7 must-see events in Italy in February 2025: art, fashion and traditions

Fashion, it is known, is at home in Milan. The event to mark for the month of February 2025 is the Milan Women's Fashion Week one of the most important events in the international fashion scene, where the Fall/Winter 2025-2026 collections of the great Italian fashion houses will be presented. Instead, the next event will be in September, as fashion week is generally done twice a year. 

Milan Women's Fashion Week starts on Feb. 25 and ends on March 3 and includes both physical and digital fashion shows, presentations and lots of events, some of which are also open to the public and not just professionals and industry insiders. Creativity and glamour are the key words for these days, where quality Italian craftsmanship will be the real big star. 

Locations dedicated to hosting fashion shows and reviews are scattered throughout the city, creating a fantastic widespread effect. 

Testo, the event dedicated to the world of publishing held at the Stazione Leopolda in Florence, returns, reaching its fourth edition in this 2025. 

Testo - How to become a book is the brainchild of the Todomondo bookstore and Pitti Immagine and aims to introduce as many people as possible to the best in contemporary publishing. Among the publishers present are Logos Edizioni, Marcos y Marcos, Add Editore, Adelphi, Bao Publishing, Bompiani, and Electa. A great variety then, which also includes publishers specializing in art comics. 

The theme chosen for the 2025 edition is STO, understood precisely as staying, remaining, seeking one's own space. An event that promises to be very interesting, the dates to remember are from February 28 to March 2. 

For those in Catania in early February, an event not to be missed is the traditional feast of St. Agata, the city's patron saint, who (as legend has it) suffered martyrdom during the time of Emperor Decius because she would not yield to his court. The celebrations last three days, from February 3 to 5. This is a festival that is deeply felt by the citizens, so staying in Catania during these festive days will help you better understand the spirit that animates the city and make you feel part of something unique.

Three days of festive atmosphere and celebrations, suitable for both believers and simple explorers of traditions. On Feb. 3 in Piazza del Duomo there is the usual fireworks display that really draws a lot of people: the advice is to take your seat early, so as not to risk being left out. 

On February 4 there is the first procession. The bust of St. Agatha goes around the outside of the city, while the so-called Mass of Dawn is celebrated in the cathedral. On February 5 there are the final and most solemn stages of this long celebration, with the bust of the Saint being carried in procession through the center of the city and the Pontifical Mass at the Cathedral. A truly grand event, a magnificent tradition that has been going on for a very long time. 

Have you ever heard of the Battle of the Oranges? If the answer is no, you really should drop by Ivrea to discover one of the oldest and most folkloric carnivals in all of Italy! 

The Carnival of Ivrea, a small town in the province of Turin, has been recognized as an Italian event of international significance. It is in fact a tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages, with ancient rituals that remain intact to this day. 

The Battle of the Oranges, which is certainly the best-known event associated with this celebration, is a real struggle and reproduces what was once a battle of the people against tyranny. For three afternoons from Sunday to the last Tuesday of Carnival a terrible orange-fight rages: teams on foot versus teams on floats. To avoid being targeted by the orangemen, it is always a good idea to wear the typical Berretto Frigio, which shows adherence to the people's revolt. 

Festivities for the 2025 edition of the Ivrea Carnival begin on February 16 and will go on until March 5. 

For fans of science fiction and pop culture, the name of artist H.R. Giger is certainly synonymous with unforgettable images, capable of influencing entire generations, thanks to an eclectic style that blends together so many different contaminations.

For connoisseurs of this extraordinary Swiss artist (but also for those who are simply connoisseurs of must-see exhibitions), the tasty opportunity is at the Mastio Museum in Turin, where an extremely accurate exhibition dedicated to Giger, curated by Marco Witzig, who can boast the title of the artist's top International expert, sees the light.

The pieces on display all come from the Giger Museum in Switzerland and will be able to make anyone truly appreciate the artist's unmistakable “biomechanical” style. Certainly his best-known works are those related to the creation of the monsters in the famous movie Alien, but Giger has left the world with a truly vast production, from record covers to more classic paintings and sculptures. From October through mid-February, an eerie and wonderful world awaits you.

Leonor Fini, an Italian-Argentinian artist whose work has been the subject of rediscovery in recent times (as indeed has that of many other more or less famous “colleagues”) will be the protagonist of an exhibition at the Palazzo Reale in Milan, starting next Feb. 26.

The artist, in the course of her long career has created many canvases of incredible modernity, which address through metaphors, always topical issues such as the confrontation between man and woman. Stimulated by the intellectual environment in which she grew up, Leonor included many elements worthy of analysis in her paintings. Some scholars juxtapose her with surrealism, while others see in her a more classical matrix.

What is certain is that such a comprehensive exhibition is worth a visit, not least because the rediscovery of women in art should definitely be supported!

The painter Berthe Morisot has gone down in history for being the only woman to exhibit in Nadar's photographic studio on the date that is made to coincide with the birth of Impressionism, April 15, 1874. 

Morisot was able to make her mark at a time when it was not at all contemplated for women to start artistic careers and indeed, she was not allowed to attend the École des beaux-arts.

The exhibition being held at the Palazzo Ducale in Genoa until Feb. 23 is titled Impression, Morisot and brings together 86 works, as well as photographic and archival documents courtesy of Morisot's heirs. 

It is a truly rich exhibition dedicated to this artist figure who not only left incredible works to posterity, but also entertained in his lifetime dense exchanges with some of the greatest painters of his time. A date not to be missed, mark it on your calendar.