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WHAT CHANGES IN ITALY

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

EU election results, a G7 summit in Puglia and a nationwide train strike: here's what to expect in Italy this week.

Published: 9 June 2024 08:42 CEST
Train passengers leave Venice's Santa Lucia station
Train passengers leave Venice's Santa Lucia station. Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP

Monday

EU election results 

The official results of the 2024 European Parliament elections are expected to be announced by the end of Monday, June 10th, though live seat projections should be available as early as Sunday evening.

A total of 720 members will be elected to the European Parliament as MEPs for a five-year mandate, with voters in Italy electing 76 seats (Italy’s the third most represented country after Germany and France).

Following the vote, the newly-elected MEPs will form political groups based on shared beliefs and affiliations.

READ ALSO: 10 things you should know about the European Parliamentary elections

The European People’s Party (EPP), the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and the liberals of Renew Europe currently make up the parliamentary majority, but this may change after the elections, especially if right and far-right parties end up making significant gains as suggested by polls.

Thursday

G7 leaders meet in Puglia

Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) – an intergovernmental political and economic forum consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK and US – will meet in Fasano, Puglia, on Thursday, June 13th for a three-day summit chaired by Italian PM Meloni.

According to a statement from the Italian government, G7 leaders will use the summit to reiterate their support for Ukraine, address de-escalation efforts for the Israel-Palestine conflict and draw up new partnerships with developing economies in Africa. 

The event will also feature a conference on the challenges presented by artificial intelligence, with Pope Francis set to be among the participants. 

Saturday

Italy takes on Albania in Euro 2024 debut

The Italian national football team will play its opening match in the 2024 European Championship against Albania on Saturday, June 15th. 

Players of the Italian national football team sing the national anthem prior to a match against Venezuela

Players of the Italian national football team sing the national anthem prior to a match against Venezuela. Photo by CLAUDIO VILLA / Getty Images via AFP

The game will be held at the BVB Stadion in Dortmund, with kickoff set for 9pm Italian time.

For info on how to watch the upcoming Euro 2024 matches in Italy, see our article.

Rome Pride celebrations

The 2024 edition of the annual Rome Pride will take place on Saturday, June 15th. 

The event’s traditional parade will start in the central Piazza della Repubblica at 3pm and then head south towards this year’s Pride village, located right by the Baths of Caracalla. 

The parade will be followed by a number of events, including live music shows, talks and film screenings.

It’s worth noting that the scheduled parade may result in road closures and changes to public transport routes during the day. See the Roma Mobilità website for all the relevant updates. 

Calcio Storico final in Florence

The final act of Florence’s annual Calcio Storico (Historical Football) tournament – one of the most eagerly awaited events in the city’s sports calendar – will unfold in the central Piazza Santa Croce on Saturday, June 15th.

The tournament’s final match usually coincides with the feast day of the city’s patron saint, John the Baptist, on June 24th, but was brought forward this year due to local elections.

The Calcio Storico is an early – and very violent – form of football, whose origins date back to the early 16th century.

Players pictured during a Calcio Storico match in Florence

Players pictured during a Calcio Storico match in Florence. Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP

Further details about the upcoming match can be found here.

Sunday

Nationwide rail staff strike

Train passengers in Italy may face delays or cancellations on Sunday, June 16th as staff at multiple rail operators, including Trenitalia and Trenord, plan to take part in a 23-hour walkout starting at 3am on Sunday and ending at 2am on Monday.

The planned protest is expected to affect all types of rail travel, from long-distance services to regional and local ones, with the overall level of disruption likely to vary by city and operator.

READ ALSO: Key dates: The transport strikes to expect in Italy in summer 2024

It’s currently unclear whether or not services from private operator Italo will be affected by the protest.

Keep up with the latest updates in The Local’s strike news section.

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For members

WHAT CHANGES IN ITALY

What changes in Italy in July 2024

From transport strikes to summer music festivals, here’s what to expect in Italy over the coming month.

Published: 26 June 2024 14:40 CEST
What changes in Italy in July 2024

Deadline to switch energy supplier

Customers on certain types of Italian electricity contracts have until Monday, July 1st to switch to a new provider or contract of their choice.

Italy’s mercato tutelato, or ‘protected market’ contracts based on state-controlled tariffs are being phased out this year under an EU push to liberalise the Italian energy market, meaning customers on this type of contract are being asked to choose a mercato libero, or ‘free market’ contract instead.

Those who don’t make the switch themselves by the start of July will be automatically assigned to a new supplier and placed under a three-year ‘gradual protection contract’ (or servizio a tutele graduali). 

Rome metro A closures and fares going up

The cost of a standard 100-minute ticket for Rome’s public transport network is set to jump from €1.50 to €2 from Monday, July 1st.

A day pass will go from €7 to €9.30, a two-day ticket from €12.50 to €16.70, a 72-hour ticket from €18 to €24, and a weekly ticket from €24 to €32.

READ ALSO: The rail and metro closures to expect in Rome this summer

Meanwhile the Spagna stop on the city’s metro A line is set to close from Monday, July 15th to October 3rd, while the Ottaviano stop will close from Monday, July 22nd to September 9th.

Start of summer sales

Italy has two major government-regulated sales seasons in the summer and winter. For all Italian regions except the autonomous provinces of Trento and Bolzano, this year’s summer sales will start on Saturday, July 6th. 

The saldi estivi are by far the favourite time of the year for shoppers as retailers apply generous discounts (from 20 to 50 to 70 percent in some cases).

READ ALSO: When do Italy’s sales start in summer 2024?

Trento and Bolzano decide their own sales periods independently from the rest of the country, with start and end dates often varying from town to town: you can find the dates for individual towns in Bolzano here.

A pedestrian walks by a shop window displaying sales notices in Turin

A pedestrian walks by a shop window displaying sales notices in Turin. Photo by Marco BERTORELLO / AFP

Travel disruption

Airline, rail and public transport passengers are all set to face further travel disruption in July as Italian unions have already called a number of strikes for the coming weeks. 

Besides several local and regional walkouts, the following three national demonstrations are currently expected to cause the greatest amount of disruption to people in the country:

READ ALSO: Key dates: The transport strikes to expect in Italy in summer 2024

  • Friday, July 5th: airport handling staff strike affecting a number of Italian airports.
  • July 6th-7th: 24-hour national train strike from 9pm on Saturday, July 6th to 9pm on Sunday, July 7th. 
  • Thursday, July 18th: four-hour nationwide local transport strike.

For further details about these and ther summer walkouts and how they may affect your travel plans, see our summer strike calendar. 

Special evening openings of national heritage sites  

From villas and manors to castles and abbeys, a number of attractions around the country will be open outside of normal opening hours this month as part of the Italian National Trust’s Sere d’Estate (‘Summer Evenings’) initiative.

Historic gems such as Castello della Manta in the Cottian Alps, Milan’s Necchi-Campiglio Villa, and the beautiful Kolymbethra Garden in Agrigento, Sicily will be just some of the attractions letting visitors in after sundown in July.

The Sere d’Estate project is set to run until early September.

Castello della Manta is one of the sites opening to visitors after hours in July. Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP.

Summer festivals

Summer in Italy is full of events and festivals celebrating music and culture, and July is when many of them kick off in earnest.

Italy residents and visitors can look forward to the Umbria Jazz Festival, held in Perugia from July 12th-21st, and the Two Worlds Festival in Spoleto from June 28th-July 14th.

READ ALSO: Nine unmissable events in Italy in summer 2024

Running throughout the month of July and into the start of August, Rome’s outdoor Caracalla Festival features opera, dance and orchestral performances; while Verona’s celebrated Arena Opera Festival, held in an ancient Roman amphitheatre, runs until early September.

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