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Without a doubt, the local food sagra's are a must. They are well organized and well attended, we have been to gnocci, bici, asparagus, porcetta, pici, and many others. You order and pay then join a large table where you are served along with the locals who are keen you try their traditional speciality. They are usually a great deal of fun especially when there is a band too.
Other festa's like the palio, carnival, and inforata are also not to be missed and locally we have a living nativity at Christmas where the entire town is made into a walking tour of the ancient past with small scenes enacted in the cantina's below the houses, Roman soldiers arresting pick-pockets who protest as they are dragged off, food stalls, artisans stalls, and local produce fill the squares as you follow the route to the nativity where a real couple, babe and animals are nestled in the hay.
Don't be shy go and be enthralled at least once.

Hi Priscilla,

Thanks for the email. To answer your inquiries, please see below for my most brutally honest and uncensored response from my heart, cos Italians use their brain lesser than their hearts. That's why I love Italy, even though they are a little backward in implementing technology advances. So here we go.

What are the activities everyone must try at least once in Italy?

Have sex with a local, at least once.
Drink Napoli cafe and eat Napoli pizza, as they are the best.

What are the activities that one should partake in if they want to discover the local culture?

Go to the seaside parks and beaches, also to concerts of local bands and performers, and visit the local Mercato Comunale in the area where one is staying.

Are there any activities that are characteristic of Italy?

Wine, cheese, pizza and pasta. Of course not forgetting apperitifs after dinner.

Do you have an anecdote to share about any of the activities listed above?

I'm sorry but no. Cos I was high on Hashish and simply having a great time among friends having great conversation.

Hi M.Hunt, where are you or how do you find the sagra? I am a foodie and wino who just spent 5 months in Lecco and  never found a sagra. I will shorthly be leaving for a 3 months stay in  Ancona and would love to be in a sagra. Salute

I will be in Firenze for 3 days in September and Venezia for another 3 days...I know it's not long but it's my 3rd time visiting and this time it's on my own.  What should I visit or do while I am there?? Any suggestions?  I love live music, local entertainment, local food...

In regards to restaurants , I was in Firenze a year ago and , my norm is to try to visit local eating places which are not heavy with tourists. That is impossible in Firenze and Venezia, but one place I came accross is  the Mercato Centrale. In the upper floors, you will find restaurants and wine bars. It is not a romantic place but prices and products are very good and not too many tourists. I did find  a good restaurant by asking the locals but unfortunately I don't readily recall the name and  it isn't centrally located. Same as Firenze, you will be not be getting away from  tourists  in Venezia where they are talking about limiting the daily numbers. My suggestion is to try restaurants  in the Cannaregio  or Dorsoduro sections.  I wish you great time. Salute

Pizza and ice-cream. 

Although we live in Umbria we are sure that the Sagra's will be advertised in Ancona much the same as they do here. Look for an A frame posters on the side of roads, at garages, stuck to message boards in towns, in Cafe's, they will say Sagra di.......giving the town and what the specialty is. However, they do not always give a time and just because the indicate a start and end date, it is usual that these events run Friday to Sunday even if the dates say a month, so look up the itinerary on the web or ask. It seems silly but the organizers expect everyone to know because it happens every year.
The last one we went to the police were directing traffic up one-way streets and getting us to park in olive groves and were greeted like long lost family despite never having been to the village before, so do not be surprised by anything and go with the flow.
!0th August is the night of the falling stars and it's often celebrated with a meal in the countryside to watch them and the 15th is a public holiday and almost everything closes half day if not all day except eateries.
Have fun,
Marguerite