Turin Chocolate Fair, Eurochocolate Torino, is the first two weekends in March. Central Turin is turned into a chocolate lovers delight where over 40,000 kilos of chocolate are sold. Chocopasses are available from the tourist office offering 10 samplings in 24 hours or 15 samplings in 48 hours. There's music and other entertainment, too. Festivals are held both weekends in towns in the Turin Province as well.
Turin Travel Information
Festa della Donne, the festival of women, is celebrated March 8 all over Italy. On this day, men bring flowers, usually yellow Mimosa, to the women in their lives.
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.
San Remo Song Festival, Festival della canzone Italiana, is a huge five-night competition amongst Italian singers. Started in 1950, the Sanremo Song Festival has made many Italian singers and songs famous. The song festival starts the second Tuesday of March and runs through the following Sunday.
See San Remo on our Interactive Liguria Map.
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.
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.
Rome Marathon web site has information and some great photos.
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 pagaents with scenes from the life of Saint Joseph. Children give gifts to their fathers on San Giuseppe 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 some 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.
Marriage of Venice to the Sea is a symbolic ritual that takes place in Venice on March 25.
Easter sometimes falls in late March.
Easter in Italy
