What changes about life in Italy in April 2022
From energy bills to the Covid green pass, here's a look at the changes to expect in Italy as we move into April.
End of Italy’s state of emergency
Italy’s pandemic state of emergency officially ended on March 31st, two years and two months after it was first declared.
The end of the state of emergency itself doesn’t mean the end of restrictions, and is largely symbolic. But the government has signed off on a roadmap to ending Covid health measures, meaning some restrictions are gradually being relaxed or removed starting from Friday, April 1st.
(Some) green pass rules will be relaxed
Italy is not doing away with its much-contested ‘green pass’ health certificate just yet, but it is no longer required at certain venues as of April 1st.
Many venues and businesses will now only be required to ask customers to show a proof of a negative Covid test result, in the form of a ‘basic’ green pass, rather than for proof of vaccination or recovery (via the reinforced or ‘super’ green pass).
Green pass rules in Italy are relaxed as of April 1st. Photo: Andreas SOLARO / AFP
The basic pass is now sufficient for accessing long-distance public transport services and for entry to indoor bars and restaurants, while you’ll no longer need any form of health pass at all to sit at outdoor tables.
READ ALSO: How to get a coronavirus test in Italy
The requirement has also been scrapped at hotels, museums, shops and local offices, including bank branches and post offices; and as of April 1st, no pass is required to access local public transport, such as city buses and trams.
See more details about the changes to the green pass system and Italy’s other health measures here.
Further easing of Covid travel restrictions?
Italy’s entry requirements were eased at the beginning of March, meaning a vaccination certificate, recovery certificate or negative test result is now sufficient for entry to Italy.
These rules were recently extended and will remain in place until at least April 30th.
TIMELINE: Where and when will Italy relax its Covid rules?
For now, there is no discussion about completely scrapping Covid restrictions for arrivals - as some other countries have done recently - but there may still be some changes on the way.
We'll publish any updates in our Italian travel news section.
Energy bills to rise?
April is the start of a new quarter and in Italy that means energy tariffs are revised. And recently, they’ve only been revised upwards - sharply.
In fact, we’ve seen electricity and gas prices rise for the past six consecutive quarters, reaching unprecedented highs after the latest rise in January.
Prices were widely predicted to rise once again in April, with Nomisma Energia expecting an increase of 25 percent for electricity and 2 percent for natural gas.
However, recent reports have cast doubt on this; newspaper La Repubblica reported this week that the tariffs could, in fact, be revised slightly downwards; and according to an article published by Sky News on Wednesday, Italian energy regulator Arera is now saying we can expect to see both electricity and gas prices drop by around 10% percent.
READ ALSO: Rising energy prices: How to save money on your bills in Italy
If there is such a reduction in prices, however, it still won't be enough to compensate for January’s huge increase (of 55 percent for electricity and 40 percent for gas).
Italy has seen steep energy bill rises for months. Photo by Anthony Indraus on Unsplash
One piece of good news is that Italy will offer new discounts on household energy bills from April under an updated scheme announced last week.
The funding is primarily for households on the lowest incomes, but the income level has been raised under the latest update from April.
More families can now claim the discount on utility bills, as it is now available to those with an ISEE of up to to €12,000. Find out more here.
Fuel discount ends
Following soaring fuel prices in March due to the war in Ukraine, the Italian government introduced a temporary reduction in fuel prices for motorists to bring the cost back down to below €2 per litre.
The fuel price cut equates to 25 cents plus VAT at 22.5 percent, making it a total of 30.5 cents discount to the consumer.
READ ALSO: How to save money on your fuel in Italy
The reduction is applied to the excise duty (a tax on the production and consumption of goods) on petrol and diesel.
Reactions to the move haven't been warmly welcomed, not least because the measure, for now at least, only lasts 30 days - meaning that the discount will cease to apply after April 21st.
The government may extend the measure beyond this date, but has so far not confirmed any further fuel discounts or price caps.
Easter holidays
Time off for the Easter break falls in the middle of April, with Good Friday (Venerdì Santo) on April 15th and Easter Sunday (Pasqua) on April 17th.
You don't get Good Friday off work as it's not a national holiday, but you do get to take off two public holidays on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday (known as Pasquetta, or ‘little Easter’), which falls on April 18th this year.
READ ALSO: The Italian holiday calendar for 2022
Pupils – and teachers – get a break over Easter week and this year’s public school holiday is from Thursday, April 14th to Tuesday, April 19th in all regions of Italy, though private schools may have different dates.
‘April fish’
Italy doesn’t do April Fool’s: instead it does April fish.
The country’s traditional April 1st prank involves drawing a picture of a pesciolino – a ‘little fish’ – and sticking it on an unsuspecting victim’s back. Find out about the tradition here.
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End of Italy’s state of emergency
Italy’s pandemic state of emergency officially ended on March 31st, two years and two months after it was first declared.
The end of the state of emergency itself doesn’t mean the end of restrictions, and is largely symbolic. But the government has signed off on a roadmap to ending Covid health measures, meaning some restrictions are gradually being relaxed or removed starting from Friday, April 1st.
(Some) green pass rules will be relaxed
Italy is not doing away with its much-contested ‘green pass’ health certificate just yet, but it is no longer required at certain venues as of April 1st.
Many venues and businesses will now only be required to ask customers to show a proof of a negative Covid test result, in the form of a ‘basic’ green pass, rather than for proof of vaccination or recovery (via the reinforced or ‘super’ green pass).
The basic pass is now sufficient for accessing long-distance public transport services and for entry to indoor bars and restaurants, while you’ll no longer need any form of health pass at all to sit at outdoor tables.
READ ALSO: How to get a coronavirus test in Italy
The requirement has also been scrapped at hotels, museums, shops and local offices, including bank branches and post offices; and as of April 1st, no pass is required to access local public transport, such as city buses and trams.
See more details about the changes to the green pass system and Italy’s other health measures here.
Further easing of Covid travel restrictions?
Italy’s entry requirements were eased at the beginning of March, meaning a vaccination certificate, recovery certificate or negative test result is now sufficient for entry to Italy.
These rules were recently extended and will remain in place until at least April 30th.
TIMELINE: Where and when will Italy relax its Covid rules?
For now, there is no discussion about completely scrapping Covid restrictions for arrivals - as some other countries have done recently - but there may still be some changes on the way.
We'll publish any updates in our Italian travel news section.
Energy bills to rise?
April is the start of a new quarter and in Italy that means energy tariffs are revised. And recently, they’ve only been revised upwards - sharply.
In fact, we’ve seen electricity and gas prices rise for the past six consecutive quarters, reaching unprecedented highs after the latest rise in January.
Prices were widely predicted to rise once again in April, with Nomisma Energia expecting an increase of 25 percent for electricity and 2 percent for natural gas.
However, recent reports have cast doubt on this; newspaper La Repubblica reported this week that the tariffs could, in fact, be revised slightly downwards; and according to an article published by Sky News on Wednesday, Italian energy regulator Arera is now saying we can expect to see both electricity and gas prices drop by around 10% percent.
READ ALSO: Rising energy prices: How to save money on your bills in Italy
If there is such a reduction in prices, however, it still won't be enough to compensate for January’s huge increase (of 55 percent for electricity and 40 percent for gas).
One piece of good news is that Italy will offer new discounts on household energy bills from April under an updated scheme announced last week.
The funding is primarily for households on the lowest incomes, but the income level has been raised under the latest update from April.
More families can now claim the discount on utility bills, as it is now available to those with an ISEE of up to to €12,000. Find out more here.
Fuel discount ends
Following soaring fuel prices in March due to the war in Ukraine, the Italian government introduced a temporary reduction in fuel prices for motorists to bring the cost back down to below €2 per litre.
The fuel price cut equates to 25 cents plus VAT at 22.5 percent, making it a total of 30.5 cents discount to the consumer.
READ ALSO: How to save money on your fuel in Italy
The reduction is applied to the excise duty (a tax on the production and consumption of goods) on petrol and diesel.
Reactions to the move haven't been warmly welcomed, not least because the measure, for now at least, only lasts 30 days - meaning that the discount will cease to apply after April 21st.
The government may extend the measure beyond this date, but has so far not confirmed any further fuel discounts or price caps.
Easter holidays
Time off for the Easter break falls in the middle of April, with Good Friday (Venerdì Santo) on April 15th and Easter Sunday (Pasqua) on April 17th.
You don't get Good Friday off work as it's not a national holiday, but you do get to take off two public holidays on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday (known as Pasquetta, or ‘little Easter’), which falls on April 18th this year.
READ ALSO: The Italian holiday calendar for 2022
Pupils – and teachers – get a break over Easter week and this year’s public school holiday is from Thursday, April 14th to Tuesday, April 19th in all regions of Italy, though private schools may have different dates.
‘April fish’
Italy doesn’t do April Fool’s: instead it does April fish.
The country’s traditional April 1st prank involves drawing a picture of a pesciolino – a ‘little fish’ – and sticking it on an unsuspecting victim’s back. Find out about the tradition here.
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