Monday
Back to school in eight regions
Children in eight more Italian regions – Lazio, Puglia, Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, Calabria, Liguria, Abruzzo and Basilicata – will head back to school on Monday, September 16th.
These will be the last of Italy’s 20 regions to resume classes following the summer break.
Italian schools are managed by regional authorities, which is why return dates vary depending on where you are in the country.
Tuesday
Milan Fashion Week
Milan Fashion Week will kick off in earnest on Tuesday, September 17th, running until Monday, September 23rd.
Some of the world’s most renowned designers will be showing their women’s collections for spring/summer 2025 at venues all around the city.
This year’s events calendar is available here.
Wednesday
Feast of San Gennaro
Celebrations for the feast day of San Gennaro, the patron saint of Naples, will begin on the evening of Wednesday, September 18th, and continue until Thursday, September 19th.
Starting at 5.15 pm at the Chiesa di San Giorgio Maggiore in the Forcella neighbourhood, a procession will make its way to the Santa Maria Assunta basilica for a 6.30pm ceremony.
A celebratory mass will be held in the morning of Thursday, September 19th, at 8 am and again at 10am.
During the second mass, priests will bring out a vial of the saint’s dried blood.
If the blood liquefies, that’s a good omen; the occasions when it doesn’t (the ritual is repeated three times a year) are feared to portend disaster.
Thursday
G7 culture summit to be held in Naples
Cultural ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) will be in Naples from Thursday, September 19th, to Saturday, September 21st, for a Ministerial Meeting on Culture.
On Friday, September 20th, the representatives of Italy, Canada, Japan, Germany, France, the US and the UK are scheduled to visit the archaeological ruins of Pompeii, according to Ansa.
Officials are also planning a trip to the National Archaeological Museum in Naples, which houses artefacts excavated in Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Friday
24-hour nationwide public transport strike
Public transport passengers may experience delays and/or cancellations on Friday, September 20th, as staff at bus, tram, underground and commuter train services around Italy may be disrupted by a 24-hour strike.
As is the case with most strikes in Italy, the amount of disruption faced by passengers is expected to vary from region to region, or even city to city, depending on the number of workers participating in the walkout.
Even in the case of a highly disruptive strike however, transport companies will guarantee the operation of a number of essential services (servizi minimi) during peak commute times.
Friday’s protest is backed by three of Italy’s largest trade unions – CUB, COBAS and USB.
Weekend
Sicily’s island-wide cultural heritage festival
The 2024 edition of Sicily’s popular Vie dei Tesori – an annual festival celebrating the island’s diverse and far-reaching cultural heritage – will start this weekend.
Over eight weekends from September to November, 17 towns and cities across the island will put on hundreds of concerts, hikes, tasting experiences, exhibitions and tours of villas, gardens and churches that are usually closed to the general public.
You can explore the participating cities and events here.
Food and wine festivals around the country
September is harvest time in Italy, which means an abundance of food and wine festivals are being held up and down the boot.
With most featuring tastings and artisan craft booths and performances, these are a great way to connect with local communities.
In Lariano, in the Rome metropolitan area, September 21st-22nd will be the final weekend of the yearly Porcini mushroom festival.
In Emilia Romagna, Castelvetro will host its Sagra dell’Uva (grape festival) on Saturday and Sunday.
In Puglia, the National Association of Women in Wine will hold the 10th anniversary of the Summer Wine festival on Saturday.
In Lombardy’s San Colombano al Lambro, between Milan and Piacenza, the 66th edition of the annual Festa dell’Uva will be held on Sunday.
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