On the agenda: What’s happening in Italy this week
From an airline staff strike to major art events in Milan and Florence, here’s what to expect in Italy this week.
Monday
Wave of bad weather
After weeks of exceptionally dry conditions and above-average temperatures, Italy is experiencing a spell of bad weather which is expected to peak on Monday, February 27th.
Temperatures will drop around the country due to a cold air front from eastern Europe, with snowstorms expected to hit Piedmont and Lombardy in the north as well as Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, Marche and Abruzzo in the centre.
Southern regions, especially those facing the Tyrrhenian sea, are instead forecast to see some scattered rainstorms.
▶ #Maltempo su molte regioni con #pioggia, forte #vento e #neve fino a bassa quota, ecco la situazione e le previsioni #meteo per le prossime ore ⬇https://t.co/100X3yZMRc
— 3B Meteo (@3BMeteo) February 27, 2023
Tuesday
Airline staff strike
Italian cabin crew from Spanish airline Volotea will take part in a four-hour national strike on Tuesday, February 28th.
The walkout will start at 1pm and end at 5pm.
At the time of writing, the airline hasn't specified how or whether any flights to or from Italy will be affected during the day.
The strike was organised by Italian union Uiltrasporti in protest against precarious work contracts and low wages.
ENAV air traffic operators based in Calabria are also expected to strike on Tuesday, from 1pm until 5pm.
Wednesday
Emergency meeting on drought
Italian ministers will convene on Wednesday, March 1st to start planning a national response to the drought currently hitting northern Italy.
Giorgia Meloni’s government says it will consider a combination of “short-term and medium-to-long-term measures” to prevent the current situation from escalating into a full-blown emergency.
READ ALSO: Why Italy is braced for another major drought this spring
Giorgia Meloni's cabinet will meet this week to discuss a response to Italy's drought crisis. Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP)
Italy experienced its worst drought in seven decades in 2022, but the country might soon face a repeat of last year’s water emergency should the current lack of rainfall continue in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, some regions have already said that rationing might soon be needed to allow hydroelectric plants to keep operating as usual.
Thursday
Italy takes on England in cask ale contest
Londinium, a four-day contest pitting Italian ales against English ales will start on Thursday, March 2nd at Rome’s Treefolk’s Public House.
The event will be an impassioned tribute to cask beer, giving customers a chance to sample some of the best English and Italian brews and learn about their production process.
Alongside a wide selection of ales, Treefolk’s Public House will also offer customers a special English menu for the entire length of the festival.
Further info on the event and ticket options are available here.
Friday
Milan museum festival
The popular Museo City festival will return to Milan from Friday, March 3rd to Sunday, March 5th.
Over 100 public museums and private galleries will open their doors to the public, offering a unique combination of guided tours, out-of-hours visits, special collections and performances.
Light in all of its forms and applications will be the underlying theme of this year’s edition, hence its title, La luce dei Musei (Museums’ light).
The festival’s programme and a map showing all of the involved venues and their locations can be found here.
Climate protests around the country
Activists from environmental group Fridays for Future will take to the streets of several Italian cities on Friday to reportedly raise awareness about the current climate emergency and urge the government to tackle the crisis head-on.
Protests will take place in metropolitan cities such as Milan, Rome and Turin as well as in smaller cities across the entire country (Ancona, Lucca, Pistoia, Monza, Gorizia, etc.)
Climate activist protest during a "Fridays For Future" climate strike on September 23, 2022, in Milan, northern Italy. Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP.
Weekend
Contemporary art exhibition in Florence
One of Florence's most anticipated art events of 2023 will kick off on Saturday, March 4th.
The city’s iconic Strozzi Palace will host Reaching for the Stars, an exhibition displaying some of the most relevant contemporary art works of our generation and featuring artists as prestigious as Maurizio Cattelan, Damien Hirst and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye.
The exhibition was organised by the Strozzi Palace Foundation to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo private art collection. You can purchase tickets here.
Free Museum Sunday
State museums and archaeological sites across Italy will allow free entrance on Sunday, March 5th as part of the monthly Domenica al Museo event, known as ‘Free Museum Sundays’ in English, which is held on every first Sunday of the month. Read more about it here.
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Monday
Wave of bad weather
After weeks of exceptionally dry conditions and above-average temperatures, Italy is experiencing a spell of bad weather which is expected to peak on Monday, February 27th.
Temperatures will drop around the country due to a cold air front from eastern Europe, with snowstorms expected to hit Piedmont and Lombardy in the north as well as Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, Marche and Abruzzo in the centre.
Southern regions, especially those facing the Tyrrhenian sea, are instead forecast to see some scattered rainstorms.
▶ #Maltempo su molte regioni con #pioggia, forte #vento e #neve fino a bassa quota, ecco la situazione e le previsioni #meteo per le prossime ore ⬇https://t.co/100X3yZMRc
— 3B Meteo (@3BMeteo) February 27, 2023
Tuesday
Airline staff strike
Italian cabin crew from Spanish airline Volotea will take part in a four-hour national strike on Tuesday, February 28th.
The walkout will start at 1pm and end at 5pm.
At the time of writing, the airline hasn't specified how or whether any flights to or from Italy will be affected during the day.
The strike was organised by Italian union Uiltrasporti in protest against precarious work contracts and low wages.
ENAV air traffic operators based in Calabria are also expected to strike on Tuesday, from 1pm until 5pm.
Wednesday
Emergency meeting on drought
Italian ministers will convene on Wednesday, March 1st to start planning a national response to the drought currently hitting northern Italy.
Giorgia Meloni’s government says it will consider a combination of “short-term and medium-to-long-term measures” to prevent the current situation from escalating into a full-blown emergency.
READ ALSO: Why Italy is braced for another major drought this spring
Italy experienced its worst drought in seven decades in 2022, but the country might soon face a repeat of last year’s water emergency should the current lack of rainfall continue in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, some regions have already said that rationing might soon be needed to allow hydroelectric plants to keep operating as usual.
Thursday
Italy takes on England in cask ale contest
Londinium, a four-day contest pitting Italian ales against English ales will start on Thursday, March 2nd at Rome’s Treefolk’s Public House.
The event will be an impassioned tribute to cask beer, giving customers a chance to sample some of the best English and Italian brews and learn about their production process.
Alongside a wide selection of ales, Treefolk’s Public House will also offer customers a special English menu for the entire length of the festival.
Further info on the event and ticket options are available here.
Friday
Milan museum festival
The popular Museo City festival will return to Milan from Friday, March 3rd to Sunday, March 5th.
Over 100 public museums and private galleries will open their doors to the public, offering a unique combination of guided tours, out-of-hours visits, special collections and performances.
Light in all of its forms and applications will be the underlying theme of this year’s edition, hence its title, La luce dei Musei (Museums’ light).
The festival’s programme and a map showing all of the involved venues and their locations can be found here.
Climate protests around the country
Activists from environmental group Fridays for Future will take to the streets of several Italian cities on Friday to reportedly raise awareness about the current climate emergency and urge the government to tackle the crisis head-on.
Protests will take place in metropolitan cities such as Milan, Rome and Turin as well as in smaller cities across the entire country (Ancona, Lucca, Pistoia, Monza, Gorizia, etc.)
Weekend
Contemporary art exhibition in Florence
One of Florence's most anticipated art events of 2023 will kick off on Saturday, March 4th.
The city’s iconic Strozzi Palace will host Reaching for the Stars, an exhibition displaying some of the most relevant contemporary art works of our generation and featuring artists as prestigious as Maurizio Cattelan, Damien Hirst and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye.
The exhibition was organised by the Strozzi Palace Foundation to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo private art collection. You can purchase tickets here.
Free Museum Sunday
State museums and archaeological sites across Italy will allow free entrance on Sunday, March 5th as part of the monthly Domenica al Museo event, known as ‘Free Museum Sundays’ in English, which is held on every first Sunday of the month. Read more about it here.
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