Italian school holidays run from mid-June to mid-September for the summer break, from around 23 December to 6 January for the Christmas break, and for roughly five to ten days around Easter, with the exact dates set each year by the regional education offices across Italy’s twenty regions. The academic year in Italian state schools starts in the second or third week of September and runs until the first or second week of June, giving students around 200 classroom days per year.
Italian schools also close for twelve national public holidays spread across the calendar, including Liberation Day on 25 April, Republic Day on 2 June, and the Ferragosto holiday on 15 August, plus one local patron saint day that differs by municipality. This article covers each holiday period with working dates, explains the regional differences that affect when schools open and close across the country, and notes the practical impact on travel planning for visitors to Italy.
Summer Break: Mid-June to Mid-September
The summer holiday is the longest break in the Italian school year. State schools across all twenty regions close between 7 and 15 June depending on the region and reopen between 9 and 16 September. Southern regions such as Calabria, Sardinia, and Sicily tend to close a few days later in June and reopen a few days later in September than northern regions such as Lombardy and the Veneto, although the total length of the break stays close to three months everywhere.
The Ministero dell’Istruzione e del Merito in Rome sets the minimum number of school days for the academic year, and each Ufficio Scolastico Regionale adjusts the opening and closing dates to fit local conditions. Schools in the Alpine provinces of Bolzano and Trento operate on a separate calendar that includes a longer winter break and a slightly shorter summer break to accommodate the ski season and the bilingual German-Italian or Ladin-Italian teaching schedules.
The summer period is also the peak tourism season in Italy, and families travelling to popular destinations such as the Amalfi Coast, Sicily, Lake Garda, or the Cinque Terre should expect higher prices and heavier crowds in July and August when Italian families are on the road. Our guide to Italian summer holidays covers the main destinations and practical booking details.
Christmas and Winter Break
Italian schools close for the Christmas break on or around 23 December and reopen on or around 7 January, giving students approximately two weeks off. The break includes the national holidays of Christmas Day on 25 December, Saint Stephen’s Day on 26 December, New Year’s Day on 1 January, and Epiphany on 6 January.
Epiphany, known in Italian tradition as the feast of La Befana, is the day when children receive gifts from the Befana figure, a tradition that runs alongside the Christmas gift-giving custom and that marks the end of the holiday season for most Italian families. Schools reopen the day after Epiphany unless it falls on a Saturday.
The Alpine provinces of Bolzano and Trento, along with the Aosta Valley, sometimes extend the winter break by a few days in either direction to accommodate the local ski industry and the regional holiday calendar.
Easter Holidays
Italian schools close for Easter from the Thursday before Easter Sunday through the Tuesday after Easter, giving a break of roughly five to six days. Some regions extend the Easter break by an additional day at each end depending on the regional calendar issued that year.
Easter Monday, known in Italian as Pasquetta or Little Easter, is a national public holiday and a traditional day for outdoor family meals and day trips, which makes it a busy travel day on Italian motorways and railways. The exact dates of the Easter break move each year with the liturgical calendar, falling anywhere between late March and late April.
Carnival Break
Several Italian regions grant one or two school days off during the Carnival season in February, though this is not universal. The Carnival break is most common in regions with strong Carnival traditions, including Venice and the surrounding Veneto, Viareggio in Tuscany, Ivrea in Piedmont, and Putignano in Puglia. The days off are set at the regional level and typically cover the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.
National Public Holidays
Italian schools close on twelve national public holidays in addition to the scheduled vacation breaks. The full list of days when all Italian state schools are closed runs as follows:
- 1 January – New Year’s Day (Capodanno)
- 6 January – Epiphany (Epifania / La Befana)
- Easter Sunday and Easter Monday (Pasquetta) – dates vary
- 25 April – Liberation Day (Festa della Liberazione)
- 1 May – Labour Day (Festa del Lavoro)
- 2 June – Republic Day (Festa della Repubblica)
- 15 August – Assumption of Mary (Ferragosto)
- 1 November – All Saints’ Day (Tutti i Santi)
- 8 December – Immaculate Conception (Immacolata Concezione)
- 25 December – Christmas Day (Natale)
- 26 December – Saint Stephen’s Day (Santo Stefano)
A complete guide to the history and customs behind each of these dates is available in our reference on Italian public holidays.
Patron Saint Days and Regional Differences
Every Italian municipality observes a local patron saint day as a public holiday, and schools in that municipality close for the day. The dates differ by city and town. Rome closes on 29 June for the feast of Saints Peter and Paul. Milan closes on 7 December for Sant’Ambrogio. Naples closes on 19 September for San Gennaro. Florence closes on 24 June for San Giovanni Battista. Turin closes on 24 June for the same saint.
The patron saint day means that a visitor planning a trip to a specific Italian city should check the local saint’s day in advance, since shops, museums, and public services may operate on reduced hours or close entirely. The patron saint calendar also affects the working rhythm of the school year in regions where the saint’s day falls close to a scheduled break, since schools sometimes bridge the gap with additional days off.
Planning Travel Around Italian School Holidays
Italian school holidays directly affect tourism pricing and crowd levels across the country. The busiest domestic travel periods are the first two weeks of August around Ferragosto, the Christmas and Epiphany fortnight, and the Easter weekend including Pasquetta Monday. Flights, hotels, and train tickets cost more during these periods, and popular coastal and mountain destinations fill to capacity.
Visitors who have flexibility should consider travelling in early to mid-June, September, or the first half of October, when Italian schools are in session and the major tourist destinations are quieter but the weather remains warm across most of the country. Our wider reference on Italian holidays and festivals covers the cultural events that run alongside the school calendar.
Italian families also take advantage of the ponte or bridge when a national holiday falls on a Tuesday or a Thursday. Schools and many workplaces close on the intervening Monday or Friday as well, creating a four-day weekend that fills motorways and airports with short-break traffic. The ponte around 25 April and 1 May is a regular travel peak, and visitors arriving in Italy during late April should expect full hotels in Florence, Rome, and the Amalfi Coast. Checking the calendar for ponti before booking travel reduces the risk of running into unexpected domestic crowd surges.
Frequently Asked Questions
When are Italian school holidays?
Italian school holidays include a summer break from mid-June to mid-September, a Christmas break from around 23 December to 6 January, an Easter break of roughly five to six days, an optional Carnival break of one to two days in February, twelve national public holidays, and one local patron saint day per municipality.
How long is the Italian school summer break?
The Italian school summer break runs for approximately three months, from the first or second week of June to the second or third week of September. The exact dates are set each year by the regional education offices and differ slightly between northern and southern regions.
When does the Italian school year start?
The Italian school year starts in the second or third week of September, with the exact date set by each region’s Ufficio Scolastico Regionale. Students attend approximately 200 classroom days before the year ends in the first or second week of June.
What is Ferragosto?
Ferragosto is the Italian national holiday on 15 August marking the Assumption of Mary. It falls during the summer break and is the single busiest domestic travel day in the Italian calendar, with millions of Italians heading to the coast or the mountains. Prices for accommodation and transport are at their annual peak in the two weeks around Ferragosto.
Do Italian school holidays differ by region?
The broad structure of the holidays is the same across all twenty Italian regions, but the exact start and end dates for the summer, Christmas, and Easter breaks are set by each region’s education office. The Alpine provinces of Bolzano and Trento operate on a separate calendar with a longer winter break. Patron saint days differ by municipality, meaning schools in Rome close on a different date from schools in Milan or Naples.
Sources and Further Reading
- Ministero dell’Istruzione e del Merito, official school calendar guidelines, miur.gov.it
- Ufficio Scolastico Regionale per la Lombardia, regional school calendar, istruzione.lombardia.gov.it
- Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano, school calendar for the German-language and Italian-language school systems, provincia.bz.it
- ENIT (Agenzia Nazionale del Turismo), official Italian tourism board, italia.it
