This spring Italy is all dressed up and raring to go. Film stars are on location in cities and palaces, designers are showing off the latest home fashions and the fields are flaunting a colourful display of wild flowers.
Temperatures are pleasant, but not too hot and most of the tourists are still at home. So springtime in Italy is a wonderful time to explore cities, towns and villages to find your perfect home.
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What’s Easter like in Italy?
During Holy Week (Settimana Santa) you can see solemn processions and cultural events that attract big crowds. In 2026 Holy Week is from 29th March until the 5th April.
There are some regional variations, but on Palm Sunday you may have witnessed palm or olive branches being blessed. On Good Friday there are processions of statues representing Christ’s last hours before his crucifixion.
On Easter Sunday in Rome, thousands gather in St. Peterโs Square to see the Pope. This year will be the first Easter with Pope Leo XIV giving the address โ a proud moment for Americans who love Italy!
During Holy week, there are often concerts and exhibitions. Each town might have its own traditional event. Florence for example, puts on a very original spectacle on Easter Sunday morning.
It’s also a time for families to spend time together at home, mainly catching up with family members who live away and chatting over a long lunch.
Florence’s exploding cart
Itโs called the โScoppio del Carroโ (Explosion of the Cart). A 500-year-old ornately decorated tower on a cart is pulled through the streets by white oxen to the Duomo. Then, during the mass, a mechanical dove-shaped rocket flies down a wire to ignite the cart, which is filled with fireworks. A really good explosion is said to indicate a good harvest for that year.
What do Italians eat at Easter?
As you can imagine, food is at the heart of the Italian Easter. Lamb is traditionally served as a main course with a side of vegetables. Without a doubt this is the best time of year to visit a bakery, the array of cakes is amazing. You can discover “How to cook like a local” here.
Is there a traditional Easter cake?
As well as beautifully presented trays of small cakes, the traditional โColomba di Pasquaโ can be bought in every bakery, supermarket and cafรฉ. Similar to a Panettone but dove-shaped, โColombaโ is topped with sugar and almonds.
Do they have chocolate eggs in Italy?
They do also have chocolate Easter eggs, and they are huge. Wrapped with Italian flare and a ribbon, they make a colourful display in the shops. You can find other Easter foods on the Official Italy Tourism website.
Italian cities in the spring
Like all big events and attractions, you want to get there early to get a good position. People with a property in town are at an advantage, as they can just walk there and be first in line. In the cities that attract a lot of tourists, being centrally located can be very convenient. This is particularly true in Florence as itโs so walkable.
Other liveable and walkable cities with pedestrianised areas are Milan, Bologna, Turin, Lucca, Rome, Bolzano and Lecce. Most towns have a โCentro Storicoโ (Historic Centre) which is often pedestrianised. Therefore, if you just do a drive through, you will miss the most interesting parts.
Romans battle in the city
A walk through central Rome is like stepping back in time. Each 21 April the city celebrates the day Romulus is said to have founded the city in 753 BC.
Festivities include a parade of over a thousand historical reenactors, with battles and fireworks. The main events take place in Circus Maximus, the very location where Roman chariots used to race.
And when you want to escape the battle, take a walk up the Aventine hill. Here you’ll find a beautiful rose garden with over a thousand varieties. Many of which bloom between April and June.
Italian flowers in the spring
Italy in the springtime is my favourite season, especially April and May. In March the weather can be a little unpredictable, but the rain is always followed by a burst of growth across the Italian countryside.
Wild flowers appear in waves of different colours, white, yellow, blue, purple and then the red poppies. And with them come the butterflies and different birds.
Where can I see spring flowers in Italy?
- Wild flowers can be seen all across the country. But the largest display over a big area is at Piano Grande, in Castelluccio di Norcia in Umbria.
- Tulips are in bloom at Parco Giardino Sigurta near Lake Garda; Parco Beranu Froriu on Sardinia; The tulip fields of Luvigliano di Torreglia, in Veneto; The Tulip fields near Rome, and the Tulip Festival at Pralormo Castle near Turin.
- Cherry blossom is mostly seen in Puglia, Campagna, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto and Sardinia.
Which Italian gardens should I visit in spring?
If you want inspiration for what to plant at your new home in Italy this spring, see what grows well on neighbouring plots and visit an Italian garden. The type of soil and the climate can limit your choices, particularly in areas that get long hot summers.
Italian gardens to visit in the spring include:
- The azaleas and rhododendrons at Villa Carlotta, Lake Como.
- Camellias at Villa Reale di Marlia, Lucca, Tuscany.
- Bologna open gardens โ 16 May -17 May 2026
- Various spring blooms in Milan’s central park (Parco Sempione).
- The wisteria tunnel at Villa Bardino in Florence. (Mid April/May)
- The Boboli Gardens, located behind the Pitti Palace in Florence.
Spring Art
Spring is a great time to visit Milan and Florenceโs world-class museums and art galleries. You can see the masterpiece Primavera in Florenceโs Uffizi gallery. It was painted by the Italian Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli in around 1480 and features 500 plant species.
Art Exhibitions
- During Milan Art Week, there are art exhibitions from 13-19 April 2026.
- Milanโs international and contemporary art fair โMiart 2026โ at Allianz MiCo. Is on 17-19 April 2026.
- In Venice, there is the โBiennale del Venezia, the famous international contemporary art exhibition. It opens on 9 May 2026.
There are also exhibitions in other major cities in Italy this Spring. Such as Bologna, Florence, Ferrara, Rome and Bergamo, focusing mainly on specific artists or styles. Even my small local town has an exhibition, with one of the paintings being on loan from the Uffizi gallery.
Interior design inspiration
As well as great artists, Italy is also home to many great designers, both in the fashion and furniture sectors. If you want to furnish your Italian home in style you should visit the Salone del Mobile, in Milan. This is one of the most important Furniture Design events in the world, with over 1,900 exhibitors.
You will find Salone del Mobile at the Milan Rho Exhibition Centre. In 2026 it opens to the general public on the weekend of 25th and 26th of April. Here you can expect to see furniture of the highest craftmanship, plus kitchens and bathrooms of equal quality. Also, see the article “Fitting out my Italian home”.
Italy the film star this spring
Photographers know that in spring in Italy brings blue skies and a soft light that is perfect for capturing the best shots of buildings, landscapes and people. Film directors know this too, and like to film on location in Italy in the springtime.
Rome, Tuscany and the Amalfi coast are all popular film locations in 2026.
Films on location in Italy spring 2026
- Tom Ford has been filming his adaptation of Cry to Heaven at the Royal Palace of Caserta and in Rome, since early March. The 18th-century period drama, has a star-studded cast which includes Colin Firth, Nicolas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Paul Bettany, and singer Adele is making her acting film debut.
- The Netfliks spy thriller, Black Doves (Season 2) starring Keira Knightly and Ben Whishaw has been filming in the Rome area since early in the year.
- Another Netflicks film, called Positano, has been on location along the Italian coast. This romantic comedy will feature Hollywood stars Matthew McConaughey and Zoe Saldaรฑa.
- A dark fantasy film co-produced by Italy and the UK, called Ting has also been filming in Italy. The cast, which includes Maria Andrea Cesari, was being filmed at various locations in Piedmont, but has since headed to the mountain landscapes of South Tyrol.
You, Me and Tuscany
A film due for release this Spring, demonstrates how a stone house in the Tuscan countryside can draw you in. You, Me & Tuscany stars Halle Bailey as a young woman who finds herself staying at a house owned by a man she barely knows and without his knowledge. Things get complicated when his mother assumes she is her sonโs fiancรฉe.
The stars who settled in Italy
Some actors who have filmed on location in Italy have also fallen for its charms, and bought property here. George Clooney bought the 18th-century Villa Oleandra on Lake Como in 2002 after filming Ocean’s Twelve in the region. It is also rumoured that Leonardo DiCaprio bought a property in Verona after filming Romeo & Juliet.
But itโs not just the Italian houses, landscape, food, or weather, that property buyers fall in love with. Colin Firth, Vanessa Redgrave and Sir Roger Moore all married Italians.
When Oscar winning actress Dame Helen Mirren bought a masseria in the Puglia region, she could have just hidden away from people. But no, at 80 years old she has embraced the local culture and is seen at local community events.
She also shares their passion for saving the ancient olive trees. She has been campaigning to raise awareness of the Xylella Fastidiosa epidemic that is killing olive trees in the region. The Italians love her for it. They showed their appreciation when President Sergio Mattarella made her a member of the โOrder of the Star of Italyโ, the highest honour the Italian Republic can award to a foreign national.
Find privacy in the Italian countryside
Estate agents are very discrete when it comes to famous clients, and observe their privacy. Even the locals donโt know who the new owners are of some luxury properties in their own neighbourhood.
With so many countryside houses for sale in Italy this spring, itโs possible to find a home that isnโt overlooked by neighbours or from the road. And you donโt have to be rich and famous to buy a quiet and private country home. “Budget or bling, thereโs a home in Tuscany in your price range”.
Spring Food Festivals
Food โSagreโ are festivals which celebrate food products or crops which are in season. As the first of May is a bank holiday in Italy, some areas hold Sagre on this day, alongside concerts, markets and street food.
Sagre in Italy this spring
- The Romanesco artichokes in Lazio, at the โSagre del Carciofoโ.
- Asparagus (Sagra dellโAsparago), especially in Lombardy and Veneto.
- Cherries (Sagra della Ciliegie). As well as being the region that produces the most olive oil, Puglia also produces over 50% of Italyโs cherries.
- Fava Beans (Sagra della Fava). Broad beans are grown across Italy, with Umbria, Marche, Sicily and northern Puglia producing the most.
Italy sings in the spring
No Italian food festival would be complete without music, and Italy has some great toe-tapping regional tunes, from the Alpine songs in the north to the Tarantella in the south. Even Napoli has its on style of music. Some Italians were very surprised when Sal Da Vinci a 56 year old singer with an old Neapolitan singing style won the San Remo Festival.
His song Per Sempre Sรฌ will be at the Eurovision song contest representing Italy this spring. But it is already on every wedding DJโs playlist in Italy, alongside the YMCA and the Macarena. This is partly because the song is about love and being together forever. But also, because the accompanying video shows a wedding reception scene, where the bride and groom, with guests, are dancing using hand gestures to the catchy chorus.
In Italy this spring, social media is full of videos of people doing the dance moves, from a group of ‘nonnas’ in Ostuni to children in dance classes. Youโve got until 16th of May to learn the moves.
