Public holidays in Italy 2026-2027: what closes and when to visit

National public holidays

Ferragosto and the August question

15 August is the pivot of the Italian year. It is a public holiday in its own right, but the effect spreads either side of it: independent shops, restaurants, bakeries and workshops across the cities shut for one to three weeks with a chiuso per ferie sign in the window, and the owners go where everyone else goes — the coast, the lakes, the mountains.

What stays open is the tourist infrastructure: state museums, major attractions, transport, chain retail and anything in a resort town. What closes is the ordinary city. So August is a poor month for a food-led city trip and a fine one for a coastal or Alpine one, provided you booked months ago, because Italians did.

The event calendar mirrors it exactly. City theatre and concert seasons are between programmes; the festivals are all outdoors and mostly out of town.

• What's on in Italy, month by month

Local patron-saint days

Each Italian city also has one holiday of its own — its patron saint's feast. Schools, municipal offices and many shops in that city close while the rest of the country works normally, and there is usually a procession, a fair or a concert attached. It is worth checking against the dates of a city stay.

• Italy's sagre and patron-saint festivals

When to go, given all of the above

Opening-hours rules that are not holidays

• Many museums close one day a week, most often Monday — check the specific museum rather than assuming.
• Restaurants take a weekly rest day (giorno di riposo), commonly Monday or Sunday evening, and it is not always posted online.
• In smaller towns, shops often close for a long lunch and stay shut on Sunday afternoons and Monday mornings.
• Pharmacies run a duty rota — the farmacia di turno — so there is always one open, and the rota is posted in the window of the closed ones.
• On public holidays, city transport runs a Sunday service and national rail runs a reduced holiday timetable.

FAQ

What are the public holidays in Italy?

New Year (1 January), Epiphany (6 January), Easter Sunday and Easter Monday, Liberation Day (25 April), Labour Day (1 May), Republic Day (2 June), Ferragosto (15 August), All Saints (1 November), the Immaculate Conception (8 December), Christmas Day (25 December) and Santo Stefano (26 December). Each city adds its own patron-saint day on top.

Is everything closed in Italy in August?

No, but a lot is. Around 15 August many independent city businesses close for their annual break. State museums, major attractions, transport and anything in a resort town keep running — the closures hit ordinary neighbourhood shops and restaurants hardest, which is why August suits a coastal trip better than a city one.

When is Easter in Italy in 2027?

Sunday 28 March 2027, with Easter Monday — Pasquetta — on 29 March. Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March, so it moves each year; in 2026 it falls on 5 April.

What is a ponte in Italy?

A bridge. When a public holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, many people take the working day in between to make a four-day weekend. Domestic travel, trains and hotels fill on those dates, so it is worth checking the day of the week a holiday lands on before booking around it.

Are museums open on public holidays in Italy?

Most close on 1 January and 25 December and open on the other holidays, often with reduced hours. Separately, many close one fixed day a week, most commonly Monday. Always confirm on the museum's own site rather than relying on a general rule.

What is the best month to visit Italy?

September and October, or late April to June. Those windows combine mild weather, a full events programme and prices below the July-to-August peak. If cost matters more than weather, November to March is cheaper and quieter still, with the strongest indoor cultural season of the year.