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WHAT CHANGES IN ITALY

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

From Liberation Day celebrations to the first weekend of Venice's 'tourist tax', here’s what to expect in Italy this week.

Published: 21 April 2024 08:07 CEST
People gathered by Rome's Cestia Pyramid to celebrate Italy's Liberation Day on April 25th 2023.
People gathered by Rome's Cestia Pyramid to celebrate Italy's Liberation Day on April 25th 2023. Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP

Monday

Train strikes in Lombardy and Veneto

Staff at Trenord, which operates regional trains in the Lombardy region, were set to strike from 3am on Monday, April 22nd to 2am on Tuesday, April 23rd for a total of 23 hours.

Trenord stated that regional services, including airport links, may be subject to “changes and/or cancellations” but minimum services were guaranteed to operate from 6am to 9am, and from 6pm to 9pm on Monday. 

Should airport train services be cancelled, replacement buses will run the same routes, the statement said. See Trenord’s website or app for the latest updates.

Trenitalia staff in the Veneto region also planned to strike on Monday, with the walkout set to start at 9am and end at 5pm.

Both interregional and regional services headed to or departing from cities and towns in Veneto may experience delays or cancellations over the course of the strike, according to the latest media reports.

Trenitalia will operate a number of guaranteed services (servizi garantiti) during the strike. See their website for further details. 

Spring’s shooting stars

The Lyrid meteor shower, one of spring’s most fascinating celestial events, is expected to peak during the night between Monday, April 22nd and Tuesday, April 23rd, with an average of 20 meteors expected to cross the sky every hour  

The phenomenon will be visible to the naked eye, though strong lunar light may ‘conceal’ some of the weaker meteors this year.

The best way to catch the shooting stars is to find Vega, the brightest star in the Lyra constellation, which appears in the eastern section of the night sky this time of the year, and wait for the magic to happen. Should you have a hard time finding the star, the Mappa Stellare mobile app might be able to help you.

Thursday

Italy commemorates the fall of Fascism

Thursday, April 25th is Liberation Day (or Festa della Liberazione), which is when Italians celebrate the fall of the Fascist regime and the end of German occupation.

Liberation Day is a national public holiday in Italy, meaning that you’ll get a day off for it. Public offices, schools and most shops will be closed on the day, while state-run museums and archaeological sites will be open, with free admission for all visitors. 

READ ALSO: Why does Italy celebrate Liberation Day on April 25th?

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

Liberation Day is one of Italy’s most heartfelt national holidays and is marked by official ceremonies as well as marches featuring renditions of the Bella Ciao anthem.

Venice introduces controversial ‘tourist tax’

Venice will run the first trial of its new fee system for day trippers from Thursday, April 25th to to Sunday, May 5th.

Day trippers (or turisti giornalieri) looking to access Venice between 8.30am and 4pm on these dates will have to pay a five-euro entry fee under local authorities’ plans to regulate crowds and lessen the impact of mass tourism on the city. 

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How will Venice’s ‘tourist tax’ work?

Though early plans suggested day trippers would be able to pay the fee at various info points around the city, the charge can currently only be paid by registering on a new online portal.

Besides the 11-day period from April 25th to May 5th, the fee will come into force on all of the remaining weekends in May and June as well as the first two weekends of July.

Friday

Street Photo Festival in Rome

The sixth edition of Italy’s Street Photo Festival will return to Rome on Friday, April 26th, giving photography enthusiasts a chance to attend three days of workshops, photowalks, talks, and exhibitions.

Among the highlights of this year’s festival, renowned English photojournalist Martin Parr will hold a talk at 7.30pm on Saturday, with admission being free of charge. 

Further info on this and other scheduled events can be found here.

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For members

WHAT CHANGES IN ITALY

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

From Labour Day celebrations to free museum openings, here’s what to expect in Italy this week.

Published: 28 April 2024 09:32 CEST
On the agenda: What’s happening in Italy this week

Monday

Italy celebrates its patron saint

Italians will celebrate Catherine of Siena – one of the country’s two patron saints together with Francis of Assisi – on Monday, April 29th.

Saint Catherine’s feast day will be a special occasion for many around Italy, particularly for people in the saint’s hometown of Siena, Tuscany, where the observance will be marked by a number of events and religious functions spread over the entire week.

Tuesday

Airbnb bans indoor surveillance cameras

Surveillance cameras will no longer be allowed inside Airbnb rentals from Tuesday, April 30th, 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 Tuesday, but will have to clearly specify where they are stationed.

Wednesday 

Labour Day celebrations

Wednesday, 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, which means a day off for many around the country. 

People enjoy a sunny day at Rome's Villa Ada park

People enjoy a sunny day at Rome’s Villa Ada park on May 1st 2014. Photo by ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP

Offices and schools will be closed on the day, while most state-run museum and archaeological sites will remain open.

READ ALSO: What’s open and what’s closed in Italy on May 1st 2024

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 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.

May 1st concert in Rome

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

The event, which is the largest free live music concert in Europe, will take place at the 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.

Friday 

Nationwide rail maintenance staff strike

Train passengers around the country may experience disruption on Friday, May 3rd as rail maintenance staff at Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI), which owns and manages all of Italy’s railway network, plan to strike for 24 hours. 

The protest, which is backed by some of Italy’s largest trade unions, may affect the normal operation of both regional trains and long-distance services operated by Trenitalia and Italo.

Further information about the protest and its impact on rail travel is expected to become available closer to the date of the walkout. You can keep up with all the latest updates in our strike news section. 

Saturday

Giro d’Italia gets underway

The 2024 edition of the Giro d’Italia – one of the world’s most prestigious bicycle races – 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.

READ ALSO: A quick guide to understanding the Giro d’Italia

French rider Alex Baudin pictured during the 20th stage of the Giro d'Italia race in May 2023

French rider Alex Baudin pictured during the 20th stage of the Giro d’Italia race in May 2023. Photo by Luca BETTINI / AFP

If you’re in Genoa on May 8th, Naples on the 12th, Padua on the 23rd, or Rome on the 26th, you’ll have the opportunity to see a leg of the race in person. More information is available here.

Sunday

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.

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