Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

WHAT CHANGES IN ITALY

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

From mafia victims remembrance day to celebrations for the Florentine New Year, here's what to expect in Italy this week.

Published: 20 March 2023 09:50 CET
On the agenda: What’s happening in Italy this week
Florence residents will ring in the Florentine New Year on Saturday, March 25th. (Photo by CLAUDIO GIOVANNINI / AFP)

Monday

Start of spring

The spring equinox, which falls on March 20th this year, will mark the first day of astronomical spring in the northern hemisphere.

After the equinox – which, scientifically speaking, is the moment when the sun appears directly above the earth’s equator – daylight will gradually increase up until the summer solstice on June 21st.

Tuesday

Mafia victims remembrance day

Italy will commemorate the victims of mafia crimes on Tuesday, March 21st, which is known as National Remembrance Day for Innocent Mafia Victims (Giornata della Memoria delle Vittime Innocenti delle Mafie).

Anti-mafia organisation Libera created the event back in 1996, but it was only officially recognised by the Italian state in 2017. 

READ ALSO: ‘Very violent’: How Italy’s youngest mafia is terrorising the Puglia region

March held in memory of mafia victims

Italy will commemorate the victims of mafia crimes on Tuesday, March 21st. Photo by Damien MEYER / AFP

The day is not a national holiday, meaning public institutions and schools will remain open, but a number of events paying homage to mafia victims will take place around the country.

A march followed by guest talks and seminars on the history of the mafia will take place in Milan – the ‘capital’ of this year’s Remembrance Day – on Tuesday morning.

Wednesday 

Surrealism in Milan

An exhibition exploring the relationship between surrealism and non-western cultures will open at Milan’s Mudec Museum on Wednesday, March 22nd. 

The show, titled ‘Dalì, Magritt, Man Ray and Surrealism’, will display over 180 items, including some lesser-known artworks and historical documents, that are expressive of the cultural syncretism lying at the heart of surrealist art. 

READ ALSO: Metro, bus or tram: How to use Milan’s public transport

The exhibition will remain open to the public until late July. Tickets can be bought here.

Friday

European Gelato Day

Friday, March 24th will be Europe’s Artisanal Gelato Day.

The event, which was first launched back in 2012, is to this day the only food-related recurrence recognised by the European parliament. 

Austria’s very own apfelstrudel ice cream will be the centrepiece this year, with gelato makers from all around Europe having a crack at producing the strudel-flavoured delicacy. The flavour will be on offer at artisanal gelaterie in Italy.

Gelato makers in Italy

The 11th edition of the European Artisanal Gelato Day will take place on Friday, March 24th. Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP

Saturday

Florentine New Year

Florence residents will be ringing in the Florentine New Year on Saturday, March 25th.

The Tuscan city marked the official start of its calendar year on March 25th – the day of the Annunciation of the Lord according to Catholic tradition – from the early Middle Ages right up to 1749, when it switched to the Gregorian calendar by order of Grand Duke Francis II.

 Florence residents have carried on holding celebrations on the day through the centuries, with the former capodanno being a beloved cultural event to this very day.

READ ALSO: What are the best Florence neighbourhoods for international residents?

As usual, this year’s celebration will be marked by a costume parade starting in Piazza di Parte Guelfa and ending before the Basilica della Santissima Annunziata, where a solemn ceremony will be held.

A wealth of events (special art exhibitions, guest talks, conferences and so on) will take place in the days preceding and following March 25th. You can find out more about those here.

Sunday

Clocks go forward

Italy will make the switch to Daylight Savings Time (also known as summer time, or ora legale in Italian) in the early hours of Sunday, March 26th.

READ ALSO: Whatever happened to the EU plan to ditch the changing of the clocks?

Clocks will jump forward by one hour at 2am, meaning a lost hour of sleep that night but one more hour of sunlight from then on.

While the EU voted in 2019 to scrap Daylight Savings Time (DST) by 2021, Covid, Brexit and an intra-EU stalemate all delayed the move, which means the switch will go ahead once again this March for all EU states.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

BREAKING

Everything that changes in Italy in May 2024

From Labour Day celebrations to the start of tax filing season and a summer tyres deadline, here's what people living in Italy can expect next month.

Published: 26 April 2024 11:12 CEST
Everything that changes in Italy in May 2024

Airbnb bans indoor surveillance cameras

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

Until now, Airbnb has allowed hosts to install security cameras in common spaces such as hallways and living rooms provided that they were clearly visible and mentioned in the listing. But reports of guests finding hidden cameras in private spaces has led the company to ban indoor video surveillance altogether. 

Hosts will still be able to install outdoor cameras after April 30th, but will have to clearly specify where they are stationed.

Italy’s Labour Day celebrations

May 1st will mark Italy’s Labour Day (or Festa del Lavoro in Italian). First established in 1890 to celebrate workers’ rights and trade unions’ achievements, Labour Day is a national public holiday, meaning you’ll get a day off for it if you live in Italy. 

Offices and schools will be closed on the day, while some shops and restaurants, especially in big cities, may remain open.

People celebrate Italy's Labour Day in Rome's Piazza San Giovanni

People celebrate Italy’s Labour Day in Rome’s Piazza San Giovanni on May 1st 2013. Photo by FILIPPO MONTEFORTE / AFP

Rail and public transport operators tend to operate a number of ‘holiday services’ (servizi or orari festivi) on national holidays, including Labour Day. However, these services may experience major delays and/or cancellations this year due to a 24-hour general strike that will involve staff from both public and private transport operators around the country.

It’s currently unclear whether or not the walkout will affect air transport on the day. You can keep up with all the latest updates in our strike news section.

May 1st ‘concertone’ in Rome

The traditional Labour Day concert (known as concertone, or ‘the big concert’ in Italy) will return to Rome on May 1st.

The event, which is the largest free live music concert in Europe, will take place in the central Circus Maximus venue, with performances from some of the most popular Italian artists set to start as early as 3pm.

All acts will be free of charge. No advance booking is required, but access to the square will be denied after full capacity is reached.

Tax filing season starts

May 2nd is the earliest date from which some taxpayers in Italy can begin to submit their yearly income tax returns.

There are two types of income tax declaration form in Italy: generally speaking, employees and retirees use form 730 (modello 730), whereas the self-employed, people with sources of income other than employment or pension, and taxpayers who are not legally resident in Italy use the ‘natural persons’ income form‘ (modello redditi persone fisiche).

Taxpayers can submit the modello redditi persone fisiche in paper form at their local post office from May 2nd, whereas May 11th is the earliest date from which taxpayers can begin to submit the modello 730 on the Italian tax office’s website.

Cycling fever

The 2024 edition of the Giro d’Italia, one of the world’s most prestigious cycling competitions, will run from Saturday, May 4th to Sunday, May 26th. 

This year’s Giro will start in Venaria Reale, just north of Turin, and end right by Rome’s iconic Fori Imperiali, passing through cities, lakes and mountain ranges all over northern and southern Italy on the way.

Irish rider Sam Bennett celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the last stage of the 101st Giro d'Italia

Irish rider Sam Bennett celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the last stage of the 101st Giro d’Italia on May 27th 2018 in Rome. Photo by LUK BENIES / AFP

As usual, the contest will attract thousands of cycling enthusiasts from all around the world, with fans once again expected to crowd narrow mountain roads and camp out in fields just to get a brief glimpse of the riders. 

Free museum openings

People around Italy will be able to visit state-run museums and archaeological sites free of charge on Sunday, May 5th under the popular Domenica al Museo or ‘free museum Sundays’ national scheme.

The initiative applies to hundreds of sites, including world-famous attractions like the Colosseum, Pompeii, Florence’s Galleria dell’Accademia, the Reggia di Caserta and Trieste’s Miramare Castle. 

Find more information about how it works in our article.

Mother’s Day

Italy celebrates Mother’s Day (or Festa della Mamma) on the second Sunday in May, which falls on May 12th this year. 

First established in 1956, Italy’s Mother’s Day originally fell on May 8th but the festivity was moved to the second Sunday of May in 2000 to get in line with the American calendar.

Summer tyres deadline 

Motorists in Italy have until May 15th to make the switch from winter to summer tyres.

After the window to make the switch closes, drivers breaking the rules will face a fine of up to 1,731 euros plus the requirement to undergo a revisione (the Italian equivalent of a UK MOT test or a vehicle inspection in the US).

Italy’s summer tyres requirement is a frequent source of confusion as it doesn’t apply to all vehicles. See our article on the topic to find out whether or not it applies to you.

SHOW COMMENTS