According to the Italians, a windy June brings wheat to the farms and March is crazy.

Yes, this can be a little odd but interesting at the same time.

In Italian, each month has some interesting saying, so memorizing them can be even more fun and easier.

And because knowing months of the year in Italian is something every Italian learner should know, from beginners to advanced students, what is a better way to remember them but with some fun proverbs?

But first, we’re going to learn months of the year in Italian and then to have fun with Italian proverbs for about months.

Let the year begin!

Months of The Year in Italian

During one year, you can visit so many popular Italian festivals that you can only dream of.

But, how will you know which festival is when you don’t learn the names of the month in Italian?

Here, you can find every month in Italian, which month it is in English, and how to pronounce it properly. 

Gennaio

Month: January

Pronunciation: Gen-nany-oh

In ‘Gennaio,’ people greet each other with the phrase ‘Auguri,’ which means ‘best wishes.’

Like in most countries worldwide, in January, the most important holiday is New Year’s Day or in Italian, ‘Capodanno.’

On the 5th January, the Eve of Epiphany, children wait for Befana, an old witch who visits them and if they are good, she gives them candies but if they behave badly, they get the coal.

Febbraio

Month: February

Pronunciation: feb-brahy-oh

On the western part of the planet, especially in the USA, February symbolizes love and when you mention this month, it reminds them of Valentine’s day.

In Italy, one of the important holidays both kids and adults can’t wait to come is ‘Carnevale.’

Kids dress up in costumes, adults wear masks and gowns. The highlight of the carnivals is ‘Martedi Grasso’ or ‘Fat Tuesday’ when in the southern part of Italy people eat lasagnas and Chocolate pig’s Blood Pudding.

Marzo

Month: March

Pronunciation: mar-tsoh

In March, comes one important date, March 15th, the date when Julius Caesar was killed.

On March 19, Italians celebrate Father’s day, when there is the Feast of Saint Joseph.

During this month, you can often hear Italians say ‘Marzo è pazzo’ which means ‘March is crazy.’ And it surely is because winter is left behind but sunny days seem never to come.

Aprile

Month: April

Pronunciation: ah-pree-leh

On April 1st, most countries celebrate April Fools’ Day. In Italy, they celebrate ‘Pesce d’Aprile’ which can be translated as ‘April Fish.’ it is similar to April Fools’ Day, only when Italians tell a joke, they shout ‘Pesce d’Aprile!’ and show you plastic fish.

There is one more very important day to celebrate, and that is Easter or in Italian, ‘Pasqua.’ A lot of delicious and rich food is prepared these days. On Amalfi Coast, for example, people traditionally prepare a dish called‘pastiera,’ which is grain, egg, ricotta, and citrus essence. This dish symbolizes new life and fertility.

Easter Monday, the day after Easter, in Italian is called ‘Pasquetta.’ That day, everyone goes out and has a picnic with family and friends.

Maggio

Month: May

Pronunciation: maj-jon

All over the world May 1st is celebrated as Labour Day. In Italian it is called ‘Festa dei lavoratori.’ All over the country, like the rest of the world, demonstrates, goes outside, makes picnics.

The spring or ‘primavera’ is already here and shiny, sunny days are ideal for taking a walk in the park. 

In Italy, there’s one interesting custom that says you can’t eat mussels if a month consists of the letter ‘r.’ So, from May mussels are welcomed.

Giugno

Month: June

Pronunciation: joo-nyoh

The summer slowly approaches. School is almost over and kids can’t wait to enjoy hot days outside and enjoy ‘el bagno’ or ‘to swim.’

Italians call June ‘the month of the Sun’ or ‘mese del sole’ because this is the month when summer solstice happens.

Luglio

Month: July

Pronunciation: loo-lyoh

Italian summer is very hot, so in July, you can often hear Italians saying ‘fa caldissimo!’ which means ‘it’s so hot!’

Summer rains in July bring good fall, which is especially thankful for the grapes and olives.

Agosto

Month: August

Pronunciation: ah-gos-toh

August symbolizes celebrating ‘Ferragosto’ which is August 15th.

On that day, many shopping malls and stores are closed and people usually go to the beach and celebrate feasts with their families and fireworks.

Settembre

Month: September

Pronunciation: set-tem-breh

Just like August symbolizes feast and warm sunny days, September in Italy symbolizes tomato harvest.

In September, there is also a ritual called ‘rientro’ in the meaning ‘return’ which means that the end of the summer is here.

Ottobre

Month: October

Pronunciation: ot-toh-berh

The fall has come and most Italians usually search for chestnuts and mushrooms in the mountains.

In October, there is also a grape harvest, also one of the most important harvests during the year.

Novembre

Month: November

Pronunciation: noh-vem-breh

November 2nd is one of the important days for Italians when they visit the graveyard and the graves of their loved ones. That day is called ‘Festa dei morti’ or ‘All Souls Day’ which is similar to the Mexican ‘El Dia de los muertos,’ that is ‘the Day of the Dead.’

Several days later, on November 11th, Italians celebrate ‘festa di San Martino’ or ‘Feast of Saint Martin,’ which is full of excitement, happiness, and people on the street. Food is everywhere, wireworks as well, and it is an ideal opportunity and traditionally, the beginning of the opening of young wines.

Dicembre

Month: December

Pronunciation: dee-chem-berh

In December, it’s all about Christmas.

Italians are mostly Catholics, so they celebrate Christmas at the end of December.

Like in many other countries, December is the month for a family, love, and spending time together.

Italian sayings About Months of The Year

• Bello di Gennaio, brutto di Febbraio.- If January is nice, February will be awful.
• Febbraietto, corto e maledetto.- Little February, short and malicious.
• Febbraio nevoso, Maggio gioioso.- Nervous February, calm March
• Marzo, mese pazzo.- March is a crazy month.
• Marzo pazzerello, guarda il sole e prendi l’ombrello.- Nutty March, look at the sun and take your umbrella.
• L'April piovoso, fa il Maggio grazioso.-  A rainy April makes May grateful.
• Aprile, dolce dormire.- April, sweet sleeping.
• Giugno tonante, raccolto abbondante.- Thundering June, abundant harvest.
•  La prima acqua d'agosto, rinfresco bene il bosco.- The first water [rain] in August, refreshes well the woods.

Final Thoughts

The time flies and a year has passed, or at least in this post.

But now you know how to say months in Italian and why each month is important.

So if you plan to visit Italy, take a look at this special calendar and choose the month you will go and see how Italians live and enjoy.

Or you can first practice the language to make sure you’ve perfected basic Italian phrases for every situation, improve your Italian accent, and then ‘a la Italia.

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How to say months of the year in Italian? 

Gennaio - January, Febbraio - February, Marzo - March, Aprile - April, Maggio - May, Giugno - June, Luglio - July, Agosto - August, Settembre - September, Ottobre - October, Novembre - November, Dicembre - December

What are some important Italian sayings about months of the year?

Bello di Gennaio, brutto di Febbraio.- If January is nice, February will be awful. Febbraietto, corto e maledetto.- Little February, short and malicious. Febbraio nevoso, Maggio gioioso.- Nervous February, calm March Marzo, mese pazzo.- March is a crazy month. Marzo pazzerello, guarda il sole e prendi l’ombrello.- Nutty March, look at the sun and take your umbrella. L'April piovoso, fa il Maggio grazioso.- A rainy April makes May grateful. Aprile, dolce dormire.- April, sweet sleeping. Giugno tonante, raccolto abbondante.- Thundering June, abundant harvest. La prima acqua d'agosto, rinfresco bene il bosco.- The first water [rain] in August, refreshes well the woods.

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