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WHAT CHANGES IN ITALY

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

From a nationwide public transport strike to the start of the school year in 12 regions and tennis Davis Cup matches in Bologna, here’s what to expect in Italy this week.

Published: 8 September 2024 08:05 CEST
Passengers pictured standing at a bus station during a nationwide transport strike
Passengers pictured standing at a bus station during a nationwide transport strike. Photo by ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP

Monday 

Eight-hour nationwide public transport strike

Public transport passengers may face delays or cancellations on Monday, September 9th, as staff at bus, tram and commuter train operators around the country plan to strike for eight hours. 

The timing and impact of the strike, which is backed by some of Italy’s main transport unions, will vary from city to city.

Even in the case of a highly disruptive strike however, some essential services (servizi minimi) are guaranteed to run at peak travel times. 

Ottaviano stop on Rome’s Metro A line reopens

The Ottaviano stop on Rome’s Metro A line will reopen on Monday, September 9th, after being shut for over one and a half months, according to the city’s public transport operator Atac.

The stop was closed on July 22nd to allow for planned maintenance and construction works ahead of the 2025 Jubilee Year, when the capital’s expected to welcome between 30 and 35 million visitors.

READ ALSO: The tram and metro closures to expect in Rome in autumn 2024

Two other Metro A stations – Spagna and Furio Camillo – will remain shut in September after closing on July 15th and August 19th respectively.

Besides planned metro station closures, Rome’s entire tram network will be replaced by buses from September 16th until November 3rd under efforts to upgrade key parts of the local tram infrastructure. 

School starts in 12 regions

Children in 12 Italian regions, including Lombardy, Veneto and Campania, will be filing back into their classrooms at different points this week.

Schools in the country are managed by regional authorities, which is why return dates vary depending on where you are in the country.

This year, the dates are:

  • September 5th: Bolzano province
  • September 9th: Trento province
  • September 11th: Piedmont, Veneto, Marche, Umbria, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Aosta Valle
  • September 12th: Lombardy, Campania, Sicily, Sardinia and Molise
  • September 16th: Lazio, Puglia, Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, Calabria, Liguria, Abruzzo and Basilicata

Tuesday

Bologna hosts 2024 Davis Cup group stage

The city of Bologna, in the northeastern Emilia Romagna region, will play host to Group A matches of the 2024 Davis Cup – the premier international team event in men’s tennis – from Tuesday, September 10th, to Saturday, September 15th. 

Belgium, Brazil, Italy and the Netherlands will compete in a round-robin format, with the top two teams progressing to the Davis Cup Final 8, which will take place in Malaga, Spain, from November 19th to November 24th.

All matches will played at the Unipol Arena, west of Bologna’s city centre. 

Further details about the matches and tickets can be found here.  

Wednesday 

Rome-Munich, Rome-Vienna sleeper trains resume 

Two sleeper trains linking Rome with Munich, Germany, and Vienna, Austria, will resume on Wednesday, September 11th, after stopping for over three months to allow for construction works on the Bologna-Prato section. 

The NJ294 night train is scheduled to depart from Rome’s Tiburtina station every day at 5.25pm, reaching Munich in just under 16 hours, with stops in Florence, Bologna and Salzburg. 

The NJ40294 train will also depart from Rome’s Tiburtina station every day at 5.25pm, calling at Florence, Bologna and Leoben before arriving in Vienna around 9am the following day. 

More details are available on Austrian rail operator OBB’s website. 

Sunday

Giostra della Quintana in Umbria

The Giostra della Quintana – an iconic medieval jousting tournament held twice a year in Foligno, Umbria – will take place on Sunday, September 15th.

READ ALSO: What’s on in Italy: 10 events not to miss this September

The joust will see ‘knights’ chosen from each of the city’s ten districts compete to ride their horse around a treacherous racetrack and insert their lance through a ring hanging from the arm of a statue of god Mars in the fastest time.

Foligno generally goes all out to celebrate the occasion, with townsfolk dressing up in baroque costumes, and taverns serving traditional 17th-century dishes in the days leading up to the tournament.

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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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