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WHAT CHANGES IN ITALY

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

Airline and airport staff strikes, a cap on tourist group sizes in Venice and Republic Day celebrations: here's what to expect in Italy this week.

Published: 26 May 2024 07:38 CEST
Members of Italy's Corrazzieri guard pictured in front of Rome's Colosseum
Members of Italy's Corrazzieri guard pictured in front of Rome's Colosseum during a military parade marking Italy's Republic Day. Photo by Paolo Giandotti / QUIRINALE PRESS OFFICE / AFP

Tuesday

Airline and airport staff strikes

People flying to or from Italy may face disruption on Tuesday, May 28th, due to a number of planned airline and ground airport staff strikes. 

Cabin staff at Air Dolomiti – a subsidiary of Lufthansa which operates a number of routes from northern Italy to Germany and vice versa – plan to strike for 24 hours, whereas staff at budget carrier Wizz Air plan a four-hour strike, from 1pm to 5pm. 

Scheduled flights from both airlines may experience delays and/or cancellations during the day, though services from 7am to 10am and from 6pm to 9pm will go ahead as normal according to Italy’s Civil Aviation Authority. 

On the same day, handling staff at a number of airports around the country, including Linate and Malpensa in Milan and Venice’s Marco Polo airport, will take part in a 24-hour walkout. 

The protest may result in delays or cancellations at the involved airport hubs, according to Italian media reports.

Follow the latest updates in The Local’s strike news section.

Wednesday

Fiorentina take on Olympiacos in Conference League final

Florence-based team Fiorentina will take on Greek side Olympiacos in the final act of this year’s Conference League – Europe’s third-tier football tournament after the Champions League and Europa League – at the Agia Sophia stadium in Athens on Wednesday, May 29th.

Football fans in Italy will be able to watch the final for free on TV8 (channel eight on Italian TV sets). Kickoff is set for 9pm Italian time.

Thursday

Civil Protection to run earthquake evacuation tests in Campi Flegrei

Italy’s Civil Protection Department will run a series of planned seismic evacuation tests in Italy’s volcanic Campi Flegrei area, on Thursday, May 30th and Friday, May 31st after the region was hit by a flurry of around 150 tremors, including a powerful 4.4-magnitude quake, last Monday.

The tests are set to involve residents of Pozzuoli and Bagnoli, and will simulate a ‘type-3 situation’ – the worst possible scenario in the event of a quake. 

Located just west of Naples, the Campi Flegrei is an active volcanic caldera – the hollow left after an eruption – which is estimated to be home to around 350,000 people. 

Though the region is no stranger to quakes, seismic activity has intensified in the past two years, raising fears of an imminent eruption.

READ ALSO: Do scientists think the Campi Flegrei will actually erupt anytime soon?

Saturday

Venice to limit tourist group size and ban loudspeakers

A planned cap on the size of tourist groups will come into force in Venice from Saturday, June 1st as part of local authorities’ efforts to reduce the pressure of thousands of visitors crowding squares, bridges and narrow calli every day, and improve the lives of locals. 

Under the measure, groups visiting the city’s historic centre and the nearby islands of Burano, Murano and Torcello, will be limited to a maximum of 25 people in a bid to promote “sustainable tourism” and ensure “the protection and safety of the city,” according to Venice’s safety councillor Elisabetta Pesce.

A view of Venice's Saint Marl's Square

A view of Venice’s Saint Marl’s Square in June 2019. Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP

A ban on loudspeakers will also come into force on Saturday to prevent “confusion and disturbance” in the city, Pesce said.

The measures will be introduced one and a half months after Venice launched its trial of a contested five-euro entry charge for day trippers visiting the city on a total of 29 dates in 2024.

Sunday

Republic Day celebrations

On Sunday, June 2nd, Italy marks Republic Day (or Festa della Repubblica) – a national public holiday commemorating the birth of the Italian Republic as we have it today.

Republic Day marks the date in 1946 when Italians voted in a referendum to abolish the then 85-year-old monarchy, which had fallen out of favour due to its close alignment with Mussolini’s fascist regime, and establish a democratic republic.

Unfortunately, this year’s Republic Day falls on a Sunday, meaning it won’t give people in the country an extra day off.

That said, plenty of celebrations will take place on the day, especially in Rome, where an official ceremony attended by head of state Sergio Mattarella will be followed by a military parade along the Fori Imperiali and by a flyover from Italy’s Frecce Tricolori jets.

Free museum openings

People around Italy will be able to visit state-run museums and archaeological sites free of charge on Sunday, June 2nd 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 out more about how the scheme works in our article.

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For members

WHAT CHANGES IN ITALY

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

A key tax date for homeowners and a parliamentary vote on controversial electoral reform: here's what to expect in Italy this week.

Published: 16 June 2024 08:22 CEST
On the agenda: What's happening in Italy this week

Monday

Italy’s property tax deadline

Homeowners will have until the end of Monday, June 17th, to pay the first instalment of Italy’s property tax IMU (Imposta Municipale Unica, or Unified Municipal Tax). 

The first IMU deadline normally falls on June 16th but it was moved to June 17th this year as June 16th is a Sunday.

IMU, whose exact amount varies by the type, value and location of a property, is not owed by all homeowners in Italy. To see whether or not the tax applies to you, see our article. 

Tax return deadline for Americans living abroad

US nationals living outside the States, including in Italy, must file their annual federal income tax return by Monday, June 17th this year.

The standard deadline for American taxpayers living in the States is April 15th, but foreign residents are granted an automatic two-month extension to June 15th. As June 15th fell on a Saturday this year, the deadline was moved to the nearest following working day: June 17th.

READ ALSO: Do US nationals in Italy have to pay taxes twice?

Foreign residents who are unable to file their tax return by the automatic extension date can request an additional extension to October 15th.

A closeup of an American 1040 income tax form

A closeup of an American 1040 income tax form. Photo by JOE RAEDLE / Getty Images via AFP

Tuesday

Voter registration deadline for Brits 

British nationals anywhere in the world have until 11.59pm British Summer Time on Tuesday, June 18th, to register to vote in the July 4th general election. 

Most voters can register online, with the process taking around 5 minutes. If you previously were disbarred from voting due to the 15-year rule, you should register here.

READ ALSO: How Brits living in Europe can register to vote for UK election

If you live outside the UK, you’ll also have to choose how you want to vote after registering. There are two options: a postal vote, where you’re sent a ballot paper that will need to reach the polls by polling day, or a proxy vote, where a UK-based voter you trust can vote on your behalf.

The deadlines to choose your voting option can be found here.

Senate to vote on contested electoral reform bill

Italy’s upper house of parliament will vote on a controversial electoral reform bill on Tuesday after senators approved one of its key articles last Wednesday.

The reform, which proposes an overhaul of the current electoral system by allowing voters to directly elect the prime minister, is seen as necessary for Italy’s political stability by PM Giorgia Meloni. 

But critics have said that the proposed system isn’t found in any other democratic nation in the world and would dangerously deplete the President of the Republic’s powers.

A constitutional reform in Italy must be approved by a two-thirds majority in both houses of parliament, or else be put to a referendum. Meloni’s coalition currently lacks such a majority in both houses.

Opposition parties to stage Rome protest after parliament brawl

Italy’s opposition parties will stage a protest in Rome on Tuesday after a brawl in the lower house of parliament last Wednesday resulted in a Five-Star Movement MP being injured and needing medical attention.

The rally, which is backed by the Five-Star Movement, the Democratic Party, the Green-Left Alliance and More Europe, was called in response to “a climate of continuous intimidation” enforced by the ruling majority. 

The protest was scheduled to take place in Rome’s Piazza Santissimi Apostoli at 5.30pm.

Thursday

Italy takes on Spain in second Euro 2024 match

The Italian national football team will face Spain in its second group stage match of the 2024 European Championship on Thursday, June 20th.

The game will be held at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen, with kickoff set for 9pm Italian time.

For details on how to watch Euro 2024 matches in Italy, see our guide.

Saturday

Venice Art Night

Venice will put on a full programme of cultural events and special evening openings on Saturday, June 22nd, as part of the 13th edition of the popular Art Night scheme.

From museums and galleries to palaces and art foundations, some 150 institutions around the city will keep their doors open to the public until late, with many offering free admission. 

Tickets at select cinemas around the city will also be sold at a discounted price of 3 euros.

For more information on this year’s programme, see the Venice Art Night website. 

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