ITALY

Spring is considered shoulder season. The weather will be somewhat unpredictable but is often pleasant. Combine this with lower crowds, and spring can be a great time to visit. You might still find snow at the ski resorts, but cooler water temperatures and annual closures keep the beach off your itinerary.

Easter is a big deal in Italy and special masses and ceremonies take place across the country. In Rome, the Pope celebrates Holy Week with a mass at St. John Lateran on Holy Thursday, Via Crucis (or the Stations of the Cross) at the Colosseum on Good Friday, and Easter Sunday mass at St. Peter's. In Florence, Italians celebrate Scoppio del Carro where oxen pull a decorated wagon through the city until it reaches the Duomo where it erupts into a fireworks display.

To represent the descent of the Holy Spirit, thousands of red rose petals are dropped from the oculus of the Pantheon in Rome during Pentecost.

In late spring, various cities across Italy host Infiorata, or flower festivals, where large, elaborate carpets of flower mosaics decorate outdoor spaces. A particularly notable Infiorata takes place in Noto, Sicily each year.

Summer is far and away the busiest season across Italy. Tourists flock to take advantage of warm weather and school holidays. In August, the locals are all on holiday, and some businesses may close.

It is toasty in the summer, particularly in the cities where the stone buildings hold in the heat. Plan accordingly.

In June, Florence puts on the Calcio Storico tournament, where teams play a 16th-century version of relatively lawless football in honor of San Giovanni, the city's patron saint.

In Siena, the whole city participates in the tradition of the Palio, an intense, bareback horse race and accompanying traditions that date back to the Middle Ages. The city's neighborhoods, or contrata, fiercely back their representative horse and rider during both instances of the race, one in July and one in August.

The summer is packed with performing arts festivals including the Verona Opera Festival, which hosts events in the Ancient Roman amphitheater, and the world-renowned Umbria Jazz Festival.

Autumn is considered shoulder season. The weather is still usually rather pleasant, but the end of the summer holidays means there are far fewer tourists clogging up the popular sites.

The Venice International Film Festival, the oldest of its kind in the world, takes place from late August to early September and brings celebrities from around the world to the canal-lined city.

The fall edition of Fashion Week takes place in Milan in September, where top designers showcase their latest collections on the runway.

Fall is all about the food. It's a particularly important time for the wineries when grapes have reached ripeness. The harvest of wine and other foods triggers many festivals across the country, including the White Truffle Festival in Alba and other festivals celebrating olive oil, mushrooms, chocolate, and more.

Most of the country never gets all that cold, but in the winter, a blanket of snow will fall in the Alps, setting the scene for epic skiing.

The Christmas season is magical in Italy. Cities host festive Christmas markets; the town piazzas are decorated with presepi (Nativity scenes); carolers sing in the streets during the Novena (the eight days before Christmas); and Christmas Eve is celebrated with the feast of the Seven Fishes.

Venice celebrates the Feast of the Epiphany with the Regatta delle Befane, where rowers dressed up as old witches race to the Rialto Bridge. This is in honor of the Befana the Magi asked for directions on their way to Bethlehem. Legend has it she arrived bearing gifts after the Magi, which is why children in Italy still receive small treats on the Epiphany.

The spring edition of Fashion Week takes place in Milan in February, where top designers showcase their latest collections on the runway.

In the lead-up to Ash Wednesday, the city of Venice celebrates Carnevale, the Italian equivalent of Mardi Gras, where revelers don extravagant masked costumes to attend celebratory balls.