Italians will be raising their gazes and glasses to the sky this weekend as they celebrate the Feast of Saint Lawrence, also known as the Night of the Shooting Stars, in the hope that wishes made on a falling star will come true.
Now in its 11th year, the Calici di Stelle (Goblets of Stars) event will bring close to a million people together in some 200 locations to watch the falling stars while enjoying wines and traditional snacks in some of the most beautiful and suggestive spots in the peninsula.
These include Medieval city squares, castles and vineyards from the Valle d'Aosta in the north to Sicily in the south.
''This will be the biggest outdoor party ever,'' observed Valentino Valentini, chairman of the Citta del Vino (Wine Cities) association which is again organising the event together with the Wine Tourism Movement (MTV).
Rome is planning to make this a two-night event, Sunday and Monday, and will host the celebration at the zoo in the central Villa Borghese park.
Aside from learning more about wine and astronomy, participants will also be able to take part in games related to wine and listen to live jazz music.
