Italy public holidays 2023

Ellie Whyte

Updated on Dec 30 • 6 minute read

There’re plenty of national and regional holidays throughout Italy, thanks to its rich cultural and religious heritage. As an expat, it’s super helpful to keep these dates handy, not only to plan your holidays but also to know when to avoid going to the local shops or offices. For instance, August is a terrible month to book appointments because nearly half the country will be on vacation.

Find out below which holidays are celebrated in Italy and when. You can bookmark this article to quickly refer to the dates or find out how to celebrate the Italian holidays like a local.

How many holidays does Italy have?

There’re 12 national holidays in Italy. It’s worth knowing that for most of Italy’s public holidays, government offices, post offices, museums, and shops will be closed or have reduced hours. Public transport will often operate, but there’ll be fewer trains, buses, metros, or trams. So plan your travel in advance, using one of the public transport apps.

Besides these 12 national holidays, you’ll notice lots of Italians take the month of August off as it’s their summer break. It can be frustrating if you don’t plan well because you’ll struggle making appointments, for example at a hairdresser or at the post office.

Additional holidays for students

As a university student in Italy, you’ll have additional holidays: a winter break (typically from 23rd until first week of January), Easter break (typically 1 week in April), and summer break (typically 1 month long).

Additional holidays for employees

If you’ve found a job in Italy, you’ll enjoy a generous amount of vacation days. As an employee, you’ll be entitled to a minimum of 20 paid days off on top of the 12 national holidays.

Calendar of Italy’s public holidays

Date in 2023Public Holiday
Sunday January 1stNew Year’s Day (Capodanno)
Friday January 6thEpiphany (Epifania)
Sunday April 9thEaster Sunday (Domenica di Pasqua)
Monday April 10thEaster Monday (Lunedi dell’Angelo)
Tuesday April 25thLiberation Day (Il Giorno della Liberazione)
Monday May 1stLabour Day (Festa del Lavoro)
Friday June 2ndRepublic Day (Festa della Repubblica)
Tuesday August 15thAssumption (Ferragosto)
Wednesday November 1stAll Saints’ Day (Ognissanti)
Friday December 8thImmaculate Conception Day (Immacolata Concezione)
Monday December 25thChristmas Day (Natale)
Tuesday December 26thSt Stephen’s Day (Festa di Santo Stefano)

Calendar of Italy’s regional holidays

Each region in Italy has its own patron saint, all of whom have their own feast day. These public holidays are only celebrated in these regions. On this day, local stores and offices will remain closed.

Date in 2023Regional HolidayRegion
Tuesday April 25thFeast of St Mark (Festa di san Marco)Venice
Friday April 28thSardinia’s Day (Sa Die de Sa Sardigna)Sardinia
Saturday June 24thFeast of St John the Baptist (La Festa di San Giovanni)Florence, Genoa, Turin
Thursday June 29thSaint Peter and Saint Paul (La Festa di San Pietro e Paolo)Rome
Saturday July 15thFeast of St Rosalia (U Festinu)Palermo
Tuesday September 19thFeast of St Gennaro (La Festa di San Gennaro)Naples
Wednesday October 4thFeast of St Petronius (La Festa di San Petronio)Bologna
Friday November 3rdFeast of St. Giusto (La Festa di San Giusto)Trieste
Thursday December 7thFeast of St. Nicholas (La Festa di San Niccolò)Trieste
Friday December 8thFeast of St Ambrose (La Festa di Sant’Ambrogio)Milan

How do Italians celebrate holidays?

Italians often spend their bank holidays with their families and friends. While most holidays come with their unique traditions, almost all the celebrations include food in one way or another!

January 1st - New Year’s Day (Capodanno)

On New year’s eve, Italians celebrate by having a huge dinner with friends or family. The dinner will likely feature lentils with sausage (cotechino con le lenticchie) as lentils are supposed to bring good luck and fortune.

There’re some other unique but fading traditions, such as throwing out old items to make space for new beginnings or wearing red underwear for luck. You might also see some people tune in to their television to watch the President’s speech. Great practice if you’re learning Italian!

As it nears midnight, you’ll find friends and families heading out to the main squares for music, dance, and to watch the fireworks display.

January 6th - Epiphany (Epifania)

Epiphany is a Catholic holiday to celebrate the 3 wise men of the nativity, also known as the Magi. Although Epifania marks the end of the Christmas holidays, it’s particularly exciting for kids as they receive gifts from La Befana, a good witch. There’s also plenty for adults. For instance, several cities, such as Florence and Milan, host a parade featuring the Magi. Besides that, Epifania marks the start of winter sales, if you want to grab some bargains!

April 9th - Easter Sunday (Domenica di Pasqua)

Easter is celebrated in Italy with lots of food, family, and friends. Some Italians will attend Easter mass before having a big family lunch of lamb and Italian treats such as colomba (Italian sweet bread), pane di pasqua (Easter bread with dyed eggs), and uova al cioccolato (Easter eggs).

April 10th - Easter Monday (La Pasquetta)

Commonly called Little Easter. On this day, Italians will often celebrate a little further from home, taking trips to nearby cities or the countryside for a picnic. You can expect more businesses to be open on La Pasquetta as it’s quite a busy time of the year for local and international (particularly religious) tourism. Schools will typically be off for a week, meaning you can expect more crowds and pricier trips if you plan to do a little vacation.

April 25th - Liberation Day (Il Giorno della Liberazione)

This day celebrates the end of Nazi occupation in Italy following WW2. Commemorative services are held across Italy in honor of those who lost their lives fighting. In Rome, ceremonies are held at the Quirinale Palace and a wreath-laying ceremony takes place at Altare della Patria.

May 1st - Labour Day (La Festa dei Lavori)

Each May Italians celebrate workers' rights. This day is typically spent with close family and friends with a picnic in the park. In cities like Turin and Milan workers' marches and parades take place throughout the city.

June 2nd - Republic Day (Festa della Repubblica)

The Italian republic was established in 1946 after WW2. Italians typically take this day to visit another city. Because of this, you can expect more museums, shops, and restaurants to be open on this holiday than usual. However, government offices, banks, and schools will remain closed.

August 15th - Assumption (Ferragosto)

Ferragosto celebrates the Virgin Mary’s ascension to heaven and takes place during one of the busiest months in Italy. Local tourism is popular in August as it’s the hottest month of the year and school holidays are in full swing. So it’s common for Italians to celebrate Ferragosto by travelling to nearby the sea, lakes, or mountains for a mini vacation.

This makes August a good time to visit cities like Florence and Rome as there’re fewer crowds.

During Ferragosto, some museums and cultural sites will stay open to the public, making it a great time to explore Italy.

You may see a lot of signs that read Chiuso per Ferie during these holidays. This means “Closed for holiday”.

November 1st - All Saint’s Day (Festa di Tutti i Santi)

This day celebrates all Christian saints. Italian traditions involve attending religious services, gift-giving, and having a large meal with family and friends. Italians also leave flower offerings for deceased family members on this day.

December 8th - Immaculate Conception Day (Immacolata Concezione)

In memory of the day Mary was born freed from sin, this holiday marks the beginning of the Christmas holidays. This is usually when Italians will put their Christmas decorations up and churches display their presepi (nativity scenes). You can still expect all government offices, banks, and schools to be closed on this day. However, shops will typically stay open as people start Christmas shopping on this day.

December 25th - Christmas Day (Natale)

Naturally, Christmas is a very popular holiday in Italy with a number of traditions that take place to celebrate the occasion. Large religious services take place across the country on Christmas Day, followed by a large meal shared with family and friends. You can expect almost all businesses to be closed on this day, with many shops closing their doors from noon on Christmas Eve.

December 26th - St. Stephen’s Day (Festa di Santo Stefano)

Italians celebrate St. Stephen’s Day by venturing from home with their families and friends. They will often visit Piazzas and check out their local Presepi. There’re also markets, carnivals, and festivals in parts of the country. More shops will open up on this day following Christmas day, however, all government offices, banks, and schools remain closed.

Now you have all the knowledge you need to celebrate Italian bank holidays just like the locals!

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