All Saints’ Day
Halloween isn’t as big a deal in Italy as it is in some parts of the world, but the day after it is a public holiday as November 1st marks All Saints' Day, or Ognissanti in Italian.
Unfortunately for people in Italy, this year Ognissanti falls on a Saturday, and Italy doesn't carry over bank holidays that fall on weekends, meaning workers won't get a day off.
READ ALSO: Crypts and castles: The spookiest places to visit in Rome at Halloween
There’s little in the way of celebrations on this date as Ognissanti essentially commemorates all Christian saints and martyrs.
But, as is generally the case with public holidays in Italy, some services are likely to be limited or unavailable on November 1st.
All Souls' Day
After All Saints, Italians mark All Souls’ Day, or Festa dei Morti (literally ‘Festival of the Dead’), on November 2nd.
Italy’s Festa dei Morti has Celtic roots and was originally celebrated in some parts of Italy on October 31st.
In 1000 AD the Catholic Church named November 2nd All Souls’ Day in an attempt to replace the festival with a church-approved tradition. Though the date and name were changed, plenty of fascinating old traditions have stuck in various parts of the country.
November 2nd is generally a day of remembrance, with many Italians saying prayers and laying flowers on the graves of deceased loved ones.
National Unity Day
November 4th is another national holiday, though you won’t get a day off work for this one.
National Unity Day (or Giornata dell'Unità Nazionale e delle Forze Armate) commemorates the end of World War I for Italy in 1918.
It's usually marked with major events in Rome and other cities, including flyovers by Italy's frecce tricolori jets. You can read more about the holiday here.
Transport strikes
Transport strikes are common in Italy, and November will be no exception, as Italian unions have already announced several walkouts for the coming weeks.
A series of localised strikes planned for Friday, November 7th are set to hit public transport services in Milan and Palermo, as well as connections to and from the island of Ponza, south of Rome.
READ ALSO: The transport strikes to expect in Italy in November 2025
Rail passengers in Italy face journey disruption from the evening of Thursday, November 27th to Friday, November 28th due to a planned 24-hour train strike.
And people flying in or out of Italy could find their journeys cancelled or delayed on Friday, November 28th, as ground staff at airports across the country have declared a 24-hour walkout.
New flight routes
Two airlines are set to launch new flight routes to Italy next month.
EasyJet will operate a new twice-weekly route from Milan Malpensa to Strasbourg, France starting on Friday, November 7th, and a twice-weekly route connecting Rome Fiumicino with Strasbourg on Thursday, November 28th.
And national flag carrier ITA Airways will start two weekly flights from Rome Fiumicino to Mauritius on Friday 7th November 2025.
READ ALSO: LISTED: New flights to and from Italy in autumn 2025
World Cup qualifiers
November also will see Italy's national side play two key matches that will decide whether the team qualifies for next year's World Cup championship.
The Azzurri will face off against Moldova on Thursday, November 13th and against Norway on Sunday, November 16th.
After Italy missed the last two World Cup tournaments following a series of playoff defeats, captain Gianluigi Donnarumma has said he has "no doubts" that the team will make it through this time.
Winter tyres deadline
Under the Italian Highway Code, motorists are required to equip their vehicles with winter tyres (or to have snow chains on board) during the cold season.
The window to make the switch opened on October 15th, but the requirement and penalties for not following it will only come into force on Saturday, November 15th.
After the one-month window closes, drivers could face fines plus the requirement to undergo a revisione (the Italian equivalent of a UK MOT test).
See our article for further details.
Winter sports season begins
The 2025-2026 ski season should be getting underway at some of Italy’s higher-elevation resorts this month.
Tre Cime (Veneto/Trentino) is set to be among the first to open this year on November 22nd, with the popular Madonna di Campiglio (Trentino Alto Adige), Cortina d’Ampezzo (Veneto) and Courmayeur (Valle d'Aosta) following suit on November 29th.
If there's not enough snow, opening dates could be pushed back.
Thanksgiving
The fourth Thursday in November, which this year falls on November 27th this year, marks American Thanksgiving.
Despite being one of the most important days in the US cultural calendar, the holiday is not widely celebrated in Italy.
However, with a little effort it's perfectly possible for Americans living in Italy to create your own authentic Thanksgiving.
If the idea of sourcing all the right ingredients for a home-cooked dinner sounds exhausting, restaurants in some of the country's major cities often put on Thanksgiving-themed dinners.
Bargains for shoppers
If you fancy some retail therapy, don’t forget that Black Friday will fall on November 28th this year.
You can find a list of the major retailers that have announced their participation in this year’s event here.
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