Venice to limit tourist group sizes
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 mass tourism and improve the lives of locals.
Under the measure, groups visiting the city’s historic centre and the islands of Burano, Murano and Torcello, will be limited to 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 avoid “confusion and disturbance” in the city, Pesce said.
The measures will come into effect just over a month after Venice launched its planned trial of a contested five-euro entry charge system for day trippers.
Republic Day celebrations
Sunday, June 2nd will be Italy's Republic Day (or Festa della Repubblica) – a national public holiday commemorating the birth of the Italian Republic as we have it today.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: What's the history behind Italy's Republic Day?
Republic Day marks the date in 1946 when Italians voted in a referendum to abolish the then 85-year-old monarchy 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 President Sergio Mattarella will be followed by a military parade and a flyover from Italy’s Frecce Tricolori jets.
Start of school summer holidays
Italian schools will all start their summer break in the first half of June, with the exact dates varying from region to region.
This year, children in Emilia Romagna, Marche and Aosta Valley will be the first to go on holiday on Thursday, June 6th while pupils in the Bolzano province will be the last to do so on Friday, June 14th.
EU elections
Polling for the EU parliamentary elections will take place on Saturday, June 8th and Sunday, June 9th in Italy.
Polling stations will be set up in the same places as for national and local elections – usually town halls, schools and leisure centres.
READ ALSO: Can foreign residents in Italy vote in the European elections?
Non-Italian citizens who are living in Italy can only vote if they have citizenship of an EU country. For example, Irish citizens living in Italy can vote in the European elections, whereas Brits, Americans, Canadians, Australians, etc. cannot.
Euro 2024
The Italian national football team will play its opening match in the 2024 European Championship against Albania on Saturday, June 15th.
All of the tournament’s matches will take place in Germany, with the final set to be held in Berlin on Sunday, July 14th.
Football fans in Italy will be able to watch all of the Azzurri’s matches for free on state broadcaster Rai’s main channels or on their streaming platform RaiPlay.
First instalment of Italy's property tax
The deadline for paying the first instalment of Italy's property tax, known as Imposta Municipale Unica (Single Municipal Tax, or IMU), falls on June 16th.
READ ALSO: The Italian tax calendar for 2024: Which taxes are due when?
The tax applies to all residential or commercial property and land; however, barring some exceptions, it does not apply to primary residences.
IMU is owed by all owners of second homes and the June deadline marks the first instalment, with the other payment due by December 16th, 2024.
Summer solstice
June 20th this year marks summer solstice, when Italy will have its longest day of the year at around 15 hours of daylight.
Daytime on Italy's summer solstice lasts approximately six hours longer than on the shortest day of the year (winter solstice), December 21st.
Rome-Cortina sleeper train resumes
Italy's state-owned railway company Ferrovie dello Stato is set to re-launch a tourist night train ferrying passengers from Rome to to the Alpine ski resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo on June 25th, following the success of a similar scheme last winter.
Trains will leave from Rome's Termini station every Tuesday and Thursday evening until August 31st, arriving at around 8am the following morning, with return journeys scheduled every Wednesday and Saturday.
Irpef payment deadline
The deadline for paying the first instalment of Italy's personal income tax, or Irpef, falls on June 30th this year, along with the deadline for making the first corporate ('Ires' and 'Irap') tax payments.
The deadline for making the second payment falls on November 30th.
Comments