Halloween in Italy?

Halloween here in Sicily is certainly marketed much more at teenagers than young children..there are themed discos and 'horror'parties etc.It is becoming more popular,but never seen anything really aimed at children.

I can't speak for Rome,maybe things are different there....

Would you not prefer to seek out local customs rather than (ghastly) imported ones? I don't see the point of going abroad to look for things that are the same as back home.

I've read quite a bit about how it's gaining popularity in Italy

Yeah, I keep hearing that.
But I haven't seen it yet.

Simply going door to door in costume and saying "Trick or treat!" is likely to be disappointing. The vast majority of people won't have treats. In most cases, you'd need to be "buzzed in" (most dwellings are multi-family) and most people won't allow strangers to enter the building.

It seems that most children who dress up for Halloween get together and go trick or treating at each others' houses, where parents know to expect them. Not at the doors of total strangers.

If your child wants to dress up for Halloween, no one will bat an eye. The idea (if not the practice) has enough popular currency that most folks will understand why. But you're probably best off buying a bag of candy for the day or making extra gelato stops.

Btw, there is a day or two a year when Italian children dress in costumes, but I don't think they're anywhere near Halloween.

My local supermarket usually has a few cheap costumes or masks aimed at the under 10s, and last year one of the shops on the main street had a large woolly-looking mock spider in the window. That's all. Note 1 and 2 November are public holidays so if you want an italian tradition, take a big bunch of flowers to the cemetery on 2 Nov to leave on your relatives' grave

I'm not sure the average 5 year-old knows or cares what date it is. If he doesn't see a lot of marketing in the stores, would he even know it's Halloween?

Btw, there is a day or two a year when Italian children dress in costumes, but I don't think they're anywhere near Halloween.>

That's Carnival, in February.

Halloween for young children means, as Craig has written, ring the bells of people they know. In small town and villages that could be have a wider range, but children are usually accompanied by an adult. There are often parties at school too (Halloween was 'imported' mainly by English teachers in primary school, I share the blame).

Some theme parks offer special Halloween venues. For example Gardaland, near Peschiera, on the southern side of Lake Garda; have a look here: https://www.gardaland.it/en/memorable-experiences/special-events/gardaland-halloween-party/

.... a fun, age appropriate Halloween for your son in Italy?
Do your 5 years old boy speak any Italian to say hello or thank you if he got something from strangers who even dont know why a child stand in front of their door in the darkness?

Well, yes. I would. And we are. We're there for a month after all. But my 5 year old loves Halloween and is excited about it, so I'd like for him to experience it in some capacity, even if we just hook up with American expatriates that night.

Yeah, I think that's what we may end up doing (gelato plus dressing up). It's less the "trick or treat" he's into than walking around in costume at night.