Italian Festivals in September

Following the August vacation period, Italians celebrate their return to regular life with festivals the first weekend of September. There's a historic boat race in Venice, a palio competition in Tuscany, and the Macchina di S. Rosa in Viterbo, north of Rome. The Macchina, a lighted tower about 30 meters tall and weighing nearly 5 tons topped by a statue of Santa Maria Rosa, is carried through town on the shoulders of more than 100 porters. Viterbo can be visited as a day trip from Rome (see Northern Lazio map). The popular San Gennaro Festival is held in Naples (and the US) later in September. Read about all these events and more in September Festivals in Italy.