Summer 2025: all the unmissable events in Italy among music, art, folklore and gastronomy

Get ready to experience unique emotions for this summer in Italy with suggestive events from North to South. Among live music, folklore, theatre, street art, performing arts, historical re-enactments and food and wine festivals, there is something for everyone. 

So pack up your bags and come with us in this ultimate guide to the unmissable events in Italy for summer 2025. 

Summer has already started to heat up its engines all over the Italian peninsula. So let's enjoy the starry nights and long sunny days, with live music and good food. The great summer rock festivals have already set up their stages and turned on their speakers. Rock in Roma, Firenze Rocks, Lucca Summer Festival and many others set the Italian summer on fire. However, we want to discover some gems - some of them are famous and some are quite unknown - that will make your summer truly special!

In the beautiful setting of Aosta Valley, you can attend Celtica, the most beloved festival of Celtic music, culture, and art in Europe. Founded in 1997 by a group of enthusiasts, the idea was to revive the magical atmosphere of Celtic times.

Featuring games, historical reenactments, talks, workshops, and concerts, the festival also includes a crafts market, folk music and dance lessons and even a storytelling moment around the fire. A magical event in a centuries-old wood and an ancient fortresses, blending past and present through harp melodies, Scottish bagpipes, Irish dances, and Celtic legends.

Celtica takes place from 2 to 6 July, in Aosta, Courmayeur, Val Veny, and especially the Peuterey forest – a fairytale-like location perfect for evoking the legendary Celtic spirit. Tickets are still on sale.

19. Mercantia – Street Theatre in Certaldo (FI)

The 35th edition of Mercantia - Festival Internazionale del Quarto Teatro, one of the major Italian and international events dedicated to live performances and street theatre, returns to Certaldo, the birthplace of Boccaccio in the province of Florence.

As usual, there will be plenty of dance, music, juggling, circus arts and handicrafts. Forty theatre companies and more than hundred artists will meet in the characteristic Tuscan village to enliven the streets, alleyways, squares and crypts for five days of magic, amazement and imagination.

Mercantia runs from 12 to 16 July, with various ticket options and passes available.

Among the unmissable events in Italy for summer 2025 there's still room for street artists. Don’t miss the Ferrara Buskers Festival, held between Comacchio and Ferrara every year - the world’s leading street artist festival.

For over thirty years, the festival has brought together music, art, and cultures. Every step brings a new discovery. This unique experience immerses visitors in the spontaneous art of busking – performed “hat-in-hand,” symbolizing a direct exchange between performer and audience.

Besides music performances, there will be talks, workshops for adults and kids, artisan stalls, and exhibitions.

The festival will take place from 27 to 31 August. Tickets will be available soon.

From August to October, experience I Suoni delle Dolomiti, a music festival high in the world’s most beautiful mountains in Trentino-Alto Adige. Musicians and audiences hike together along mountain trails to natural “stages” in the Dolomites, where performances unfold in harmony with nature.

The program features international artists performing near mountain huts and scenic spots, to be reached by walking along marked paths. Some shows start at dawn, others end under the stars.

This year marks the festival’s 30th anniversary, with notable performances including Paolo Fresu & Haydn Orchestra (August 17), Elio with Scilla Cristiano and the Philharmonic Oboe Quartet (September 23), Les Mécanos (September 6), Daniel Norgren (September 20) and many more. 

The festival will take place from August 27 to October 4 in the Brenta area and some other venues, even over 2000 meters high. All concerts are free.

Cividale del Friuli will host the 34th edition of Mittelfest, a multidisciplinary festival of theatre, music, dance, and circus of the Central European and Balkan area.

This year’s theme is Taboos and our relationship with them, explored through events, performances, and international projects. The program mixes genres and eras, sparking reflection on the future and tomorrow’s audiences.

This festival opens and closes with two concerts, then there will be three touring shows in which the audience becomes part of the creation, and also circus, theatre and poetry shows.

The festival takes place from the 18 to the 27 July in various venues. Tickets and passes will be soon available. 

The black Stromboli, a gem island among the Aeolian Islands in Sicily, hosts a unique event on the Italian and international cultural scene, the Eco-logical Theatre Festival.

The festival focuses on the environment as both a poetic and practical choice and invites scientists, artists, philosophers, archaeologists, volcanologists, astrologers, and intellectuals to the island for a nine-day adventure among sky, earth and sea, just to take a break.

Born in 2013, festival represents a unique opportunity for contact between man and nature, artist and spectator, without electricity and therefore no technological artifice, to make the human being interlocutor with nature. The performances take place in the open air, without microphones or loudspeakers, even in an unpredictable way, on beaches where people sunbathe, and the audience becomes the protagonist. This is a special opportunity to experience the island in an unusual way and to visit places that are usually not accessible.

The festival takes place from the 21st to the 30th of June.

Taranta Night is the largest festival in Italy and one of the most significant events on popular culture in Europe. It takes place in Salento and is dedicated to the rediscovery and enhancement of traditional Salento music and its fusion with other musical languages, from rock to jazz and symphonic music.

It is a travelling festival that involves the most representative groups of the Salento pizzica scene and attracts a total of almost one hundred thousand spectators. The festival ends with the “Concertone finale” in Melpignano (LE). The concert is conducted by a Maestro Concertatore, the famous clarinet player David Krakauer for this year, invited to reinterpret the 'classics' local musical tradition together with a group of around thirty of the best musicians in Salento and exceptional guests from the national and international scene.

The Concertone 2025 will take place on the 23rd of August. Tikets are not available yet. 

The Festival dei Due Mondi (Festival of the Two Worlds) in Spoleto is the most important event for performing arts in Italy. Here music, opera, dance, theatre and art are celebrated for three weeks, thanks to the creativity of top international artists and companies. The audience can experience a dialogue between various disciplines and a fusion of genres, resulting in innovative and unconventional performances.

The high-level lineup includes names such as Luca Marinelli and Rufus Wainwright, introducing his opera Hadrian, about Emperor Hadrian. Italian directors and performers also take center stage, including Massimo Popolizio, who leads recent graduates of the Accademia Silvio D’Amico, and Alessandro Baricco, who teams up with Stefano Bollani and Enrico Rava to offer a special version of his Novecento.

In addition to the official program, special events and parallel happenings make Spoleto a vibrant hub of the artistic world.

Now in its 68th edition, the festival will take place from June 27 to July 13. Tickets are available.

It’s finally back for its 32nd edition the traditional medieval re-enactment of Monteriggioni, lovely village in the province of Siena. It all starts with the banquet - not just a dinner, but actually a show featuring typical medieval dishes and live entertainment of jesters, musicians and dancers with historical costumes and instruments. Also the audience can wear costumes for the occasion, making the experience even more involving.

The events continues with Middle Ages celebrations with re-enactments, craft market, parades in costumes, performances in squares and taverns, ancient crafts and street entertainment living up the castle. 

The festival in Monteriggioni starts in the 3rd of July with the banquet and goes on until the 6th. Tickets are available. 

Even for this year the traditional Peperoncino Festival in Diamante, in Calabria, waits for those who love strong and spicy tastes. The 33rd edition features five days of festivities, including shows, exhibitions, medical conferences, comic battles, and the historic final of the “Italian Chili Pepper Eating Championship”!

This is a fantastic opportunity to visit one of the most beautiful places in Calabria. The festival will be held from September 10 to 14. All events are free.

The Cous Cous Fest is renewed again this year in San Vito Lo Capo, in the province of Trapani, an event that unites different cultures in the name of good food, peace, exchange and multiculturalism.

Couscous, a typical recipe of the area and widespread in the Maghreb, a poor ingredient rooted in the Mediterranean, is recognised as intangible heritage of humanity by Unesco, and is a dish with a great symbolic value of peace and union. For the festival, the town will host chefs from all over the world and artists for cooking challenges, tastings and cultural meetings, but also music concerts, events and demonstrations for children and cooking shows.

The Cous Cous World Championship is the heart of the festival, its most cheerful and colourful soul for a challenge that has the flavour of integration. At the gastronomic village there will be the opportunity to taste cous cous recipes from all over the world. The cooking show programme will see the major protagonists of Italian and international cuisine on stage.

The festival's big stage, set up on the beach, will host big concerts and free shows including, the concert by Fedez on the 25th of September. 

The event takes place from the 19th to the 28th of September. Concerts are always free but for cooking classes, tastings and challenges, tickets are required. 

In Alba, in the province of Cuneo, the Agrirock Festival Collisioni is back for the 2025 edition. Every year, great Italian and international artists share the stage here for pleasant summer evenings with many concerts and auteur events.

The festival starts with the famous dj Gigi D'Agostino and his hits from the 2000s, for nostalgic audiences. For following days there will be Thirty Seconds to Mars, Ghali, Sfera Ebbasta, Irama, Bresh and many more. 

You can also visit the Castle of Barolo, for interesting art exhibitions and winetasting happenings. 

The festival takes place from the 8th to the 13th of July. Tickets are available here.

Among the unmissable events in Italy, Umbria Jazz is a must. This year, the festival celebrates its 52nd edition, remaining as fresh and relevant as ever. Thanks to musicians from around the world and an engaged, curious audience, its success endures.

The format remains the same: “three festivals in one.” The first takes place at Arena Santa Giuliana, featuring major jazz events (and more), drawing the largest crowds. Notable performers include Angelique Kidjo, Mika, I Patagarri, Stefano Bollani, Lionel Richie, and many others.

The second is held at Teatro Morlacchi, offering a more intimate, acoustic setting for true jazz lovers.

The third takes place in the city’s squares — so it's free. There's aloways space for great food, opportunities for young musicians and activities for children.

The festival will be held in Perugia from July 11 to 20. Tickets are already available.

Among the events not to be missed for summer 2025 in Italy there is the Palio di Siena, which takes place, as every year in the Tuscan city in the summertime.

During the Palio, the 'contrade', or neighborhoods, of the city compete in a passionate horse race in Piazza del Campo. There are 17 'contrade', each marked by a coat of arms with its own colours. For the occasion, each street is coloured in its own colours with flags and coats of arms. There are two events: the Palio di Provenzano (in honour of Our Lady of Provenzano) and the Palio dell'Assunta (in honour of the Assumption of Mary). 

The Palio race is preceded by a procession with over 600 participants representing the 17 contrade. The actual race consists of three laps of Piazza del Campo with horses ridden by bareback jockeys, i.e. without a saddle.

For the Sienese, Palio is much more than a simple horse race, it is part of their life and its organization lasts the whole year. It is an event experienced with great passion and enthusiasm, you will realize this immediately!

This year’s Palio will take place on July 6 and August 16. Tickets for July are sold out, so hurry to get yours for the August event.

Another must-see for independent theatre lovers, the Napoli Fringe Festival is about to raise its curtain. This first edition of the event – an ideal counterpart to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival – will enliven the city with countless happenings across both conventional and unconventional venues. It's all part of the celebration for the 2,500th anniversary of Naples’ founding.

Plays, performances, dance, music, street art, literature, visual and digital arts, and all forms of live entertainment will engage the public in their everyday spaces.

The festival will kick off on May 28 and run until December 21.

A legendary event for cinema lovers, the Giffoni Film Festival reaches its 55th edition this year. The theme, Becoming Human sets the tone for reflections and exploration throughout the festival.

The most famous stars in Italian and international cinema and music will take part on the red carpet in Giffoni Valle Piana, near Salerno, in talks, workshops, and meet-and-greets, while the films in competition will be judged by juries made up of children and youth, starting from age 3 and up. The full program and guest list are still under wraps.

The festival will be held from July 17 to 26, 2025.

Still in the world of cinema, the Cinema Ritrovato in Bologna is a beloved event for film lovers from around the globe. The festival focuses on the golden age of cinema, from its origins to the late 20th century, with occasional forays into contemporary works.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of the Cineteca di Bologna, rare restored films, unique editions, and silent movie masterpieces accompanied by live orchestras are presented. A true gem is the screening of films using an original carbon arc projector. This year’s focus includes the filmography of Katharine Hepburn, Luigi Comencini, and the musical documentary genre – with plenty more surprises to come.

In addition to the main screenings held in cinemas around Bologna, don’t miss the free open-air screenings in Piazza Maggiore, as part of the Sotto le Stelle del Cinema panel. The full program and international guest list have yet to be announced.

The festival will take place from June 21 to 29, while the free screenings in Piazza Maggiore will continue until September. Tickets will bed available.

Now celebrating its 10th edition, the AMA Music Festival brings life to Villa Negri Park in Romano D’Ezzelino, just a few kilometers from Vicenza.

The event offers a chance to listen to live performace of some of the biggest international artists , covering a wide range of genres from pop and rap to rock and indie – something for every taste. This year’s lineup includes Franz Ferdinand, Stereophonics, The Black Keys, The Prodigy, and Queens of the Stone Age, among others.

The festival also places strong emphasis on sustainability, with talks and shows led by experts, and all waste is carefully recycled.

The AMA Festival takes place on July 15–16, July 20–24, and August 28. Tickets are already on sale – don’t miss out!

A must for history lovers, the Medieval Festival of Fossanova, held in the province of Latina, reaches its 25th edition this year. For three days, the enchanting medieval village in Latium comes alive with a spectacular historical reenactment. Jugglers, acrobats, archers, swordsmen, flag throwers, noble ladies, and knights parade and perform in the streets, offering a unique immersive experience. In addition to tournaments and live shows, there are markets and areas dedicated to gastronomy – strictly inspired by medieval cuisine.

The festival will run from August 11 to 13.

Tickets available at the village entrance.

Let's complete our roundup with an electrifying event for rock music fans: the Rockin’1000. The show features 1,000 musicians performing in unison on a giant stage, paying tribute to the greatest hits of rock history. They’ll be joined by major contemporary bands, like Negramaro and Fast Animals and Slow Kids.

Although this is a traveling event that has toured in over 20 countries, the 10th anniversary will return to where it all began: the Dino Manuzzi Stadium in Cesena.

If you’re a musician and want to be part of the event, all you have to do is apply.

Rockin’1000 takes place on July 26–27. Tickets are already available.

During such events, our beautiful cities, already brightened by the lively summer weather, take on a different, original, special look. So if you are going to be in one of these places this summer, from north to south, check out our guide: you could attend unique shows and events and give your vacation an extra pinch of magic.