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WHAT CHANGES IN ITALY

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

From public holidays to food festivals, here are the key events happening in Italy this week that you should know about.

Published: 5 December 2022 11:06 CET
Milanese residents get a public holiday this week to celebrate their patron saint day.
Milanese residents get a public holiday this week to celebrate their patron saint day. Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP.

Monday

Ischia schools reopens – Primary schools will reopen in Ischia on Monday, just over a week after a deadly landslide that has so far claimed at least 11 lives led to evacuations and closures.

In a press conference on Saturday, Ischia commissioner Giovanni Legnini said that around one thousand of the island’s displaced residents were staying with friends and relatives, with over 400 more in hotels or independent accommodation.

High schools on the island are due to reopen on Wednesday.

Tuesday

Booking opens for Orient Express – Wealthy travellers looking for an Agatha Christie-style experience can book tickets for a ride on Italy’s new ‘La Dolce Vita’ Orient Express on Tuesday – a full two years before it sets off for the first time.

The train will reportedly have six different itineraries, from the Alps to the beaches of southern Italy, and incorporate 12 deluxe cabins, 18 suites, one La Dolce Vita suite, and a restaurant with 5-star service.

Passengers wanting to make an advance booking will need to pay a €500 deposit, with tickets starting at €2,000 per night.

Italy will get its own Orient Express luxury train service - in two years' time.

Italy will get its own Orient Express luxury train service – in two years’ time. Photo by Roslan RAHMAN / AFP.

Wednesday 

Day off in Milan – December 7th is a public holiday in Milan as residents commemorate their beloved patron saint, St Ambrose.

The annual Festa di Sant’Ambrogio gives residents an opportunity to catch up with family and friends and unofficially marks the start of the festive season in the northern metropolis.

READ ALSO: Why do Milan residents get a day off on December 7th?

On the day, families get together to celebrate in the best way known to Italians: with a big lunch, featuring local delicacies including Milanese-style risotto, mondeghili (meatballs) and rostin negàa (veal cutlets).

And the city has no shortage of events and activities to enjoy after the feast.

Thursday

National public holiday – Thursday, December 8th is a public holiday throughout Italy as residents celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, which commemorates the conception of the Virgin Mary.

Most Italian families celebrate with a big lunch, and may hold firework displays or light bonfires outside. 

READ ALSO: Why is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception a holiday in Italy?

December 8th unofficially marks the beginning of the Christmas period, with most towns putting up their Christmas lights on the day and pretty much everything in the country – especially administration-related procedures – noticeably slowing down from this point on.

This means you might want to get any important paperwork done before December 8th, or else you may have to wait until January 6th, when the Italian holidays officially end.

Friday

Abruzzo truffle festival – The first edition of the Abruzzo International Truffle Fair is set to take place from 9th-11th December in the region’s capital, L’Aquila.

The festival will involve 42 stalls and more than 60 companies, and will incorporate truffle-based food trucks, entertainment, master classes and seminars.

The event will be held in L’Aquila’s in the park surrounding the city’s 16th century castle, close to the historic centre.

L'Aquila in Abruzzo will host its first international truffle fair on December 9th-11th.

L’Aquila in Abruzzo will host its first international truffle fair on December 9th-11th. Photo by Valentine CHAPUIS / AFP.

Saturday

Modena food festival – The 11th edition of the ‘Zampone and Cotechino Modena’ Festival returns to Modena’s Piazza Roma from 9th-11th December, after two years of pandemic cancellations and restrictions.

Students from some of Italy’s leading catering schools will compete to make the most mouthwatering dish, turning the square into an open-air kitchen. This one’s not for vegetarians: zampone and cotechino are types of spiced, slow-cooked pork.

Massimo Bottura, the owner-chef of Modena’s three-Michelin-star restaurant Osteria Francescana, has reportedly picked the 10 best recipes submitted by participating student-chefs and will lead the jury judging the competition.

Sunday

Trenitalia winter timetable – Italy’s main train operator Trenitalia switches to a winter timetable from Sunday, December 11th.

New features include an increase in the number of Frecciarossa Rome-Milan non-stop fast trains, double-decker carriages with a capacity of 900 passengers, and podcasts with guides to the passenger’s destination, the company announced.

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WHAT CHANGES IN ITALY

What changes about life in Italy in October 2024

From the government’s 2025 budget plan to an income tax declaration deadline and a host of food festivals, here's what you can expect in Italy next month.

Published: 18 September 2024 16:10 CEST
What changes about life in Italy in October 2024

2025 budget plan

Italy’s government is currently busy working on its 2025 budget law, with the first draft due to be submitted to the EU by October 15th and then to the Italian parliament by October 20th.

That said, the initial draft is likely to be far from the final version as Italy’s lower house and senate have until the end of the year to revise its text.

The ruling coalition said in a joint statement in early September that the 2025 budget bill will “continue along the path of a serious, balanced budgetary policy,” concentrating the available resources on “families, businesses, young people and the birth rate”.

New ‘tourist trains’ link Rome with Assisi and Alba

Two new tourist-focused rail routes linking Rome with the mediaeval hill town of Assisi, in the central Umbria region, and Alba, a small town in the northern Piedmont region famous for its truffles, are set to launch in early October.

The two upcoming rail links are part of Italy’s Treni Turistici Italiani (‘Italian Tourist Trains’) – a series of new services intended by state-owned operator Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) as a way to boost train travel to popular holiday destinations, as well as lesser-known parts of the peninsula. You can see further details about the new routes here.

Autumn cultural heritage days

Hundreds of cultural sites across Italy will open their doors to the public on Saturday, October 12th, and Sunday, October 13th, under the popular Giornate FAI d’Autunno, or ‘FAI Autumn days’ – an event organised by cultural heritage society Fondo Ambiente Italiano (the Italian equivalent of the UK’s National Trust).

Many of the participating sites, including villas, castles, churches, abbeys, parks, and theatres, are not usually open to the public or are otherwise difficult to visit.

For details on the list of sites that will be included in this year’s Autumn Days, keep an eye on FAI’s website, which is due to be updated in the first week of October. 

Window to switch from summer to winter tyres opens

Under the Italian Highway Code, motorists are required to equip their vehicles with winter tires (or, alternatively, have snow chains on board) during the cold season.

The window to make the switch opens on October 15th, but the requirement and penalties for not following it only come into force on November 15th.

After the one-month window closes, drivers breaking the rules face hefty fines plus the requirement to undergo a revisione (the Italian equivalent of a UK MOT test).

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

Transport strikes

Italian trade unions have announced multiple protests for the first half of October, starting with a 24-hour nationwide public transport strike on October 5th. 

You can see a list of all planned walkouts in our autumn strike calendar. 

Local food festivals 

October is by far the month with the most sagre – harvest festivals or fairs centred around one particular food item local to the town hosting it.

A sagra has a fairly broad definition: it could last for several weeks or one day, and might consist of anything from lively celebrations with music and dancing to relaxed tasting experiences. All festivals however are centred on eating (or drinking) fresh local produce.

We rounded up some of the best sagre you can stop by next month here.

Clocks go back

Clocks will go back by one hour at 2am on Sunday, October 27th, as Italy and all other EU member states switch from daylight savings time to standard time.

This means you’ll get an extra hour in bed on Sunday, but the evenings will feel a lot darker after the time change.

Digital clocks on computers or phones should update automatically, but get ready to frantically search for the manual to your oven so you can figure out how to change its display on the 27th.

Income tax declaration deadline 

The window to file the modello persone fisiche (or modello PF) – Italy’s main income tax return form for self-employed individuals and foreign residents – will close on October 31st.

Taxpayers who are required to file the modello PF are strongly advised to keep the October deadline in mind as the Italian taxman shows little in the way of leniency when it comes to late filing and failure to file.

The main tax dates for the remainder of 2024 can be found in our calendar.

Halloween celebrations

Halloween is not as big in Italy as it is elsewhere – Italians traditionally celebrate All Saints (Ognissanti) on November 1st instead – but you can still expect to see kids dressed up in creepy costumes roam the neighbourhood on October 31st.

And, while the practice is not as ubiquitous as it is in the US, you may find you get a few mini ghouls or witches knocking on your door shouting “dolcetto o scherzetto!” (trick or treat).

Do you know about any other events or activities happening in October that you think we should feature? Let us know in the comments section below or via email at [email protected]

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