Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

WHAT CHANGES IN ITALY

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

From transport strikes to a hotly-anticipated Berlusconi docuseries, here’s what to expect in Italy this week.

Published: 7 April 2024 07:34 CEST
Updated: 8 April 2024 09:18 CEST
On the agenda: What's happening in Italy this week
The 'Giro d'Abruzzo', modelled on the Giro d'Italian, is set to take place from Tuesday-Friday this week. Photo by Dario BELINGHERI / AFP.

Monday

Airport strikes

Some passengers may find their journeys disrupted on Monday as air traffic controllers at Italy’s Brindisi airport in the southern region of Puglia have announced a 24-hour strike on Monday, April 8th.

Air traffic control staff at Bari airport, also in Puglia, have also announced a four-hour walkout from 1pm to 5pm.

Flight staff of the regional airline Air Dolomiti, which operates under Lufthansa, have meanwhile said they will strike during the same 24-hour period.

Cancellations and delays are possible between 10am and 6pm, when flights are not protected under Italian law from strike action.

Early closures on Rome metro line A

Rome’s Metro A line will once again close early from April 8th until December 5th to allow maintenance work to be completed ahead of the Vatican’s Jubilee Year 2025, the city’s transport authority has confirmed.

The entire line will close at 9pm from Sunday to Thursday and passengers will be directed to use a replacement bus service.

On Fridays and Saturdays the line is to remain open until the usual time of 1.30am.

Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri said the work was “necessary to address the significant increase in demand for public transport” expected.

Tuesday 

Giro d’Abruzzo begins

The Giro d’Abruzzo – a regional version of the Giro d’Italia cycling championship – is set to kick off on Tuesday, April 9th, ending on Friday, April 12th in L’Aquila, Italy’s Capital of Culture for 2026.

The race will start in the seaside town of Vasto and move on to Chieti, where a number of schools will be closed from lunchtime onwards to make space for the race.

Thursday

Berlusconi docuseries to air on Netflix

A documentary series about the controversial business mogul and former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who died last June, is set to stream on Netflix from Thursday, April 11th.

Il Giovane Berlusconi (The Young Berlusconi), consists of three 50-minute episodes covering the politician’s trajectory from entrepreneur in the mid-70s to his entry into Italy’s political arena in 1994, and reportedly features previously unseen archival footage.

Il Giovane Berlusconi covers the period up until the showman leader’s entry into politics in 1994. Photo by PATRICK HERTZOG / AFP.

General transport strike

A four-hour general strike called by two of Italy’s largest workers’ unions is set to cause disruption to public transport services on Thursday, April 11th.

The strike, announced by the CGIL and UIL unions to protest for better worker safety conditions and an income tax reform, is expected to shut down some train services between 9am and 1pm. No further details were available at the time of writing.

Staff working for local transport providers, meanwhile, are expected to strike for different four-hour windows from city to city.

Sunday

Genoa half marathon

Genoa’s 21-kilometre half marathon is scheduled to take place on Sunday, April 14th, following a circular route that starts and finishes at the Porto Antico and takes in the city’s aquarium and the picturesque fishing village of Boccadasse.

In addition to the main race, there will also be a 4km family run and shorter 13 km run.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

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 news@thelocal.it

SHOW COMMENTS