It hasn’t been that long since Halloween was considered a strictly Anglo holiday and not celebrated at all in Italy or other Mediterranean countries. Now, all of that has changed! Most Italians celebrate Halloween in some form and it has become an important retail holiday as well. So if you’re wondering what to do on the spookiest night of the year, look no further!
The great thing about Halloween in Italy is that November 1st is the nationally recognized holiday of All Saints’ Day so schools, banks, and some retail locations are closed. This year, since November 1st falls on a Tuesday, it also means a four-day weekend for many.
Halloween Celebrations in Villages and Castles
There are hundreds of medieval villages throughout Italy that are creepy in their own right simply because of their architecture or perhaps because they have been completely abandoned over the past several decades. Here are our top picks and note that all of them have organized events for Halloween:
- Triora (Imperia, Liguria) “The Village of the Witches”: Halloween in Triora; Read about Triora
- Calcata (Viterbo, Lazio) “The Coolest Village in Italy” : Read about Calcata
- Lucca province (Borgo a Mozzano, Marlia, Colognora in Tuscany): Halloween festivities
- Lari (Pisa, Tuscany): “Brividi al Castello“
- Corinaldo (Ancona, Le Marche) “The Witches’ Party”: Halloween in Corinaldo; Read about Corinaldo
- Gradara (Pesaro Urbino, Le Marche): “Halloweekend“; Read about Gradara
- Orsara di Puglia (Foggia, Puglia): “Fucacoste” Celebration; Read about Orsara di Puglia
Theme Parks and Special Events
In the last decade, Italy’s theme parks have really taken Halloween to another level riding on the coattails of Halloween celebrations in U.S. theme parks. Here are our top picks throughout Italy.
- Gardaland (Castelnuovo del Garda, Verona, Veneto): “Gardaland Magic Halloween“; Read more about Gardaland
- Mirabilandia (Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna): “Halloween a Mirabilandia“; Read more about Mirabilandia
- Cavallino Matto (Castagneto Carducci, Livorno, Tuscany): “Horrorfest“; Read more about Cavallino Matto
- Leolandia (Bergamo, Lombardy): “HalLEOween” is your best bet for young kids
- Cinecittà World (Castel Romano, Rome, Lazio): “Halloween Nights“; Read more about Cinecittà World
- Movieland (Lazise, Verona, Veneto): “The Halloween Park“
- Lucca Comics & Games (Lucca, Tuscany)
So grab your kids or a group of friends and head to one of these amazing destinations for the scariest night of the year! Happy Halloween!
