages. For more information, please visit http://www.infiorata.it/index.html.

The local artists who create the flower festival belong to an “academy” called Accademia dei Maestri Infioratori di Genzano di Roma.  This non-profit organization has the aim to ensure collaboration between artists, preserve the different techniques used to create the flowers work of arts and pass on to future generations the passion for this event.

Tourist Information Center:
A.P.T. Genzano – Via Italo Belardi, 81 Genzano
Phone +39 06 93711228

Pitti Image Man

Pitti Man, or Pitti Immagine Uomo, is a prestigious event dedicated to collections of clothing and accessories for men, which is held twice a year in the cozy setting of the Fortezza da Basso in Florence. Pitti ImageMan is confirmed as the leading event dedicated to the world of men’s fashion on the international scene. The affluence of buyers from around the world and the best brands and designers that choose to exhibit at Pitti Image Man, testify the leading role of the event which drives  the entire sector of men’s fashion.

The first edition of Pitti Man Image dates back to 1960. The event is also the meeting place  for fashion professionals who know to find in the event all the best international production for men’s fashion, thanks to the clever organization that facilitates trade and negotiations.

 

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This fashion event happens twice year in Florence, Tuscany, Italy and it is suitable for people 18 and over. The next event’s date for 2012 is June 19-22 . For more information, please visit http://www.pittimmagine.com/corporate/fairs/uomo.html.

The Pitti Man fashion shows are broadcasted live at http://lostinfashion.it/

Tourist Information Center:
A.P.T. Firenze – Via Manzoni 16 –  50121  Firenze
Tel.:  +39 05523320

Rome Literature Festival

Rome Literature Festival (Festival delle Letterature di Roma) gives the public a reading area and a survey of contemporary cultural phenomena, thanks to its winning formula which involves the public in the process of listening and reflection. The Festival at the Basilica of Massenzio is more than a media event, in which authors are invited to present to a wide audience the accomplishment of their thought. The Festival of Massenzio does not make any comments, it does not introduce the authors: it gives you the chance to share an experience which belongs to the world of writing but that  can be listened  as a concert, and  seen  as a play.

The Festival was founded in 2001. An event that adds literature to the  charm of the place, a stone’s throw from the Colosseum.

 

The Festival offers free admission for all shows: first come, first seated. Access is conditional on getting a free ticket for each show, which must be picked up at the ticket booth. The ticket booth opens at 7.00 p.m. Access to the site is possible from 8.30 p.m.

This cultural festival is suitable for all ages and is taken place every year in Rome, Lazio, Italy. This year it is happening from May 16 to June 21.

For more information please visit http://www.festivaldelleletterature.it/it/festival/.

Tourist Information Center:
Ufficio Turismo Roma Via Leopardi 24 00185 Roma
email: turismo@comune.roma.it

Legnano Tournament

The Palio of Legnano is an event that takes place every year on the last Sunday of May in the town of Lombardy, to commemorate the victorious Battle of Legnano, fought May 29, 1176 by the armies of the Lombard League against the Emperor of Germany, Frederick Barbarossa. The Palio is a horse race involving the 8 districts of Legnano.

The oldest commemorations of the Battle of Legnano date back to 1393, although the Palio, in its current form, began to be played since 1935.

This historical event happens every year on the same weekend in Legnano, Lombardia, Italy, and is suitable for all ages. It is taken place on May 27, 2012. For more information, please visit http://www.paliodilegnano.it/.

Before the Palio  a parade is held through the streets with about 1,000 participants in medieval costumes, whose clothing, shields, etc.. closely reflect those of the twelfth century. Tickets for the events are sold on site at the Legnano districts offices.

Tourist Information Center:
IAT Legnano – Piazza San Magno 9 Legnano
Phone:+39 0331925511

Festival of the two Worlds

Festival dei due Mondi, also known as the Spoleto Festival, is an international event in music, art, culture and entertainment that takes place annually in the city of Spoleto in Umbria, Italy. The Spoleto Festival has always sought to introduce avantgard entertainment  but also to respect the classical tradition. Many architectural features of the city of Spoleto contribute to create a unique dualism between ancient art and contemporary art.

Founder of the Festival of Two Worlds is the master composer Gian Carlo Menotti ( died in 2007), who established the event in 1958. The intention of its founder, from the beginning, was to create a meeting ground between two cultures and two worlds of art, American and European (hence the name of the festival called, precisely , “two worlds”) and to celebrate the arts in all its forms The Festival of Two Worlds is one of the most important and innovative cultural events worldwide.

This cultural festival happens every year and is suitable for people 18 and older. The dates for 2012 are from June 29 to July 15.

 

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For more information, please visit http://www.festivaldispoleto.com/

Tickets for the events can be bought on line at http://www.boxol.it or at the festival box office located in Spoleto in Piazza della Libertà n. 10.

Tourist Information Center:
A.P.T. Spoleto – Piazza della Libertà 7 , Spoleto
Phone: +39 0743 218620

Sensa Festival

The Sensa (Ascension Day) Festival also known as Festa della Sensa is celebrated by Venice on the day of Christ’s Ascension (40 days after Easter). Sensa is the Venetian dialect word for ascension. It commemorates two important events in the life of the city: one on 9 May in the year 1000, when Doge Pietro Orseolo II came to the rescue of the inhabitants of Dalmatia, who were under the Slav menace. The second event took place in 1177, when, in the reign of Doge Sebastiano Ziani, Pope Alexander III and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa signed the peace treaty in Venice that put an end to the century-long diatribe between the Papacy and the Empire. The rite of the Wedding with the Sea used to take place on the occasion of the Ascension Day Festival. Every year on that day the Doge on his state barge, the Bucintoro, sailed to Sant’Elena, at the level of San Pietro di Castello Church. The Bishop waited to bless him on a boat with gilt sides. To emphasise the Serenissima Republic’s dominion over the sea, the Festival culminated with a kind of propitiatory rite: the Doge sailed to the channel between the lagoon and the sea and threw a gold ring into the water.

Thanks to the Comitato Festa della Sensa, Venice began to celebrate Ascension Day again in 1965, with a programme that goes far beyond mere re-evocation: the Gemellaggio Adriatico (“Adriatic twinning”) project now links the Serenissima Republic with a city or a geographic area that has had a special historical relationship with Venice, joined in a bond of culture, love of the sea and the activities connected with the sea. In 2010 the ring that is its symbol has been given to the City of Larnaca (Cyprus). In addition to this, the Festival is the occasion for the award of the “Premio Osella d’Oro della Sensa”, which is given to public bodies, institutions and private citizens that have given lustre to the city by means of their activities in the spheres of culture, crafts and trade.

 

This historical festival is held from May 19 to May 20, 2012 in Venice, Italy and is suitable for all ages.

For more information, please visit http://www.veneziamarketingeventi.it/it/page/eventoDettaglio?idEvento=242

Part of the today commemoration  will be the Doge’s procession in San Marco Square, the Sensa Market at the Church of San Nicolò on Lido, Venetian style rowing races, a water parade by the local rowing clubs, the Fort of Sant’Andrea Festival and many other events that confirm that the Sensa today is a great time for meeting and fully realising the value of Venetian history and traditions: it is the festival of the city itself and its relationship with the sea.

Tourist Information Center:
APT della Provincia di Venezia Castello 5050, 30122 Venezia
Tel. +39 0415298711
Fax +39 0415230399
Email:info@turismovenezia.it