Festivals

The Carneval of Venice (Carnevale di Venezia) is an annual festival, held in Venice, Italy. The Carnival starts around two weeks before Ash Wednesday and ends on Shrove Tuesday (Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras). Carnival started as a time for…

Masks have always been a central feature of the Carneval of Venice; traditionally people were allowed to wear them between the festival of Santo Stefano (December 26) and the start of the carnival season and midnight of Shrove Tuesday. As masks…

Cocullo is a village in the Abruzzo situated in the Peligna Valley, between the towns of Avezzano and Sulmona. Cocullo is known for his singular patron saint’s holiday, named Festa di San Domenico or Festa dei Serpari, in which the patron saint’s…

The Spanish Steps are a set of steps in Rome, climbing a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinita dei Monti, dominated by the Trinita dei Monti church at the top. The Scalinata is the widest staircase in Europe. The…

Genzano di Roma is a town and comune in the province of Rome, in the Lazio region of central Italy. It is one of the Castelli Romani, at a distance of 29 km from Rome, in the Alban Hills.

Matho Gompa, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Ladakh east of Leh, is the only example of the Sakyapa sect. It is known for its annual Oracle Festival, Matho Nagran, held on the 14^th and 15^th days of the first month of the Tibetan calendar. During…

The Oktoberfest is the world’s largest fair held annually in Munich. It is a 16-day festival running from late September to the first weekend in October with more than 6 million people from around the world attending the event every year. To the…

Pushkar, is a town in the state of Rajasthan, situated at 14 km north-west from Ajmer, and is one of the five sacred Dhams (pilgrimage sites for devout Hindus). It is often called “Tirth Raj” - the king of pilgrimage sites. Pushkar is one of the…

Stok Gompa, a Buddhist monastery 15 km south of Leh, was founded by Lama Lhawang Lotus in the 14^th century. A ritual dance-mask festival is held annually. It is also the residence of the Ladakhi royalty.