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WHAT CHANGES IN ITALY

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

A new car bonus, schoolchildren's summer holidays, and elections for the EU Parliament: here's what to expect in Italy this week.

Published: 2 June 2024 06:28 CEST
A youth dives into the sea from a cliff in Manarola, Liguria
A youth dives into the sea from a cliff in Manarola, Liguria. Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP

Monday

Italy launches new car bonus 

Italy’s government is set to launch a planned round of incentives for the purchase of low-emission vehicles on Monday, June 3rd.

The scheme, which is designed to boost the country’s electric car industry and tackle air pollution, offers discounts of up to 13,750 euros for motorists buying vehicles with CO2 emissions between 0 and 160 grams per kilometre. 

First announced in early February, the bonus follows a series of similar discounts made available in 2022 and 2023 and is set to run with a fund of 950 million euros in total.

For detailed information on exactly which categories of vehicles the bonus will apply to and how much you can claim, see our guide.

Nationwide rail maintenance staff strike

Rail passengers in Italy may face delays or cancellations on Monday, June 3rd as track maintenance staff at Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI), which owns and manages all of Italy’s railway network, plan to take part in a 24-hour walkout. 

The protest, which is backed by some of Italy’s largest trade unions, may impact both regional and long-distance services operated by state-owned Trenitalia, as well as trains from private operator Italo.

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

You can keep up with the latest updates in The Local’s strike news section.

Wednesday

Nationwide taxi strike

Cab services around Italy may be significantly limited on Wednesday, June 5th and Thursday, June 6th as taxi drivers plan to strike from 8am to 10pm (for a total of 14 hours) on both days.

Taxi drivers pictured during a protest in Rome

Taxi drivers pictured during a protest in Rome. Photo by ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP

The walkout was called last Monday in protest against a planned reform of the taxi sector aimed at reducing long-standing cab shortages ahead of the 2025 Jubilee Year.

The reform includes the issuance of new taxi licences and the creation of ride-hailing digital platforms – changes that Italy’s cab drivers have long opposed.

Thursday

Start of school summer holidays

Children in Emilia Romagna, Marche and Aosta Valley will be the first to go on holiday this year as the 2023/2024 school year is set to end on Thursday, June 6th in those regions.

Pupils in other Italian regions will all follow suit over the following week, with kids in the autonomous Bolzano province being the last to go on their summer vacanze on Friday, June 14th.

Italian schools all start their summer break in the first half of June, but the exact dates vary from region to region and tend to change each year.

Friday

Verona’s Arena Opera Festival begins 

Verona’s Arena Opera Festival – one of the highlights of Italy’s cultural calendar every summer – will open on Friday, June 7th and run until September 7th.

Musicians pictured during a rehearsal before a concert at Verona's Arena

Musicians pictured during a rehearsal before a concert at Verona’s Arena. Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP

This season, opera buffs will have the opportunity to see performances of The Barber of Seville, Carmen, Aida, La Bohème and Tosca, among other classics, against the backdrop of Verona’s ancient Roman amphitheatre.

READ ALSO: Nine unmissable events in Italy in summer 2024

For detailed information on all scheduled events and tickets, see the festival’s website. 

Saturday

EU Parliament elections 

Polling for the EU Parliament elections will take place on Saturday, June 8th and Sunday, June 9th in Italy.

Polling stations will be set up in the same places as for national and local elections – usually town halls, schools and leisure centres – though voters are advised to check their town hall’s website or social channels for all the latest information.

READ ALSO: Can foreign residents in Italy vote in the European elections?

Non-Italian citizens who are living in Italy can only vote if they have citizenship of an EU country. For example, Irish citizens living in Italy can vote in the European elections, whereas Brits, Americans, Canadians, Australians, etc. cannot.

Summer concerts at Pompeii amphitheatre

A total of ten concerts will take place in Pompeii’s ancient Roman amphitheater over the summer, with a show from Italian artist Carmen Consoli opening the programme on Saturday, June 8th.

Born out of a partnership between Italy’s culture ministry and local authorities, the Pompeii is Art festival will feature acts of the caliber of John Legend, Ludovico Einaudi and Il Volo over the summer. 

Built around 70 BC, Pompeii’s amphitheatre is one of the oldest surviving Roman gladiator arenas in the world, predating Rome’s Colosseum by about 100 years. Believed to have originally held some 20,000 spectators, it seats around 12,000 today.

For further info on all dates and tickets, see Pompeii’s website.

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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 news@thelocal.it

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