On the agenda: What’s happening in Italy this week
Ministers draft aid measures for Emilia Romagna, public transport staff go on strike and Rome's Vatican Museums open their doors free of charge – here’s what to expect in Italy this week.
Tuesday
Ministers to meet over financial aid for Emilia Romagna
Cabinet ministers will meet on Tuesday, May 23rd to draft urgent aid measures for the northern Emilia Romagna region after devastating floods killed 14 people and displaced over 36,000.
According to national media reports, the aid package will include an immediate €20-million grant to regional authorities as well as a suspension of fiscal obligations for people and businesses and a social safety net for farmers.
READ ALSO: How you can help people affected by flooding in northern Italy
Though no official estimates have been released yet, the damage caused by last week’s floods may exceed €5 billion, with losses in the farming sector alone amounting to an estimated €1.5 billion.
31st anniversary of the Capaci bombing
Tuesday, May 23rd will mark the 31st anniversary of the Capaci bombing (or strage di Capaci in Italian), a terror attack on the part of Sicily’s Cosa Nostra which killed anti-mafia magistrate Giovanni Falcone, his wife Francesca Morvillo and three police escort agents.
Italian magistrate Giovanni Falcone surrounded by armed bodyguards during an official visit in Marseille, France on October 21st 1986. Photo by Gerard FOUET / AFP
The May 1992 Capaci bombing is largely considered one of the darkest pages in recent Italian history but is also credited as having inspired a new generation of anti-mafia crusaders committed to carrying on Falcone’s fight.
On Tuesday, the country will honour the memory of those who were killed in the Capaci bombing as well as all other mafia victims, including Falcone’s colleague and close friend Paolo Borsellino.
Wednesday
Top-rank street art in Milan
World-famous street art will return to Milan on Wednesday, May 24th, when the latest exhibition by British artist Endless is scheduled to open its doors to the public.
Titled The Icons in Milan and housed by the elegant Salotto di Milano location, the display will include 22 of Endless’s most prestigious works.
READ ALSO: Seven things to do in Milan on a rainy day
Endless and his large catalogue of work enjoy great popularity in Italy as he was the first street artist to figure in Venice’s Art Biennale and to be included in the permanent collection of Florence’s Uffizi galleries.
Further details about the exhibition are available here.
Friday
Nationwide 24-hour public transport strike
Italy’s strike season appears to still be far from its end as public transport staff from all around the country will take part in a 24-hour walkout on Friday, May 26th.
The walkout will affect all forms of public transport – from surface services (buses, trolleybuses and trams) to metro lines and ferries – as well as taxi services.
Public transport staff from all around the country will take part in a 24-hour strike on Friday, May 26th. Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP
READ ALSO: What are the upcoming strikes in Italy and how could they impact you?
Rail services are also set to be impacted, though, as currently indicated by Italy’s Transport Ministry, the walkout should only last eight hours – from 9am to 5pm – in their case.
Further details about the strike are available in the following article.
Sunday
Free access to Rome’s Vatican Museums
Access to Rome’s popular Vatican Museums, which include masterpieces such as Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel and the four Raphael Rooms, will once again be free of charge on Sunday, May 28th.
This is part of the museums’ ‘free Sunday’ scheme, which gives the general public free access every last Sunday of the month (tickets are €17 apiece on all other days).
READ ALSO: Eight things you can do in Rome for free
Unfortunately, ‘free Sunday’ visits cannot be booked in advance, which means that you may have to do some queueing before entering.
Opening hours on Sunday are from 9am to 2pm, with last admission at 12.30pm.
Last Giro d’Italia tappa in the Eternal City
The 106th edition of the Giro d’Italia, one of the world’s premier cycling competitions and a yearly landmark event in the Italian sport calendar, will come to an end on Sunday, May 28th in Rome.
Riders cross the finish line at the end of the Rome stage of Italy's Giro d'Italia race on May 27th, 2018. Photo by Luk BENIES / AFP
On that day, riders will cycle by some of the Eternal City’s most iconic monuments – from San Peter’s Basilica to the Colosseum to Castel Sant’Angelo – finally crossing the finish line at the Imperial Fora.
But professional athletes won’t be the only ones breaking a sweat on Sunday as hundreds of cycling fans will take part in a 6.8-kilometre amateur ride organised by the city of Rome.
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Tuesday
Ministers to meet over financial aid for Emilia Romagna
Cabinet ministers will meet on Tuesday, May 23rd to draft urgent aid measures for the northern Emilia Romagna region after devastating floods killed 14 people and displaced over 36,000.
According to national media reports, the aid package will include an immediate €20-million grant to regional authorities as well as a suspension of fiscal obligations for people and businesses and a social safety net for farmers.
READ ALSO: How you can help people affected by flooding in northern Italy
Though no official estimates have been released yet, the damage caused by last week’s floods may exceed €5 billion, with losses in the farming sector alone amounting to an estimated €1.5 billion.
31st anniversary of the Capaci bombing
Tuesday, May 23rd will mark the 31st anniversary of the Capaci bombing (or strage di Capaci in Italian), a terror attack on the part of Sicily’s Cosa Nostra which killed anti-mafia magistrate Giovanni Falcone, his wife Francesca Morvillo and three police escort agents.
The May 1992 Capaci bombing is largely considered one of the darkest pages in recent Italian history but is also credited as having inspired a new generation of anti-mafia crusaders committed to carrying on Falcone’s fight.
On Tuesday, the country will honour the memory of those who were killed in the Capaci bombing as well as all other mafia victims, including Falcone’s colleague and close friend Paolo Borsellino.
Wednesday
Top-rank street art in Milan
World-famous street art will return to Milan on Wednesday, May 24th, when the latest exhibition by British artist Endless is scheduled to open its doors to the public.
Titled The Icons in Milan and housed by the elegant Salotto di Milano location, the display will include 22 of Endless’s most prestigious works.
READ ALSO: Seven things to do in Milan on a rainy day
Endless and his large catalogue of work enjoy great popularity in Italy as he was the first street artist to figure in Venice’s Art Biennale and to be included in the permanent collection of Florence’s Uffizi galleries.
Further details about the exhibition are available here.
Friday
Nationwide 24-hour public transport strike
Italy’s strike season appears to still be far from its end as public transport staff from all around the country will take part in a 24-hour walkout on Friday, May 26th.
The walkout will affect all forms of public transport – from surface services (buses, trolleybuses and trams) to metro lines and ferries – as well as taxi services.
READ ALSO: What are the upcoming strikes in Italy and how could they impact you?
Rail services are also set to be impacted, though, as currently indicated by Italy’s Transport Ministry, the walkout should only last eight hours – from 9am to 5pm – in their case.
Further details about the strike are available in the following article.
Sunday
Free access to Rome’s Vatican Museums
Access to Rome’s popular Vatican Museums, which include masterpieces such as Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel and the four Raphael Rooms, will once again be free of charge on Sunday, May 28th.
This is part of the museums’ ‘free Sunday’ scheme, which gives the general public free access every last Sunday of the month (tickets are €17 apiece on all other days).
READ ALSO: Eight things you can do in Rome for free
Unfortunately, ‘free Sunday’ visits cannot be booked in advance, which means that you may have to do some queueing before entering.
Opening hours on Sunday are from 9am to 2pm, with last admission at 12.30pm.
Last Giro d’Italia tappa in the Eternal City
The 106th edition of the Giro d’Italia, one of the world’s premier cycling competitions and a yearly landmark event in the Italian sport calendar, will come to an end on Sunday, May 28th in Rome.
On that day, riders will cycle by some of the Eternal City’s most iconic monuments – from San Peter’s Basilica to the Colosseum to Castel Sant’Angelo – finally crossing the finish line at the Imperial Fora.
But professional athletes won’t be the only ones breaking a sweat on Sunday as hundreds of cycling fans will take part in a 6.8-kilometre amateur ride organised by the city of Rome.
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