Saints, Souls, and Sugar: Italy’s Colourful Traditions for All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days

When October turns into November, Italy shifts from pumpkin-spiced everything (yes, we’re catching up with the trend too 😊) to something more soulful — literally. The Festa di Ognissanti (All Saints’ Day, November 1) and the Giorno dei Morti (All Souls’ Day, November 2), both deeply rooted in Italian culture, celebrated with a mix of devotion, nostalgia, and of course, delicious food.

At Massari Travel, we love how these days blend solemnity and sweetness, and we think your travellers will too : after all, what better way to experience Italy than through stories, scents, and flavours passed down for generations?

All Saints’ Day is a national holiday in Italy, when families honour not only the canonized saints but also their personal heroes — the “everyday saints” in their lives.

The following day, All Souls’ Day, is when Italians remember their departed loved ones, often visiting cemeteries with flowers and lighting candles that flicker long into the night.

As kids, many of us grew up associating these days not just with remembrance, but with the smell of fritelle, pane dei morti, and ossa dei morti — sweets whose names alone could scare or delight depending on your age.

In Sicily, for instance, children traditionally wake up on November 2 to find little gifts left by the souls of the departed — a charming (and slightly spooky) custom that still survives today.

In Emilia-Romagna, one of our team members remembers sneaking into the kitchen the night before I Morti, hoping to catch her departed grandmother preparing favette dei morti — almond cookies meant to honour ancestors. “She used to say the spirits would visit during the night,” she recalls, “so we left a glass of wine and a few cookies on the table. I was terrified — but also secretly excited to see if they’d ‘disappear’ by morning.” Spoiler alert: they always did 😊.

In the North, especially around Lombardy, bakeries fill their windows with pan dei morti — dense, cocoa-coloured biscuits made with dried fruit, almonds, and a dusting of sugar. The name might sound sombre, but the flavour is pure comfort — like a hug from nonna.

For travellers seeking authentic cultural immersion, these celebrations offer a beautiful lens into Italian life. Cemeteries, often perched on scenic hillsides, are adorned with flowers that turn them into gardens of light. Local bakeries hum with activity, and families gather for leisurely meals — another reminder that in Italy, even remembrance is shared around the table.

Encouraging your clients to travel during this time of year means inviting them into an Italy that’s reflective, intimate, and deeply human. In a word: authentic.

It’s not about grand festivals or crowds — it’s about quiet rituals, flickering candles, and the sweetness of memory.

At Massari Travel, we believe that understanding Italy’s traditions is the key to truly knowing its people. And if those traditions come with a plate of cookies from beyond the grave — well, even better. Don’t you agree with us?

So, next time you’re planning an Italian itinerary for your clients, with Massari TRAVEL, why not include a stop at a local bakery on November 1 or 2?