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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 the start of tax filing season to a nationwide taxi drivers' strike, here's what to expect in Italy this week.

Published: 19 May 2024 09:17 CEST
On the agenda: What's happening in Italy this week

Monday

Start of Italy’s tax filing season

Monday, May 20th is the earliest date from which some taxpayers in Italy can begin to submit their yearly income tax returns via form 730 (or modello 730).

There are two types of income tax declaration form in Italy: generally speaking, employees and retirees use form 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 modello redditi persone fisiche (‘natural persons’ income form’).

READ ALSO: When are the deadlines for filing your Italian income tax return?

You can find this year’s submission deadlines for both forms here.

Tuesday 

Nationwide taxi drivers’ strike 

Cab services around the country may be significantly limited on Tuesday, May 21st as taxi drivers plan to strike from 8am to 10pm, for a total of 14 hours.

The protest was called earlier this month in protest against a planned reform of the taxi sector aimed at resolving long-standing cab shortages and reducing waiting times for customers.

READ ALSO: Italy’s taxi drivers plan ‘biggest ever’ strike over planned industry reform

There are currently no details as to exactly how many drivers will participate in the walkout, but anyone planning to use taxi services on the day should be prepared to find alternative transportation.

Wednesday

Europa League final 

Bergamo-based team Atalanta will take on German side Bayer Leverkusen in the final act of this year’s Europa League – Europe’s second-biggest football competition after the Champions League – at the Aviva Arena in Dublin on Wednesday, May 22nd.

Football fans in Italy will be able to watch the final for free on Rai1 (channel one on Italian TV sets) or on Rai’s online streaming platform RaiPlay. Kickoff’s set for 9pm Italian time.

Thursday

32nd anniversary of Capaci bombing 

Thursday, May 23rd will mark the 32nd anniversary of the Capaci bombing (or strage di Capaci in Italian), a terror attack perpetrated by Sicily’s Cosa Nostra which killed anti-mafia magistrate Giovanni Falcone, his wife Francesca Morvillo and three police escort agents. 

Italian police officers stand in front of a memorial honouring anti-mafia judge Giovanni Falcone

Italian police officers stand in front of a memorial honouring anti-mafia judge Giovanni Falcone on the motorway leading to Palermo on May 23rd 2022. Photo by Alessandro FUCARINI / AFP

The May 1992 Capaci bombing is considered one of the darkest pages in recent Italian history but is also credited as having inspired a new generation of anti-mafia crusaders to carry on Falcone’s fight. 

A number of events including marches, talks, and special exhibitions will take place in major cities around the country on Thursday to honour the memory of those who were killed in the Capaci bombing, as well as all other mafia victims, including Falcone’s colleague and close friend Paolo Borsellino.

Friday

New trial hearing for Italian teacher held in Hungary

An Italian teacher currently held in Budapest for allegedly attacking a group of neo-Nazis in February 2023 will attend her first trial hearing after being granted house arrest on Friday, May 24th.

The case of 39-year-old Ilaria Salis, from Monza, north of Milan, has been front-page news in Italy in recent months after footage showing her in court with hands and feet shackled sparked widespread outrage in the country, with figures from both sides of the political spectrum protesting against her detention conditions. 

Salis was granted house arrest on Wednesday after her first home detention request had been denied on flight risk grounds. 

Sunday

Italy’s Giro d’Italia ends with Rome stage

The 2024 edition of the Giro d’Italia, Italy’s most prestigious cycling competition, will come to an end on Sunday, May 26th, with riders set to cross the finish line right by Rome’s monumental Fori Imperiali.

Bora Hansgrohe rider Sam Bennett celebrates as he crosses the finish line of the last stage of Italy's Giro d'Italia

Bora Hansgrohe rider Sam Bennett celebrates as he crosses the finish line of the last stage of Italy’s Giro d’Italia in May 2018 in Rome. Photo by LUK BENIES / AFP

The Rome stage of the Giro will once again attract thousands of cycling enthusiasts from all around the country, with fans expected to crowd both sides of the central Via San Gregorio just to get a glimpse of the final sprint. 

For further info about the event, see the Comune di Roma’s website and the Giro d’Italia Rome stage page.

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