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WHAT CHANGES IN ITALY

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

New traffic restrictions in Milan, railway strikes and protests over soaring bills: here are the key events in Italy that you should know about.

Published: 3 October 2022 09:28 CEST
Milan, city centre.
New traffic laws will come into effect in Milan on Monday, with several classes of vehicles being banned from entering the city’s traffic-restricted area on weekdays. Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP

Monday

New traffic restrictions in Milan – New traffic laws will come into effect in Milan starting from Monday, October 3rd, with several classes of vehicles being banned from entering the city’s traffic-restricted area (zona traffico limitato or ZTL) from 7.30am to 7.30pm on all weekdays.

The new ban, which Milan’s authorities have introduced in an effort to reduce emissions in the city centre, will apply to non-eco-friendly vehicles.

READ ALSO: ‘It takes time’: Foreign residents on what it’s really like to live in Milan

To find out whether your car will be able to enter Milan’s ZTL from Monday, please consult the Comune di Milano website.

Modena Cento Ore – The first leg of the Modena Cento Ore (Modena 100 hours), one of Italy’s most anticipated vintage car meets, will start on Monday, October 3rd, in Milano Marittima, Emilia-Romagna. 

As usual, the five-day festival, which is currently in its 22nd edition, will offer classic car enthusiasts a rich events programme, including city parades, road trips across some of Italy’s most fascinating countryside landscapes and races on legendary circuits such as Misano and Mugello. 

The Modena Cento Ore’s full programme is available here, whereas the application form to take part in the event can be downloaded here. 

Tuesday

Fourth-dose bookings in Tuscany – On Tuesday, October 4th bookings to receive the second booster shot (also known as ‘fourth dose’) against Covid will be extended to all Tuscany residents above the age of 12.

A patient being administered a Covid jab.

After a recent uptick in infections, Tuscany will now offer the second booster shot (or fourth dose) to all residents over the age of 12. Photo by Pascal GUYOT / AFP

So far, the second booster shot has only been offered to healthcare workers, at-risk individuals and over-60s. 

READ ALSO: Italy eases Covid measures ahead of new government

But, given the recent uptick in infections across the region, Tuscany’s president, Eugenio Giano, has chosen to extend the vaccination campaign to the rest of the resident population except for children under 12.

Thursday

PD’s board meets after election defeat – The Italian Democratic Party’s board will convene on Thursday, October 6th to officially start discussions over the new party leadership.

The PD suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Italy’s right-wing coalition in the September 25th elections, where they received only 19 percent of votes.

READ ALSO: Italy’s Meloni begins tricky government talks after election win

Following the vote, PD leader Enrico Letta – who’s since been identified by many as the main responsible for his party’s election debacle – announced that he would not stand for leadership at the party’s next congress in March and would step down once a new capogruppo was found.

Weekend

Railway strike in Lombardy – Staff from railway company Trenord will hold a 24-hour strike between 9pm on Saturday, October 8th and 9pm on Sunday, October 9th, with delays and/or cancellations expected to affect railway travel across the northern region of Lombardy. 

Empty railway station in Lombardy.

Staff from railway company Trenord will strike from 9pm on Saturday to 9pm on Sunday. Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP

According to the Italian Transport Ministry (MIT), the strike should only affect train services in Lombardy, though disruption to travel in surrounding regions cannot be ruled out at this time. 

On the day of strike, Trenord will not guarantee any minimum services except for trains headed for Milan’s Malpensa Airport, which, Trenord said, “in the event of cancellations, might be replaced by coaches”. 

New demonstration against energy bills surge – Members of Emilia-Romagna’s grassroots organisation Noi Non Paghiamo (‘we are not paying’) will take to the streets of Bologna on Saturday, October 8th to protest against the increase in gas and electricity bills of the past few months.

READ ALSO: Electricity bills in Italy to rise by 59 percent, says energy regulator

The group, which was born in early September after the Don’t Pay campaign gained momentum in the UK, has already engaged in a number of public demonstrations. 

Last Saturday, members of Noi Non Paghiamo gathered in front of the headquarters of national energy company ENI in Bologna and burned dozens of energy bills in a waste bin.

“It’ll be a long winter […] and it’s past time we all joined together,” the group wrote on their Telegram account after the demonstration.

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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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