Which are the best events happening in May in Italy? Find here the complete list selected by Where Milan. The very best of events in Milan, Rome, Florence, Venice, Sicily, Naples, the Alps and more. Find out where in Italy your events take place and use our personalized map at the end of this page.
FESTIVAL | Wired Next Fest Technology Festival
MAY –> SWITCHED TO 14 APRIL 2021
Three days dedicated to science and technology by one of the coolest magazines around. Wired Fest celebrates innovation in economy, science, politics, entertainment, and culture. More than 150 conferences, art performances, 3D print and drone workshops, gaming sessions, film and documentary screenings, coding marathons and much more.
> Additional info and tickets Official Website of Wired Next Fest
MUSIC |Djoon Experience in Sicilian Island of Favignana
SUSPENDED
Favignana, near Palermo, Sicily (Southern Italy)
Five days of fun, sun, music, and food on the beautiful island of Favignana, Sicily. Favignana is Egadi’s most famous island: its sceneries and landscapes are breathtaking. House, disco, and afro music to celebrate the beginning of summer at the sea.
> Additional info and tickets Official Website of Djoon Experience
MUSIC | Opera Season at La Fenice Theatre in Venice
SUSPENDED
Venice, Veneto (Northern Italy)
One of Venice’s landmarks and main attractions, Teatro la Fenice offers its guests an interesting 2020-2021 season featuring a meld of opera, performances, dance and a fascinating symphonic season.
> Additional info and tickets Official Website of La Fenice Opera Theatre
EXHIBITION | Italian Garden and Superb American Art Collection at Villa Panza
OPEN ALL YEAR
Varese, near Milan, Lombardy (Northern Italy)
A majestic villa from the XVIII century with a superb Italian garden hosts one of the most prominent and important collections of American art in the world. Villa Panza, donated by Giuseppe and Giovanna Panza di Biumo to FAI (Fondo Ambiente Italiano) in 1996 hosts a permanent collection with works by Dan Flavin and James Turrell among others and several temporary exhibitions. This is a must visit if in Milan. We strongly suggest having lunch at the villa’s restaurant facing the garden.
> Additional info and tickets Official Website of Villa Panza
GUIDED TOUR | Gran Sasso National Laboratory of Nuclear Physics
OPEN ALL YEAR
L’Aquila, Abruzzo (Central Italy)
Guided tours to the Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS) of Nuclear Physics. One of the most important laboratories in the world for the study of astrophysics and particle physics, this laboratory is located in the stunning landscapes of the Gran Sasso National Park and it features one of the longest underground tunnels in the world.
> Additional info and tickets Official Website of the Gran Sasso Laboratory
SPORT | Giro d’Italia Bicycle Race
8-30 MAY 2021
Departure on 8 May from Turin – Region of Piedmont (Northern Italy)
The Giro d’Italia is, along with the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana, one of the most prestigious bicycle race in the world. It is part of the Grand Tours and it consists of a multiple-stage race with a route that changes every year. Highlights of the competition are the passages through the Alps and the Dolomites.
> Additional info and tickets Official Website of the Giro d’Italia
FESTIVAL | Future Film Festival
USUALLY IN MAY – SWITCHED TO 18-21 FEBRUARY 2021
Bologna, Emilia Romagna (Northern Italy)
The Future Film Festival is one of the major international film festivals in Italy and it focuses on animation and special effects. It hosts the most famous artists of this field, it premieres several new films, organises workshops, and shows the backstage and making-of of some of the most important films.
> Additional info and tickets Official Website of Future Film Festival
SPORT | Serie A – Soccer League Matches
AUGUST TO MAY
Different cities, Italy
The Serie A League is one of the best football leagues in the world and it is a professional competition for football clubs in Italy and it has been operating since 1929. The winner is awarded the Coppa dei Campioni d’Italia. Football is a crucial part of the Italian way of life and it is certainly worth seeing a match.
> Additional info and tickets Official Website of the Serie A League
FESTIVAL | European Photography
21 MAY – 4 JULY 2021
Reggio Emilia – near Bologna and Milan, Emilia Romagna (Northern Italy)
One of the most famous photography festivals in Italy together with MIA in Milan, the Reggio Emilia’s European Photography is an international cultural festival dedicated to contemporary photography. It celebrates the complexity of the contemporary living following the lesson of legendary photographer Luigi Ghirri, whose archive is stored in Reggio Emilia.
> Additional info and tickets Official Website of European Photography Reggio Emilia
LOCAL FOLKLORE | Nativity Scenes in San Gregorio Armeno
OPEN ALL YEAR
Naples, Campania (Southern Italy)
Nativity scenes are a must in Catholic culture but when in Naples, this tradition changes from simple ritual to art. Neapolitan artisans have been making presepe (nativity scenes) for centuries. In the city area of San Gregorio Armeno there are hundred stalls selling the most original ones. It is no oddity to find a Nativity Scene where Neapolitan house-wives appear next to Jesus while cooking spaghetti or Italian Politician are found as main actors of these scenes. This is a must visit if in Naples.
> No tickets needed
SPORT | Serie A Rugby Matches
OCTOBER TO MAY
Different areas, Italy
Serie A is the biggest rugby championship in Italy and it is held every year from October to May. The championship is composed of 4 leagues and 6 teams, playing at home and away. The 2 winning teams of Serie A play against each other in a final match to determine the Eccellenza competition of the following season.
> Additional info and tickets Official Website of the FIR Serie A
EXHIBITION | Anselm Kiefer at Hangar Bicocca
OPEN ALL YEAR
Milan, Lombardy (Northern Italy)
Since 25 September 2016 Pirelli Hangar Bicocca unveiled the new installation by German contemporary artist Anselm Kiefer. The new show is an expansion of The Seven Heavenly Palaces, a permanent work conceived as a site-specific project in 2004. Five large-format paintings are now on display together with Kiefer’s seven towers.
> Additional info and tickets Official Website of Anselm Kiefer Installation
LOCAL FOLKLORE | Saint Nicola’s Festivity in Apulia
SUSPENDED
Bari, Apulia (Southern Italy)
Religious processions and patrons’ parades are something you don’t want to miss if you want to get deep into Italian culture. Saint Nicholas of Bari (originally from Turkey) is the same saint cherished in Northern Europe and better known as Santa Klaus. Surprised? Every May the people of the city of Bari commemorates the moving of his relics from Myra (Turkey) to Bari. A huge parade with the statue of Saint Nicholas towering on top of the crowds.
> Additional info and tickets Official Website of Bari
LOCAL FOLKLORE | Saint Cataldo’s Festivity in Apulia
8 MAY 2021
Taranto, near Bari and Brindisi, Apulia (Southern Italy)
Every year, the Apulian city of Taranto celebrates its patron. Religious festivities are a must in Italy, being part of a rich cultural heritage and crucial element in understanding the country’s folk culture. On the night of 8 May, the statue of Saint Cataldo exits the cathedral in a procession and leaves aboard of a vessel. Meanwhile, a huge show of fireworks lights up the night. Food stalls and local products are sold everywhere, while folk music and dance resound in the atmosphere.
> Additional info and tickets Official Website of the city of Taranto
FOOD & WINE | Porto Cervo Food and Wine Festival
SUSPENDED
Porto Cervo, Sardinia (Central Italy)
Porto Cervo is the most famous location in Sardinia. Huge villas, jet-setters, parties, and top end shops and boutiques. Every spring this little village in Sardinia, located in the island’s most beautiful area, hosts a food&wine festival. Few people know that Sardinia’s regional cuisine is one of the most delicious in Italy. Worth trying it.
> Additional info and tickets Official Website of Porto Cervo Food&Wine Festival
FESTIVAL | Ancient Greek Theatre Festival of Siracusa
MAY – JULY 2021
Siracusa, near Palermo, Sicily (Southern Italy)
Siracusa’s Greek Festival is one of the most important events of this kind in Italy. Greek plays are on display in the spectacular atmosphere of Siracusa’s Roman amphitheatre. Among these: Oedipus at Colonus and Euripides’ Heracles.
> Additional info and tickets Official Website of the Greek Theatre Festival of Siracusa
LOCAL FOLKLORE | Flower Festival: la Maggiolata
24-31 MAY 2021
Lucignano, near Florence, Tuscany (Central Italy)
Italy is full of local celebrations, a blend of Christianity and Paganism. La Maggiolata (from the word “maggio”: may) is the celebration of the arrival of spring. Huge chariots march on the street of the picturesque village of Lucignano, in Tuscany. Flower decoration hang from all the balconies of the houses. It is really worth it. There’s no better way to understand Italy’s cultura than living a festivity of a small village.
> Additional info and tickets Official Website of La Maggiolata
NATURE | The Flowering of the Plateau of Castelluccio di Norcia
JUNE-JULY
Castelluccio di Norcia, near Rome and Florence, Umbria (Central Italy)
It’s one of the most charming nature events in the country. The flowering of the plateau of Castelluccio di Norcia, a stone’s throw from Assisi, happens during spring and summer when a huge field of lgentianellas, daffodils, violets, poppies, buttercups, daffodils, purple eugeniae, clovers, shamrocks and much more blossom of thousand colours. It is one of the most secluded places in the country. A Trip here is also a great opportunity to taste a plate of Castelluccio’s delicious lentils, the most famous in the world.
> Additional info and tickets Official Website of The Flowering of the Plateau of Castellucio
