The new year has just begun and one of the best intentions could be to visit or revisit Italy. Do it as many times as you want, there are numerous occasions waiting for you! Italy is known for organising regular, internationally recognised cultural events and we enter 2024 with a big agenda. From visual art and performances to fashion and furniture design, passing inevitably through local gastronomy — check out the calendar of the iconic events in Italy throughout the year and mark your dates. (Sounds like one more powerful reason to improve your Italian with our online courses!)
1. Carnevale di Venezia 2024
It's difficult to imagine the modern city of Venice without its famous Carnival. Starting soon, from January 27th, Venice is transforming again for over 2 weeks into a theatrical scenery, rich in bright medieval-style costumes and masks. Traditionally, masks play a crucial role during the Carnival, whereas one of the most important Carnival’s events is a contest for the most beautiful one (la maschera più Bella) with famous costume designers as jury members. Even though the original Venetian masks only had a practical function, the city of Venice pays a lot of attention today to produce high-quality contemporary masks with sophisticated surface decorations, to preserve patrimonial values and highlight local craftsmanship. Eager to travel through the history and plunge to the spectacular atmosphere of the Carnival? You have still some time to book your ticket to Venice!
2. Milano Women’s Fashion Week, Autumn/Winter 2024 Fashion design has always been a key element of the Italian culture, and creations by Italian designers stably continue to draw an international attention. Whether you are a fashion enthusiast or just in love with Milan, don’t miss the next Milano Women’s Fashion Week (Settimana della moda di Milano). From February 20th to 26th, Milan traditionally takes over a series of outstanding events, to showcase the latest autumn/winter womenswear collections and celebrate the art of textile design. Defiles, parties and network gatherings organised throughout a week in patrimonial sites or modern institutions — come to spend beautiful moments and get inspired! Not only via intaking doses of high fashion and streetwear trends but also discovering symbolic venues and secret gems of the city of Milan.
3. Salone Internazionale del Mobile 2024
Modern Italian furniture is a combination of quality, fine craftsmanship and know-how, and Italy is the right place to promote furniture design and production. Initially launched in 1961 to showcase local brands, the Salone del Mobile in Milan has evolved into the premier event for the international design industry. Save the date! The annual show returns to Milan’s cultural radars: the 2024 edition will be held from April 16th to 21st. The dialogue between traditions and technologies, innovation and functionality — Salone del Mobile will offer the latest design shapes and materials to enter our interiors and outdoor spaces. Come to Milan this spring to enjoy the Salone’s rooms filled with creativity, care and taste and imagine a house of your dream while walking under the blossoming trees of the Milanese gardens.
4. La Biennale di Venezia 2024
With the first festival dating back to 1895, La Biennale di Venezia has developed into one of the most prestigious exhibitions in the world. For every Biennale’s edition, national pavilions are trying to reach the very essence of Art, which embraces not only creative practices but also social and political processes. Shaped in different, often experimental, forms, national shows strive to set up a comprehensive programme and contribute to educational and cultural formation. By communicating and fostering curated visions for the future, they serve as real hubs for ideas and experimentations. The 60th Art Biennale in 2024, themed «Foreigners Everywhere» («Stranieri Ovunque»), will run from April 20th to November 24th, accompanied by shorter festivals devoted to Cinema, Dance, Music and Theatre — plan your next trip to Venice in accordance with your interests!
5. Ravello Music Festival
Plan your music journey to Ravello well in advance — this breathtaking audio-visual experience in terraced concert venues with a panoramic seascape doesn’t leave anyone indifferent. The annual summer Ravello festival, also known as «Wagner Festival», has been held since 1953, to keep in memory a visit of German composer Richard Wagner to Mediterranean Ravello. Today, the festival on the edge of the Amalfi Coast is considered as the most renowned open-air festival of classical music in Italy, and the special Dawn Concert — as a highly awaited cultural highlight. This year, the Concert is scheduled to August 11th and the full programme of the festival is yet to come.
6. Arena di Verona Festival
The Opera Festival at the Arena di Verona is an open-air festival of opera performances, organised at the ancient Roman amphitheatre in Verona. Every summer, the historical site capable of welcoming 30,000 visitor offers a unique celebration of opera tradition and modern production. The 101st Arena di Verona Festival 2024, taking place from June, 8th to September, 7th, coincides with the centenary of the death of Giacomo Puccini. For this occasion, the Festival will be opened with Turandot and continued later with a revival of Tosca, paying homage to Puccini. Noteworthy features of the festival include performances by Anna Netrebko and Plácido Domingo.
7. Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2024
From September 26th to 30th, the next edition of Terra Madre Salone del Gusto, an annual food event hosted in Turin, addresses our relationship with Nature (Per Ritrovare Il Nostro Essere Natura). In the times of multiple crises, the event is going to reflect on how to create a deeper balance between human beings and nature and rediscover ourselves as a part of the ecosystem through our attitudes to food. Are you interested in sustainable food and responsible production? Come to Turin to attend Salone del Gusto events as well as to meet thousands producers from all over the world, true ambassadors of the gastronomical diversity, participants of Il Mercato.
8. Rome Film Festival 2024
Did you know that in 2015 Rome was appointed as a UNESCO «Creative City of Film»? Since cinema is a fundamental part of the Italian history, our agenda can’t overlook the cinema festival (Festa del Cinema di Roma) held in Rome: the edition 2024 will start on October 16th and will close on October 27th. Although the full festival programme is yet to be announced, we eagerly anticipate a new generation on the creative scene, given the high regard for the Eternal City in cinema.
Let’s create unforgettable moments in Italy together!
Feel free to share your travel plans or Italy dreams with us in the comments below