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WHAT CHANGES IN ITALY

On the agenda: What’s happening in Italy this week

From public holidays to food festivals, here are the key events happening in Italy this week that you should know about.

Milanese residents get a public holiday this week to celebrate their patron saint day.
Milanese residents get a public holiday this week to celebrate their patron saint day. Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP.

Monday

Ischia schools reopens – Primary schools will reopen in Ischia on Monday, just over a week after a deadly landslide that has so far claimed at least 11 lives led to evacuations and closures.

In a press conference on Saturday, Ischia commissioner Giovanni Legnini said that around one thousand of the island’s displaced residents were staying with friends and relatives, with over 400 more in hotels or independent accommodation.

High schools on the island are due to reopen on Wednesday.

Tuesday

Booking opens for Orient Express – Wealthy travellers looking for an Agatha Christie-style experience can book tickets for a ride on Italy’s new ‘La Dolce Vita’ Orient Express on Tuesday – a full two years before it sets off for the first time.

The train will reportedly have six different itineraries, from the Alps to the beaches of southern Italy, and incorporate 12 deluxe cabins, 18 suites, one La Dolce Vita suite, and a restaurant with 5-star service.

Passengers wanting to make an advance booking will need to pay a €500 deposit, with tickets starting at €2,000 per night.

Italy will get its own Orient Express luxury train service - in two years' time.

Italy will get its own Orient Express luxury train service – in two years’ time. Photo by Roslan RAHMAN / AFP.

Wednesday 

Day off in Milan – December 7th is a public holiday in Milan as residents commemorate their beloved patron saint, St Ambrose.

The annual Festa di Sant’Ambrogio gives residents an opportunity to catch up with family and friends and unofficially marks the start of the festive season in the northern metropolis.

READ ALSO: Why do Milan residents get a day off on December 7th?

On the day, families get together to celebrate in the best way known to Italians: with a big lunch, featuring local delicacies including Milanese-style risotto, mondeghili (meatballs) and rostin negàa (veal cutlets).

And the city has no shortage of events and activities to enjoy after the feast.

Thursday

National public holiday – Thursday, December 8th is a public holiday throughout Italy as residents celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, which commemorates the conception of the Virgin Mary.

Most Italian families celebrate with a big lunch, and may hold firework displays or light bonfires outside. 

READ ALSO: Why is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception a holiday in Italy?

December 8th unofficially marks the beginning of the Christmas period, with most towns putting up their Christmas lights on the day and pretty much everything in the country – especially administration-related procedures – noticeably slowing down from this point on.

This means you might want to get any important paperwork done before December 8th, or else you may have to wait until January 6th, when the Italian holidays officially end.

Friday

Abruzzo truffle festival – The first edition of the Abruzzo International Truffle Fair is set to take place from 9th-11th December in the region’s capital, L’Aquila.

The festival will involve 42 stalls and more than 60 companies, and will incorporate truffle-based food trucks, entertainment, master classes and seminars.

The event will be held in L’Aquila’s in the park surrounding the city’s 16th century castle, close to the historic centre.

L'Aquila in Abruzzo will host its first international truffle fair on December 9th-11th.

L’Aquila in Abruzzo will host its first international truffle fair on December 9th-11th. Photo by Valentine CHAPUIS / AFP.

Saturday

Modena food festival – The 11th edition of the ‘Zampone and Cotechino Modena’ Festival returns to Modena’s Piazza Roma from 9th-11th December, after two years of pandemic cancellations and restrictions.

Students from some of Italy’s leading catering schools will compete to make the most mouthwatering dish, turning the square into an open-air kitchen. This one’s not for vegetarians: zampone and cotechino are types of spiced, slow-cooked pork.

Massimo Bottura, the owner-chef of Modena’s three-Michelin-star restaurant Osteria Francescana, has reportedly picked the 10 best recipes submitted by participating student-chefs and will lead the jury judging the competition.

Sunday

Trenitalia winter timetable – Italy’s main train operator Trenitalia switches to a winter timetable from Sunday, December 11th.

New features include an increase in the number of Frecciarossa Rome-Milan non-stop fast trains, double-decker carriages with a capacity of 900 passengers, and podcasts with guides to the passenger’s destination, the company announced.

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WHAT CHANGES IN ITALY

What changes in Italy in April 2024

From Venice's Biennale Arte to Liberation Day festivities, here's what people living in Italy can expect next month.

What changes in Italy in April 2024

April Fool’s

While April 1st is known as April Fool’s Day in English-speaking countries, the date is known as Pesce d’Aprile (literally, ‘April’s fish’) in Italy.

Though you may think that the expression is in some way related to the act of ‘baiting’ people, it more likely comes from a common prank that involves sticking a drawing of a fish onto the back of an unsuspecting victim and then asking them if they’ve seen ‘April’s fish’.

Pesce d’Aprile also coincides with the Easter Monday public holiday this year, so expect limited public transport services and reduced opening hours for shops and some supermarkets.

READ ALSO: What’s open in Italy over Easter weekend?

Back to school

Schools across most of Italy are set to reopen on Wednesday, April 3rd, having been closed since Maundy Thursday of the week before for the Easter long weekend.

The one exception is the northwestern Aosta Valley region, where pupils are scheduled to return to school on April 2nd – a day earlier than the rest of the country.

Dates may differ for private institutions.

Venice’s 60th Biennale Arte

This year’s major arts event in the floating city is to open on Saturday 20th April, running until Sunday November 24th.

The 2024 Biennale Arte aims to be carbon neutral, and has Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere – as its theme.

In addition to the main exhibits between the Central Pavilion in the Giardini and the Arsenale, there will also be 30 ‘collateral’ events at locations across the city.

Venice’s Arsenale is one of two locations where the Biennale Arte will take place. Photo by Vincenzo PINTO / AFP.

Italy commemorates the fall of Fascism

April 25th is Italy’s Liberation Day (or Festa della Liberazione in Italian), which is the day in which Italians celebrate the fall of the Fascist regime and the end of German occupation.

The annual event marks the day in 1945 when Italy’s National Liberation Committee incited a popular insurrection against Nazifascist forces. The uprising eventually resulted in the liberation of all occupied territories and in the capture and subsequent execution of Fascist leader Benito Mussolini in Milan. 

Liberation Day is a national public holiday in Italy, meaning that public offices, schools and most shops will be closed on the day.

The date is one of Italy’s most heartfelt national observances and is traditionally marked by a number of official ceremonies, including the laying of wreaths in honour of the women and men who fought in the Italian Resistance, as well as marches featuring renditions of the Bella Ciao anthem.

Airbnb rules change

Surveillance cameras will no longer be allowed inside Airbnb rentals from April 30th, according to a new company-wide policy that will affect hosts and customers globally, including in Italy.

Up to now cameras have been allowed in areas such as hallways and entrances provided they were clearly visible and mentioned in the listing, but guests had complained of finding hidden cameras in private spaces.

Hosts will still be able to install cameras outside, but must clearly specify where they are stationed.

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