The summer of 2008 promises to be as busy as ever in Italy, where there’s always a festival or occasion to celebrate during the hot, busy months of high season. These are our top picks for things to do and places to stay this year in the booted nation…

Medieval villages like this one are always buzzing with summertime events

Italians party better than anyone else on earth, especially in the summertime when the locals take their own vacations, welcome visitors from all over and celebrate the bountiful harvests of their famous foods and wines. Every region has its own traditions and flavors. Translation: there’s so much to do and see that you could go back there every summer from now to eternity and not get to experience it all. To help you make a decision, we’ve put together just a short list of what’s going on this high season, along with a few of our favorite properties:

Traditional costume festival; Siena’s famous Palio horse race

June

• Festa Della Repubblica (All Over): The second June of every year is Italy’s national holiday, celebrated with parades and music. See all our villas in Italy

• The Rice Festival (Lombardy): This province, famous for its risotto, celebrates with a festival devoted to the local specialty. See all our villas in Lombardy

July

• Jazz Festival (Umbria): One of Europe’s most important jazz festivals runs from July 11 to 20th this year. See all our villas in Umbria

• L’Ardia di San Constantino (Sardinia): A frantic horse race through the village in honor of an ancient warrior. See all our villas in Sardinia

Villa I Pini, Tuscany (left); Villa Amalfitana, Campania (right)

August

• Tuscan Sun Festival (Tuscany): Running from the 2nd to the 12th, this is a festival celebrating, simply "life". Only in Italy! See all our villas in Tuscany
• Il Bruscello (Tuscany): This traditional show of spoken rhyme takes place on the cathedral steps and draws big crowds.

September

• Chianti Grape Festival (Tuscany): The harvest gets underway this month and celebrates the region’s world-famous product.
• The White Night (Rome): The capital is lit up and shops and restaurants stay open all night, with wine and food tastings and fireworks displays. See all our villas in Lazio

Todi Castle, Umbria (left); Villa Cipresso, Umbria (right)

Come to Italy this summer! For more information, please contact us at 1-877-993-0100 or E-Mail