What changes about life in Italy in May 2022
From changes to the Covid green pass and mask rules, to upcoming spring events, here's a look at what's on the calendar in Italy as we move into May.
Green pass rules have been relaxed
As of May 1st, Italy has dropped both its 'basic' (requiring a negative Covid test result) and 'super' (requiring proof of vaccination or recovery) green pass requirements for almost all situations.
Until the end of April, the 'super green pass' - or its equivalent in the form of a foreign-issued vaccination or recovery certificate - had been required to access venues such as cinemas, gyms and nightclubs, while the 'basic' green pass was needed to use public transport and to dine indoors at restaurants.
The health certificate requirement has now been scrapped in almost all venues - the one exception being hospitals and care homes, which still require visitors to provide proof of vaccination or recovery (the 'super green pass').
READ ALSO: At a glance: What Covid-19 rules are now in place in Italy?
A customer shows her Green Pass on a mobile phone. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP)
Changes to the mask mandate
Italy ended its mask requirement for most indoor public spaces on May 1st, but at the end of April the government signed an ordinance keeping the mandate in place for some venues until June 15th.
Venues where masks are still required until then include local and long-distance public transport; health and social care environments, such as hospitals and residential homes; schools; and indoor entertainment venues, such as cinemas, theatres, concert halls, live music venues, and indoor sports arenas and stadiums.
High-grade Ffp2 masks are required on public transport (including planes, trains, ferries, buses, trams, coaches, school buses, trams and the metro) and in indoor entertainment venues; while lower-grade surgical masks are accepted in health and social care facilities and schools. Children under the age of six are exempt in all circumstances.
READ ALSO: Reader question: What type of mask will I need for travel to Italy?
Masks are likely to still be a requirement on public transport in May. Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP.
As of May 1st masks are no longer required in bars, restaurants, hotels, shops, museums, galleries, gyms, swimming pools, spas, nightclubs and workplaces all no longer require any kind of mask (under national law – individual businesses may choose to impose their own, stricter rules).
May Day Holiday (but you won't get a day off)
May 1st marks Labour Day in Italy, a national public holiday - and also in many other countries too, often referred to as May Day.
Ironically, even though this is the workers' day holiday, you won't get a day off in Italy as it falls on a Sunday this year - and public holidays aren't rolled on to the Monday when they take place on a weekend, as is the case in many other countries.
READ ALSO: The Italian holiday calendar for 2022
The good news is, if you're on the payroll of an Italian company, you might be entitled to a day's pay since it is a public holiday that's not taken and so, the day should be included in your salary as if it had been worked.
It's worth checking with your employer to see if you can benefit from the holiday in some way, after all.
May concerts and events
As the weather warms up and spring is in bloom, Italy is returning to a full social calendar with various concerts and events throughout the country.
As well as keeping an eye out for those local to you or where you're visiting, there are some headliners to pencil in.
Italy's Måneskin performs during the final of the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2021, at the Ahoy convention centre in Rotterdam, on May 22, 2021. (Photo by KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP)
Italy is the host country for Eurovision this year after Rome-based rock band Måneskin took victory in Rotterdam in 2021 with the song ‘Zitti e buoni’.
Turin has been chosen to host this year's eccentric and flamboyant music acts. The grand final will be held in the city's PalaOlimpico on Saturday, May 14th with the semi-finals scheduled on May 10th and 12th.
Heading southwards to Rome is the 'Primo Maggio' May Day Concert (on May 1st therefore), which the organisers say is the largest free live music event in Europe.
The show is organised annually in Rome and has been running for over 30 years, attracting hundreds of thousands of spectators.
You can head to Piazza San Giovanni to see live acts for free from 3pm until spaces are full, and no booking is needed. See here for further info.
And if high human-powered speeds on two wheels are your thing, you might like to know that the Giro d'Italia cycling race takes place throughout May.
The event lasts for three weeks, starting in Budapest, Hungary on May 6th and ending in Verona, Italy on May 29th.
Check details and the route here.
Superbonus extension?
Homebuilders can end their waiting for final confirmation of an extension to Italy's superbonus for single family homes any day now.
The government has already announced an imminent extension to give homebuilders more time to carry out delayed renovations, with a law finalising the plans expected as we begin a new month.
Various sectors called for the bonus to be rolled on for single buildings, as owners must have completed 30 percent of the works by June 30th – giving just two months left to those caught up in delays and at risk of not meeting the deadline.
While a new timeframe has not yet been given, the authorities have announced their intention to roll on the building bonus in their latest Economic and Financial Document (Il documento di economia e finanza or ‘DEF’), which outlines the government’s economic policy and sets fiscal targets for the year.
You can find out more about the latest details here.
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Green pass rules have been relaxed
As of May 1st, Italy has dropped both its 'basic' (requiring a negative Covid test result) and 'super' (requiring proof of vaccination or recovery) green pass requirements for almost all situations.
Until the end of April, the 'super green pass' - or its equivalent in the form of a foreign-issued vaccination or recovery certificate - had been required to access venues such as cinemas, gyms and nightclubs, while the 'basic' green pass was needed to use public transport and to dine indoors at restaurants.
The health certificate requirement has now been scrapped in almost all venues - the one exception being hospitals and care homes, which still require visitors to provide proof of vaccination or recovery (the 'super green pass').
READ ALSO: At a glance: What Covid-19 rules are now in place in Italy?
Changes to the mask mandate
Italy ended its mask requirement for most indoor public spaces on May 1st, but at the end of April the government signed an ordinance keeping the mandate in place for some venues until June 15th.
Venues where masks are still required until then include local and long-distance public transport; health and social care environments, such as hospitals and residential homes; schools; and indoor entertainment venues, such as cinemas, theatres, concert halls, live music venues, and indoor sports arenas and stadiums.
High-grade Ffp2 masks are required on public transport (including planes, trains, ferries, buses, trams, coaches, school buses, trams and the metro) and in indoor entertainment venues; while lower-grade surgical masks are accepted in health and social care facilities and schools. Children under the age of six are exempt in all circumstances.
READ ALSO: Reader question: What type of mask will I need for travel to Italy?
As of May 1st masks are no longer required in bars, restaurants, hotels, shops, museums, galleries, gyms, swimming pools, spas, nightclubs and workplaces all no longer require any kind of mask (under national law – individual businesses may choose to impose their own, stricter rules).
May Day Holiday (but you won't get a day off)
May 1st marks Labour Day in Italy, a national public holiday - and also in many other countries too, often referred to as May Day.
Ironically, even though this is the workers' day holiday, you won't get a day off in Italy as it falls on a Sunday this year - and public holidays aren't rolled on to the Monday when they take place on a weekend, as is the case in many other countries.
READ ALSO: The Italian holiday calendar for 2022
The good news is, if you're on the payroll of an Italian company, you might be entitled to a day's pay since it is a public holiday that's not taken and so, the day should be included in your salary as if it had been worked.
It's worth checking with your employer to see if you can benefit from the holiday in some way, after all.
May concerts and events
As the weather warms up and spring is in bloom, Italy is returning to a full social calendar with various concerts and events throughout the country.
As well as keeping an eye out for those local to you or where you're visiting, there are some headliners to pencil in.
Italy is the host country for Eurovision this year after Rome-based rock band Måneskin took victory in Rotterdam in 2021 with the song ‘Zitti e buoni’.
Turin has been chosen to host this year's eccentric and flamboyant music acts. The grand final will be held in the city's PalaOlimpico on Saturday, May 14th with the semi-finals scheduled on May 10th and 12th.
Heading southwards to Rome is the 'Primo Maggio' May Day Concert (on May 1st therefore), which the organisers say is the largest free live music event in Europe.
The show is organised annually in Rome and has been running for over 30 years, attracting hundreds of thousands of spectators.
You can head to Piazza San Giovanni to see live acts for free from 3pm until spaces are full, and no booking is needed. See here for further info.
And if high human-powered speeds on two wheels are your thing, you might like to know that the Giro d'Italia cycling race takes place throughout May.
The event lasts for three weeks, starting in Budapest, Hungary on May 6th and ending in Verona, Italy on May 29th.
Check details and the route here.
Superbonus extension?
Homebuilders can end their waiting for final confirmation of an extension to Italy's superbonus for single family homes any day now.
The government has already announced an imminent extension to give homebuilders more time to carry out delayed renovations, with a law finalising the plans expected as we begin a new month.
Various sectors called for the bonus to be rolled on for single buildings, as owners must have completed 30 percent of the works by June 30th – giving just two months left to those caught up in delays and at risk of not meeting the deadline.
While a new timeframe has not yet been given, the authorities have announced their intention to roll on the building bonus in their latest Economic and Financial Document (Il documento di economia e finanza or ‘DEF’), which outlines the government’s economic policy and sets fiscal targets for the year.
You can find out more about the latest details here.
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