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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 a nationwide public transport strike to talks over a contested electoral reform, here’s what to expect in Italy this week.

Published: 5 May 2024 10:23 CEST
On the agenda: What's happening in Italy this week

Monday

Nationwide public transport strike 

Commuters in Italy may face delays and/or cancellations on Monday, May 6th as staff at public transport operators around the country plan to strike for 24 hours. 

The protest, which is backed by some of Italy’s largest transport unions, may affect the normal operation of bus, subway and tram services but shouldn’t impact scheduled interregional and long-distance train journeys. 

The level of disruption caused by the walkout will vary from city to city, with services in large metropolitan areas currently expected to be among the most heavily affected. 

READ ALSO: The transport strikes that will hit travel in Italy in May 2024

All public transport operators in Italy are required to provide a number of ‘minimum services’ (servizi minimi) during strikes, but their exact times will vary by city and operator. 

Rai journalists’ 24-hour strike 

Scheduled TV and radio programmes from Italy’s state network Rai may be subject to changes at the start of this week as journalists with the broadcaster plan to take part in a 24-hour strike starting at 5.30pm on Monday, May 6th and ending at 5.30pm on Tuesday, May 7th. 

The walkout was called by reporters’ trade union Usigrai in late April in protest against “the suffocating control” exerted over their work by the current right-wing administration and recent attempts “to reduce Rai to a megaphone for the government”, the union said.

Discussions over Rai’s independence aren’t new in Italy but fresh accusations of censorship erupted last month after the network cancelled the appearance of high-profile author Antonio Scurati, who planned to give an antifascist speech on one of its talk shows ahead of Italy’s Liberation Day on April 25th.

Tennis fever in Rome

The 2024 edition of the Internazionali d’Italia – Italy’s most prestigious tennis tournament – will unfold at Rome’s Foro Italico venue from Monday, May 6th to Sunday, May 19th.

A general view of the Nicola Pietrangeli court during the Internazionali di Roma tennis tournament

A view of the Nicola Pietrangeli court during the Internazionali di Roma tennis tournament in May 2023. Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP

Rome’s city council has estimated that some 350,000 tennis fans will attend this year’s tournament.

Wednesday

Senate to discuss plan for direct election of PM

Italy’s upper chamber of parliament will discuss a contested draft law proposing an overhaul of the country’s electoral system on Wednesday, May 8th. 

The reform, which was first drafted by the right-wing Forza Italia party last November, would change article 92 of the Italian Constitution, allowing voters to directly elect the prime minister.  

Under the current system, parties engage in government-formation talks after a general election and the parliamentary majority agrees on a figure to become premier pending the head of state’s approval.

The draft law has so far been the object of harsh criticism, with critics saying that the proposed system isn’t found in any other democratic nation in the world and the direct election of the PM would dangerously deplete the president of the republic’s powers.

Thursday

Turin’s International Book Fair

The Salone Internazionale del Libro – Italy’s largest book fair – will return to Turin’s Lingotto Fiere exhibition space on Thursday, May 9th.

As usual, the festival will feature a variety of talks, shows and workshops, with Vita Immaginaria (‘Imaginary Life’) being the central theme of this year’s edition.

Further info on the event can be found here.

Sunday

Air traffic controllers’ strike at Milan’s Malpensa airport

Passengers flying to or from Milan’s Malpensa airport may face disruption on Sunday, May 12th as staff at air traffic control agency Enav plan to strike from 1pm to 5pm.

An interior view of Terminal 1 at Milan's Malpensa Airport

An interior view of Terminal 1 at Milan’s Malpensa Airport in March 2008. Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE / AFP

At the time of writing, no airline had announced changes to the departure or arrival time of scheduled flights to or from Malpensa on Sunday, but potential delays or cancellations couldn’t be ruled out. 

All passengers planning to fly to or from Malpensa on May 12th are advised to check the status of their journey with the relevant airline before setting off.

Mother’s Day

Sunday, May 12th will mark Italy’s Mother’s Day (or Festa della Mamma in Italian).

Formally established in 1958, Italy’s Mother’s Day originally fell on May 8th but was moved to the second Sunday of May in 2000 to align the Italian calendar with the American one.

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