Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day (or Boxing Day) are official public holidays in Italy, but Christmas Eve isn't – though many employers give staff the day off as a gesture of goodwill.
Christmas falls on a Thursday this year, meaning at least four days in a row off work, and you can expect many to extend their break by taking Christmas Eve and/or the following Monday off.
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Schools are set to break up for Christmas between Monday, December 22nd and Wednesday, December 24th.
Children return to their classrooms on Wednesday, January 7th, the day after Epiphany.
Much of Italy grinds to a halt on and around public holidays, and the vacanze di Natale are no exception, as many services are limited or completely suspended over Christmas.
Local public transport
Most local public transport operators run on a reduced timetable (known as orari festivi) over the holidays.
And the quality and frequency of services during the Christmas break will vary significantly between rural and urban areas, as well as between cities.
Areas that are usually served by the occasional bus may see stripped-to-the-bone services over the holidays.
Operators in cities instead tend to operate a mostly normal schedule over the holidays, including on key dates such as Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
You can expect daytime services in most major cities to run on a relatively standard timetable, and some ‘minimum services’ (servizi minimi) will run until late at night.
Trains
Regional and local trains around the country will run on reduced timetables over the holidays, and passengers are strongly advised to check operators’ Christmas schedules well in advance.
These can usually be found on the train companies’ websites or social media channels.
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Interregional and long-distance trains generally run on standard timetables during the holidays, and even on Christmas Day you'll find dozens of high-speed services connecting major Italian cities around the country.
Be warned, though, that tickets may be far more expensive than usual, especially for longer trips.
Air travel
While strikes involving airport or airline staff are far from rare in Italy, no such walkouts will take place over the Christmas holidays as Italian law bans any protest impacting air travel from December 18th to January 7th.
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This however does not mean that there won’t be any risk of disruption for passengers flying to or from Italy over the holidays.
Christmas is the busiest time of year for air travel, with tens of thousands of passengers set to crowd airport terminals up and down the country.
This means that passengers may still face flight delays, as well as queues at check-in desks and baggage collection areas.
Public and private offices
Offices in the public and private sector, including banks, post offices, town halls and CAF fiscal assistance centres, will be closed on Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day.
Some offices may have limited opening hours on Christmas Eve.
It’s a good idea to make sure you’ve completed any urgent admin tasks by Tuesday evening.
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Cultural sites and attractions
Many state-run museums and archaeological sites will be open on Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day, though some may have reduced opening hours.
A full list of state-run sites opening over the holidays is expected to be published by Italy’s culture ministry in the coming days.
Privately-run museums, galleries or collections are likely to be closed on both public holidays.
Churches will be open over the holidays, but tourist access may be restricted or denied when services are ongoing.
Many theatres, opera houses and auditoriums around the country will be open over the coming days and weeks.
Rome's Parco della Musica auditorium, for example, will host Europe’s biggest gospel festival from Saturday, December 20th through New Year's Eve, with performances scheduled every day (including Christmas).
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Shops and supermarkets
The majority of supermercati and mini-markets in the country will remain closed on Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day.
However, some supermarkets in major cities may be open until lunchtime on Christmas Day to give shoppers time to pick up any last-minute item for their big pranzo di Natale.
Most smaller shops outside of major city centres will be closed on both Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day.
Businesses in big cities may open for half a day (either the morning or afternoon only).
Pasticcerie, panifici and restaurants
Some panifici (bakeries) and pasticcerie (pastry shops) in major cities may remain open on Christmas Day morning to allow customers to buy bread and sweets for their big family lunch.
You can also expect many restaurants to remain open over the holidays and offer special Christmas menus to customers.
But if you’re planning on eating out on Christmas Day or St Stephen’s Day, you’ll want to make a reservation well in advance – walk-ins are rarely accepted.
Doctors and pharmacies
GPs' clinics will be closed on both public holidays.
If you need urgent medical attention, you can ask to see a doctor from your nearest Guardia Medica (a medical care centre that operates outside of GPs’ normal working hours and on weekends) or visit your local hospital’s ER (pronto soccorso).
If you need to buy medicines or pick up a prescription, pharmacies in Italy operate a rota system during national holidays to ensure that at least one is open in each area.
Pharmacies that remain open on a national holiday are known as farmacie di turno.
To find the nearest one, Google farmacia di turno plus the name of the municipality (or comune) you’re in. You can also consult the Farmacie di Turno website.
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