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.

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.

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.