Archive for 'July'

Verona in Veneto in the north-east of Italy, is one of the most charming towns in the country, renowned for its beauty, ties to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and its summer opera season. A short distance from Lake Garda and full of shops and restaurants and with a historic medieval town centre, it is absolutely packed full of things to see and do. The town has Roman origins and was an important part of the empire and the remains of the period dot the landscape with the biggest impact being made by the Arena. Now the Arena houses the operas each summer that the town has become known for, drawing crowds of up to 14,000 each year from all over the world.

Il Palio, or The Palio di Siena, is a traditional twice annual horse race held in Siena, Italy. The first takes place on the 2nd of July which is both the Feast of the Visitation and a local festival which honours the Madonna of Provenzano, a Marian devotion in the city. This race is called the Palio di Provenzano. The second is on the 16th of August, the day after the Feast of the Assumption, and is called the Palio dell'Assunta. Ten competitors take part in each race, riding bareback and representing one of the seventeen city wards or contrade, in the Piazza del Campo.

A temporary bridge is constructed in Venice each year in July. This tradition goes back to the sixteenth century and is part of the Festa del Redentore, or Festival of the Redeemer. The bridge is built over the Giudecca Canal allowing access to the Church of the Redentore. This takes place on the third Saturday of July when there is a great party with feasting followed by fireworks and religious celebrations held on the Sunday with a gondola regata finishing off the weekend. Carnival, which takes place in February, is an event that is largely recreated for tourists but the Festa del Redentore is still an authentically local event and is very important to the people of Venice. Why not find a holiday rental in Venice and see it all for yourself?

Rock im Ring is an Italian music festival which takes place in Ritten in Trentino Alto Adige each year in July. The festival is dedicated to primarily metal, punk and rock music. It was established in 1994 and has progressively gotten bigger each year, attracting more and more famous acts. Among those to have played in past years are Marky Ramone, Gallows, Juliette Lewis, The Subways and Dropkick Murphys. If you want to see the rugged beauty of the alps and take in a European music festival with a difference, this is just the thing for you. Find a holiday rental in Trentino Alto Aldige and pop along yourself!

If you are a music-lover looking to holiday in Italy this summer, this might be the perfect thing for you. The Stresa Festival, or Festival Settimane Musicali di Stresa, founded in 1961 by Venetian lawyer Italo Trentinaglia de Daverio, is being celebrated for the 54th time this year. Running in July and August, it takes place in the town of Stresa on Lake Maggiore in Piedmont, as well as in some of the surrounding areas.

Held annually, the Stresa Festival is one of Europe's most important international classical music festivals. The festival also plays host to very popular open-air jazz concerts in addition to classical music today.