On the agenda: What's happening in Italy this week
Airline and airport staff strikes, a cap on tourist group sizes in Venice and Republic Day celebrations: here's what to expect in Italy this week.
Tuesday
Airline and airport staff strikes
People flying to or from Italy may face disruption on Tuesday, May 28th, due to a number of planned airline and ground airport staff strikes.
Cabin staff at Air Dolomiti – a subsidiary of Lufthansa which operates a number of routes from northern Italy to Germany and vice versa – plan to strike for 24 hours, whereas staff at budget carrier Wizz Air plan a four-hour strike, from 1pm to 5pm.
Scheduled flights from both airlines may experience delays and/or cancellations during the day, though services from 7am to 10am and from 6pm to 9pm will go ahead as normal according to Italy’s Civil Aviation Authority.
On the same day, handling staff at a number of airports around the country, including Linate and Malpensa in Milan and Venice’s Marco Polo airport, will take part in a 24-hour walkout.
The protest may result in delays or cancellations at the involved airport hubs, according to Italian media reports.
Follow the latest updates in The Local's strike news section.
Wednesday
Fiorentina take on Olympiacos in Conference League final
Florence-based team Fiorentina will take on Greek side Olympiacos in the final act of this year’s Conference League – Europe’s third-tier football tournament after the Champions League and Europa League – at the Agia Sophia stadium in Athens on Wednesday, May 29th.
Football fans in Italy will be able to watch the final for free on TV8 (channel eight on Italian TV sets). Kickoff is set for 9pm Italian time.
Thursday
Civil Protection to run earthquake evacuation tests in Campi Flegrei
Italy’s Civil Protection Department will run a series of planned seismic evacuation tests in Italy’s volcanic Campi Flegrei area, on Thursday, May 30th and Friday, May 31st after the region was hit by a flurry of around 150 tremors, including a powerful 4.4-magnitude quake, last Monday.
The tests are set to involve residents of Pozzuoli and Bagnoli, and will simulate a ‘type-3 situation’ – the worst possible scenario in the event of a quake.
Located just west of Naples, the Campi Flegrei is an active volcanic caldera – the hollow left after an eruption – which is estimated to be home to around 350,000 people.
Though the region is no stranger to quakes, seismic activity has intensified in the past two years, raising fears of an imminent eruption.
READ ALSO: Do scientists think the Campi Flegrei will actually erupt anytime soon?
Saturday
Venice to limit tourist group size and ban loudspeakers
A planned cap on the size of tourist groups will come into force in Venice from Saturday, June 1st as part of local authorities’ efforts to reduce the pressure of thousands of visitors crowding squares, bridges and narrow calli every day, and improve the lives of locals.
Under the measure, groups visiting the city’s historic centre and the nearby islands of Burano, Murano and Torcello, will be limited to a maximum of 25 people in a bid to promote “sustainable tourism” and ensure “the protection and safety of the city,” according to Venice’s safety councillor Elisabetta Pesce.
A view of Venice's Saint Marl's Square in June 2019. Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP
A ban on loudspeakers will also come into force on Saturday to prevent “confusion and disturbance” in the city, Pesce said.
The measures will be introduced one and a half months after Venice launched its trial of a contested five-euro entry charge for day trippers visiting the city on a total of 29 dates in 2024.
Sunday
Republic Day celebrations
On Sunday, June 2nd, Italy marks Republic Day (or Festa della Repubblica) – a national public holiday commemorating the birth of the Italian Republic as we have it today.
Republic Day marks the date in 1946 when Italians voted in a referendum to abolish the then 85-year-old monarchy, which had fallen out of favour due to its close alignment with Mussolini's fascist regime, and establish a democratic republic.
Unfortunately, this year's Republic Day falls on a Sunday, meaning it won’t give people in the country an extra day off.
That said, plenty of celebrations will take place on the day, especially in Rome, where an official ceremony attended by head of state Sergio Mattarella will be followed by a military parade along the Fori Imperiali and by a flyover from Italy’s Frecce Tricolori jets.
Free museum openings
People around Italy will be able to visit state-run museums and archaeological sites free of charge on Sunday, June 2nd under the popular Domenica al Museo or ‘free museum Sundays’ national scheme.
The initiative applies to hundreds of sites, including world-famous attractions like the Colosseum, Pompeii, Florence's Galleria dell'Accademia, the Reggia di Caserta and Trieste's Miramare Castle.
Find out more about how the scheme works in our article.
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Tuesday
Airline and airport staff strikes
People flying to or from Italy may face disruption on Tuesday, May 28th, due to a number of planned airline and ground airport staff strikes.
Cabin staff at Air Dolomiti – a subsidiary of Lufthansa which operates a number of routes from northern Italy to Germany and vice versa – plan to strike for 24 hours, whereas staff at budget carrier Wizz Air plan a four-hour strike, from 1pm to 5pm.
Scheduled flights from both airlines may experience delays and/or cancellations during the day, though services from 7am to 10am and from 6pm to 9pm will go ahead as normal according to Italy’s Civil Aviation Authority.
On the same day, handling staff at a number of airports around the country, including Linate and Malpensa in Milan and Venice’s Marco Polo airport, will take part in a 24-hour walkout.
The protest may result in delays or cancellations at the involved airport hubs, according to Italian media reports.
Follow the latest updates in The Local's strike news section.
Wednesday
Fiorentina take on Olympiacos in Conference League final
Florence-based team Fiorentina will take on Greek side Olympiacos in the final act of this year’s Conference League – Europe’s third-tier football tournament after the Champions League and Europa League – at the Agia Sophia stadium in Athens on Wednesday, May 29th.
Football fans in Italy will be able to watch the final for free on TV8 (channel eight on Italian TV sets). Kickoff is set for 9pm Italian time.
Thursday
Civil Protection to run earthquake evacuation tests in Campi Flegrei
Italy’s Civil Protection Department will run a series of planned seismic evacuation tests in Italy’s volcanic Campi Flegrei area, on Thursday, May 30th and Friday, May 31st after the region was hit by a flurry of around 150 tremors, including a powerful 4.4-magnitude quake, last Monday.
The tests are set to involve residents of Pozzuoli and Bagnoli, and will simulate a ‘type-3 situation’ – the worst possible scenario in the event of a quake.
Located just west of Naples, the Campi Flegrei is an active volcanic caldera – the hollow left after an eruption – which is estimated to be home to around 350,000 people.
Though the region is no stranger to quakes, seismic activity has intensified in the past two years, raising fears of an imminent eruption.
READ ALSO: Do scientists think the Campi Flegrei will actually erupt anytime soon?
Saturday
Venice to limit tourist group size and ban loudspeakers
A planned cap on the size of tourist groups will come into force in Venice from Saturday, June 1st as part of local authorities’ efforts to reduce the pressure of thousands of visitors crowding squares, bridges and narrow calli every day, and improve the lives of locals.
Under the measure, groups visiting the city’s historic centre and the nearby islands of Burano, Murano and Torcello, will be limited to a maximum of 25 people in a bid to promote “sustainable tourism” and ensure “the protection and safety of the city,” according to Venice’s safety councillor Elisabetta Pesce.
A ban on loudspeakers will also come into force on Saturday to prevent “confusion and disturbance” in the city, Pesce said.
The measures will be introduced one and a half months after Venice launched its trial of a contested five-euro entry charge for day trippers visiting the city on a total of 29 dates in 2024.
Sunday
Republic Day celebrations
On Sunday, June 2nd, Italy marks Republic Day (or Festa della Repubblica) – a national public holiday commemorating the birth of the Italian Republic as we have it today.
Republic Day marks the date in 1946 when Italians voted in a referendum to abolish the then 85-year-old monarchy, which had fallen out of favour due to its close alignment with Mussolini's fascist regime, and establish a democratic republic.
Unfortunately, this year's Republic Day falls on a Sunday, meaning it won’t give people in the country an extra day off.
That said, plenty of celebrations will take place on the day, especially in Rome, where an official ceremony attended by head of state Sergio Mattarella will be followed by a military parade along the Fori Imperiali and by a flyover from Italy’s Frecce Tricolori jets.
Free museum openings
People around Italy will be able to visit state-run museums and archaeological sites free of charge on Sunday, June 2nd under the popular Domenica al Museo or ‘free museum Sundays’ national scheme.
The initiative applies to hundreds of sites, including world-famous attractions like the Colosseum, Pompeii, Florence's Galleria dell'Accademia, the Reggia di Caserta and Trieste's Miramare Castle.
Find out more about how the scheme works in our article.
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