Festa della Donna, women's day festival, is celebrated March 8 all over Italy. On this day, men bring flowers, usually yellow Mimosa, to the women in their lives. Restaurants have special Festa della Donna meals and there are often small local festivals or concerts.
Wine in the Springtime festival is held each weekend in March in Rovescala, near Pavia in the Lombardy region. Festivities include parades, music, vendors, food, and wine tasting.
Commemoration of Caesar's Death is held March 14 in Rome. Cultural events are usually held in the Roman Forum near the statue of Caesar.
Saint Patrick's Day is March 17. Although not widely celebrated in Italy there are a few festivals and Irish pubs with Saint Patrick's Day parties. Saint Patrick's Day in Italy
Feast Day of San Giuseppe (Saint Joseph, Mary's husband), March 19, is also known as Father's Day in Italy. The day, which used to be a national holiday, is traditionally celebrated with bonfires and sometimes pageants with scenes from the life of Saint Joseph. Children give gifts to their fathers on San Giuseppe Day. Zeppole (shown in the photo above) are traditionally eaten on Saint Joseph's Day.
Palio dei Somari, a donkey race between neighborhoods, takes place in Torrita di Siena (a medieval village near Siena in Tuscany), on Saint Joseph's Day, March 19. The festival also includes a colorful historic parade.
Festa della Primavera, a spring festival, is held many places in Italy on March 21. Often the festival is centered around a regional food. Spring festivals are sometimes held to coincide with Saint Joseph's Day on March 19, too.
Rome Marathon, held the third Sunday in March, is a 42km run through the streets of Rome. Starting at the Roman Forum, the course passes some of Rome's most famous sites and the Vatican before ending at the Colosseum. Runners from all over the world participate. More than 30,000 casual runners participate in a shorter run that ends earlier. The city streets in Rome's historic center are closed to traffic for the event.
Easter sometimes falls in late March.
Easter in Italy
