Italy is full of wonderfully unusual holiday traditions beyond the famous festivals. From Siena’s chaotic Palio and Florence’s exploding Easter cart to Umbria’s giant candle race, Sicily’s colourful Day of the Dead, and southern Italy’s fire-lit dancing puppets, each region celebrates in its own way. These events are deeply local, shaped by centuries of history and community pride. If you want to experience them for yourself, timing and the right local connections make all the difference.
Italy’s got festivals. Lots of them. Some you’ve heard of, Carnival in Venice, Milan Fashion Week, but scratch beneath the surface and you’ll find traditions so wonderfully bizarre, so deeply local, that most visitors never even know they exist.
These festivals are the real deal: centuries-old rituals tied to faith, land, and the little quirks that make each region feel different. Bring one of these up at dinner, and you’ll sound curious rather than clueless – and if you’ve read our 7 Things not to say at dinner in Italy guide, you’ll know that the right conversation starter can earn you a second invite.
Here’s a quick guide to some of Italy’s more unusual and fascinating traditions – the ones that show just how fabulously eccentric Italian celebrations can be.
Siena’s Palio might look like a chaotic horse race around the Piazza del Campo, but it’s far more than that. Twice a year, the city bursts into a medieval turf war, with few rules and fierce rivalries – resulting in total mayhem.
Siena is divided into 17 contrade (or districts), each with their own flag, motto, church, and centuries-old rivalries. Only 10 contrade compete in each Palio, chosen by lottery, and winning brings pride, bragging rights, and the chance to settle scores that stretch back to the 1300s.
If you’re wondering “what are the 17 contrade of Siena really all about?”, just start asking locals – they’ll tell you stories that run generations deep. Tens of thousands of spectators cram into the piazza, jockeys accept bribes in the streets, and horses cross the finish line without riders – it’s all part of the Palio chaos, and the locals wouldn’t change a thing.
If you’re wondering where to holiday in Tuscany during spring, Florence’s Scoppio del Carro is one of the most spectacular traditions you can witness.
In Florence, Easter Sunday means the Scoppio del Carro – the Explosion of the Cart. A centuries-old 30-foot-tall cart, covered in fireworks, gets wheeled into the Piazza del Duomo. Then a mechanical dove on a wire zooms from the cathedral altar, hits the cart, and triggers an almighty explosion.
If everything goes off without a hitch, it’s good luck for the city, its people, and the year’s harvest. If not… well, everyone holds their breath for the rest of the year. It’s loud, it’s thrilling, and it’s been lighting up Florence since the First Crusade.
This is one of those events that makes people ask, “Can I go on holiday to Italy for Easter and see this?” You can – and it’s spectacular.
Every May 15th, the hilltop town of Gubbio bursts into life for the Corsa dei Ceri (candle race). Three teams, each carrying a massive wooden “candle” topped with a saint, charge up Mount Ingino at full tilt.
The race began centuries ago as a procession of wax candles, offered by the city’s guilds to the saints. Over time, those candles grew too big to carry, and by the late 1500s, they were replaced with wooden structures, the “ceri”, that the teams race up the mountain today.
It’s a sprint, a spectacle, and a test of sheer muscle: the ceri weigh hundreds of kilos, the streets are packed with thousands of cheering spectators, and anything can happen. Tradition says Saint Ubaldo always wins – but that doesn’t stop the others from throwing themselves into the madness.
If you’re researching where to holiday in Italy in September, or asking yourself, “Can I go on holiday to Italy and catch something truly unique?”, you’ll find festivals like these happening across the country as summer fades into autumn. And if celebrations like this leave you wanting more, you’ll want to read our guide to where to go in Italy when you think you’ve seen it all.
Forget Halloween. In Sicily, November 2nd, the Day of the Dead, is all about celebrating rather than scaring. Kids wake to gifts said to be left by relatives who have passed: frutta martorana (marzipan shaped like fruit), ossa dei morti (or dead men’s bones – crispy bone-shaped biscuits), and pupi di zucchero, colourful sugar puppets that have been part of Sicilian childhoods for generations.
Sicilian families visit cemeteries, lay fresh flowers and wreaths, and some even bring picnics. They share meals and remember loved ones with celebration rather than sorrow. Wondering where to holiday in Sicily beyond the beaches? Plan for early November, and you’ll experience this beautiful tradition firsthand.
The Ballo della Pupa is one of those traditions you can’t quite prepare for. In villages across central and southern Italy, a performer climbs inside a giant papier-mâché woman packed with fireworks… and then dances while the whole thing goes up in sparks! Crowds pack the piazza, cheering through the noise while the dancer keeps rhythm to accordion music.
It usually marks the grand finale of a patron-saint festival, and its roots go back to old fire-based fertility rites. Every region has its own version—phantasma in L’Aquila, puparone in Chieti, pupazza in Teramo, pupa in Pescara. In some towns, like Casalincontrada, a male pupo joins in, and the two dance the tarantella together under a shower of crackling fireworks.
It’s an absolutely unforgettable experience – you really have to see it to understand it.
Stumbling across these traditions by accident is rare. They’re local, seasonal, and often happen in places tourists don’t linger. But when you travel with people who know where to be and when, people who have built relationships in these towns, suddenly those doors open.
“Our guests very often comment that we take them to some lovely, hidden-away wineries and places of interest that they wouldn’t normally have found for themselves. They don’t have to do any research as we already have strong friendships with local artisans, organic winery owners, agritourism farmers and families running osterias. “
“We are constantly surprising our guests with tiny out-of-the-way restaurants where the locals eat. Very often they are on narrow, cobbled streets with no signs or menus, just the day’s specials using the very best daily produce. Or we take them to the depths of the countryside to see Nonna making mozzarella, to a family-run orchard to make their own pasta under the fruit trees, or the thrill of a drive in an iconic classic Fiat car to admire the passing landscapes.”
At Magari, our small group tours move through Italy at a slower pace, timed to the seasons and the rhythms of local life. So if you’re searching for inspiration on where to holiday in Puglia, or want to catch a festival in a Tuscan hilltop town, we make sure you’re in the right place at the right time.
Still asking yourself “where to holiday in Italy” or “can I go on holiday to Italy and see the real traditions?” The answer is yes – and it starts with travelling at the right time with the right people. Browse our Italy holiday packages or get in touch to start planning your trip. And if you want more stories like this, sign up for our newsletter – we’ll keep you posted on what’s worth knowing before you go.
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