Italy's Sagre & Patron-Saint Festivals 2026: Palio di Siena, San Gennaro, Redentore & the Alba Truffle Fair

Italy's 2026 sagra & feste patronali calendar

Palio di Siena — the 90-second horse race four days in the making

The Palio di Siena is a bareback horse race around the shell-shaped Piazza del Campo, contested by ten of Siena's seventeen historic contrade (districts) and lasting barely 75-90 seconds — but each of the two annual races is the culmination of four days of trial races, blessings and processions in medieval costume.

Both 2026 dates are fixed and do not move: the Palio di Provenzano on 2 July, and the larger Palio dell'Assunta — tied to the Assumption of Mary — on 16 August.

Festa di San Gennaro — Naples' patron-saint miracle

Naples' Festa di San Gennaro centres on the liquefaction of a vial said to hold the martyred saint's blood, watched by thousands inside and outside Naples Cathedral. The miracle is re-enacted three times a year, but 19 September — San Gennaro's actual feast day — is the main civic and religious celebration, with 2026 falling on a Saturday, which local coverage expects to draw unusually large crowds.

Festa del Redentore — Venice lights up the lagoon

Redentore commemorates the end of Venice's 1575-77 plague with a votive bridge of boats across the Giudecca Canal to the Church of the Redentore, over 6,000 fireworks over the Bacino di San Marco on the Saturday night, and a Sunday morning regatta and votive mass. The rule has held for centuries: the fireworks always fall on the Saturday before the third Sunday of July, which in 2026 is 18 July, with the Sunday programme on the 19th.

Alba's White Truffle Fair

The Fiera Internazionale del Tartufo Bianco d'Alba is Piedmont's flagship autumn food festival — a weekend-by-weekend market and auction for the region's prized white truffle, alongside wine tastings and a medieval-costume donkey palio. The 2026 edition runs consecutive weekends from 10 October to 6 December, opening weekend 10-11 October.

Unlike the other three events on this page, Alba's fair has no fixed year-to-year date rule we could confirm — the organising committee sets a fresh autumn window annually, so the 2026 dates should not be treated as a template for future editions.

Plan your trip

• Siena
• Naples
• Venice
• Rome

FAQ

When is the Palio di Siena 2026?

Twice: the Palio di Provenzano on 2 July and the Palio dell'Assunta on 16 August 2026. Both dates are fixed every year — Siena never moves them.

When is the Festa di San Gennaro 2026 in Naples?

The main feast day is 19 September 2026, a Saturday. The liquefaction miracle is also re-enacted the first Saturday of May and on 16 December, but 19 September is the primary citywide celebration.

When is the Festa del Redentore 2026 in Venice?

Fireworks over the Bacino di San Marco fall on Saturday 18 July 2026, with the boat procession, Giudecca Canal regatta and votive mass the next day, Sunday 19 July — the Saturday before the third Sunday of July, as every year.

When is Alba's White Truffle Fair 2026?

Weekends from 10 October through 6 December 2026, opening weekend 10-11 October. The fair's exact dates are set fresh each year by the organising committee rather than following a fixed rule, so check the official site before travelling to a future edition.