This blog post was updated on October 31, 2018.
Italy knows how to throw a good event, especially for the holiday season. There might not be Thanksgiving here, but there are plenty of other reasons to snatch up cheap flights to Rome and explore Italy during this festive month.
November in Italy fills with events, some you might have to dig underground for (literally in the case of truffle fairs) and others that could blow out your eardrums like the Romaeuropa Festival.
Truffle Festivals, Northern and Central Italy: The months of October and November mean only one thing throughout certain areas of Italy, truffle season. A number of towns throughout northern and central Italy host their own truffle fairs, where food stands and restaurants take on the culinary delicacy.
Two of the most celebrated are the Alba White Truffle Fair, Ente Fiera Internazionale Tartufo Bianco d’Alba, and the San Miniato Truffle Fair. After a few visits to these truffle festivals, you will have a newfound appreciation for a fungus that looks more inedible than edible. Just don’t break your vacation budget and accidently purchase the truffles worth thousands.
Sacred Music Week, Monreale: For a week in November, Monreale in Sicily will truly sound like music to your ears. Sacred Music Week brings in over 100 performances to the historic Monreale Cathedral, just shy of Palermo. With the Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana participating, you can expect to hear soulful sounds amidst some of Sicily’s and the world’s most glorious mosaics.
Festa della Madonna della Salute, Venice: Venice hosts its own Thanksgiving on November 21st. The Venetians commemorate the city’s deliverance from the plague in 1621. As the plague hit Venice, a third of the city’s population was taken. To put a stop to the dying, the Senate said it would build a church should the city be pardoned from the plague. Sickness and death ceased and the Venetians had to fulfill their promise. Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute was constructed in fulfillment of promise. The church now hosts the festival each year giving thanks. A temporary bridge is constructed across the canal so that pilgrims can come to give thanks for good health.
Romaeuropa Festival, Rome: Throughout dozens of venues in Rome, November might seem a bit livelier than other months in this eternal city. The city’s venues play host to the Romaeuropa Festival, an event stretching from October until the end of November. Those in the market to see some of the city’s most unusual and creative performances in regards to theater, dance and music might want to rearrange travel plans for Rome in November.
“Rome,” Flickr photo credit: ChrisYunker
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