All Saints Day in Italy

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Joanne Natale Spigonardo

November 1, 2025

I have never had the pleasure of being in Italy on All Saints’ Day, but it is definately a bucket list item for future travels. As a little girl in Sountwest Phillly, we celebrated by attending Mass, and having family and friends to our home for dinner. We enjoyed Halloween the night before, and continued our festivities with a 5 course dinner and with many sweets for dessert on All Saints Day. The typical dessert my Mother would prepare was crostata di mele, a fantastic apple tart, as well as, the ever fabulous zepole.

Crostata di Mele

All Saints’ Day, known in Italy as Ognissanti or La Festa di Ognissanti, is a deeply significant national public holiday celebrated annually on November 1st. This solemn yet festive day is dedicated to honoring all the saints and martyrs of the Catholic calendar, both known and unknown. Its origins trace back to the early Christian Church, eventually being designated a universal feast day on November 1st by Pope Gregory III in the 8th century to commemorate the vast number of saints. Most businesses, schools, and government offices close, allowing families across the country to participate in religious services and family-oriented activities. Today, in many villages, a parade of saints is a beautiful tradition on All Saints Day. Women and children dress up as saints or in traditional fashions.

All Saints Day – Sardinia

The holiday is intrinsically linked with the following day, November 2nd, known as Il Giorno dei Morti (All Souls’ Day or Day of the Dead), which is dedicated to remembering and praying for deceased loved ones. While All Souls’ Day is not a public holiday, the two days together form a period of profound remembrance and reflection on family, heritage, and the cycle of life. The most widespread and unifying tradition is the family visit to cemeteries, where Italians tend to and adorn the graves of relatives and friends with fresh flowers, most notably chrysanthemums, which are the traditional flowers of mourning and remembrance in Italian culture. Today our family honors our deceased by visiting the graves of our beloved family and friends on November 2nd.

Cemetery in Italy on All Souls Day

Regional traditions add a rich layer of diversity to the celebrations. In some areas, such as Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta, families maintain the ancient custom of setting extra places at the dinner table or leaving food and water out overnight for the spirits of the deceased who are believed to return for a visit. In Sicily, children receive special sweets, such as Frutta Martorana (marzipan shaped like fruits) or sugar statues, traditionally left by their deceased relatives as a sign of continuity and love.

Frutta Martorana – In Honor of All Souls

As we begin the holiday season and move toward Thanksgiving and Christmas, let us enjoy our early November holidays, by celebrating all the beautiful saints of Italy, and by remembering our beloved deceased. There is so much meaning to these timeless traditions, that deepen our love for the saints, and for all of our family and friends in Heaven.

About the Author

Joanne Natale Spigonardo

Joanne Natale Spigonardo has many years of experience in travel to Italy, Italian art, music, literature, film, history, wine, and cuisine. She is a lover of nature and beauty.  She is an advocate for Italian immigrant women, and the author of White Widow, which is available on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/White-Widow-Joanne-Natale-Spigonardo/dp/B085DT65DB.  For more information about Joanne please visit her LinkedIn page:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanne-spigonardo-b4824a9/.

Published by spigonaj

Joanne Spigonardo Business Development Consultant Specializing in Sustainability, Higher Education, Career Management, and Public Relations In her former roles, Joanne served as Senior Associate Director at the Initiative for Global Environmental Leadership (IGEL) at Wharton. Joanne was also part of the Communications Office. She held positions as business manager of the Wharton Seminars for Business Journalists and for the Wharton Alumni Magazine. Joanne also served as the media relations coordinator. When with Alitalia Airlines, Joanne worked as a sales representative. Joanne graduated from The University of Pennsylvania with a BA and later graduated from the Wharton Aresty Institute of Executive Education. She has a strong background in development, management, marketing, and Italian language and culture. As a Wharton Mentor, she coached new employees on professional development, and is active in Penn’s Grievance panels. Joanne was on the board of governors for the University Club. Joanne is chair of the Delaware County Penn Alumni Interview Program and oversees alumni volunteers. As an alum of Penn and Wharton, and also a parent of two Penn graduates, she is a strong advocate in promoting Penn. At Wharton IGEL, Joanne had been in partnership with GreenBiz, Sustainable Brands, the Ethical Corporation, Pira Packaging International, Public Relations Society of America, the Green Sports Alliance, World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia, the Italian Consulate, the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, the Sonoma County Winegrowers Association, and the Nature Conservancy, as well as, many other NGO and government offices. She has brokered hundreds of corporate relationships for Wharton. Joanne is the author of her book, White Widow, published on Kindle and Amazon. The book is a fictional novel about 19th-20th Century Italian immigrants. https://www.amazon.com/White-Widow-Joanne-Natale-Spigonardo/dp/B085DT65DB

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