Italy has thirteen national holidays in 2026 rather than the usual twelve. Law 151 of 8 October 2025 restored 4 October, the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, as a civil holiday from 1 January 2026. It is the first Italian public holiday added back since the cuts of 1977, and in its first year it falls on a Sunday, which takes most of the fun out of it.
The rest of the calendar is kinder. Five holidays fall on a Tuesday or a Thursday, and a Tuesday or a Thursday is what a ponte is made of.
The 2026 calendar
| Holiday | Date | Falls on | What it is worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day, Capodanno | 1 January | Thursday | Four days with Friday 2 January |
| Epiphany, Epifania | 6 January | Tuesday | Four days with Monday 5 January |
| Easter Sunday, Pasqua | 5 April | Sunday | Runs straight into Easter Monday |
| Easter Monday, Pasquetta | 6 April | Monday | Three days, no leave spent |
| Liberation Day, 25 Aprile | 25 April | Saturday | Nothing. It falls on a Saturday |
| Labour Day, 1 Maggio | 1 May | Friday | Three days, no leave spent |
| Republic Day, 2 Giugno | 2 June | Tuesday | Four days with Monday 1 June |
| Ferragosto | 15 August | Saturday | Nothing on its own |
| Saint Francis of Assisi | 4 October | Sunday | Nothing. New for 2026 |
| All Saints, Ognissanti | 1 November | Sunday | Nothing |
| Immaculate Conception, Immacolata | 8 December | Tuesday | Four days with Monday 7 December |
| Christmas Day, Natale | 25 December | Friday | Opens the ten-day New Year block |
| St Stephen’s Day, Santo Stefano | 26 December | Saturday | Nothing on its own |
Five of the thirteen fall on a Saturday or Sunday that would otherwise have been a working day, and Italy gives no day in lieu. Liberation Day and Ferragosto both go to a Saturday in 2026, which is the year’s real loss.
The ponti worth booking
| Ponte | Dates | Days of leave | Days off | Where people go |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ❄️ New Year into Epiphany | 1 to 6 January | 2 | 6 | Dolomites skiing, Trentino spas, Vienna or Prague |
| 🌷 Easter | 4 to 6 April | 0 | 3 | Puglia, Sicily, the hill towns before the heat |
| 🌊 Labour Day | 1 to 3 May | 0 | 3 | Amalfi Coast, Cinque Terre, Barcelona or Seville |
| ☀️ Republic Day | 30 May to 2 June | 1 | 4 | Sardinia, Sicily, the Greek islands, Lisbon |
| 🎄 Immaculate Conception | 5 to 8 December | 1 | 4 | Christmas markets in Strasbourg, Colmar or Munich |
| 🥂 Christmas into New Year | 25 December to 3 January 2027 | 4 | 10 | Whatever is still bookable by November |
The leave days, counted out. New Year needs 2 and 5 January, because 1 and 6 January are both holidays and the weekend sits between them: six days off for two. Republic Day needs Monday 1 June. Immacolata needs Monday 7 December. Christmas needs 28 to 31 December, with Christmas Day, St Stephen’s Day and New Year’s Day 2027 all falling free around them.
Book all six and you spend eight days of leave for thirty days off. The New Year run is the one to protect, because it is the only two-holiday bridge in the year.
Before you book
Ferragosto is when Italy itself goes away. In the week around 15 August, family-run restaurants and shops in the cities close for anything from a week to a fortnight, while the coast and the lakes are at their fullest and their most expensive. It is the one date on this list where being in an Italian city is quieter than being anywhere else.
Expect a Sunday timetable. Trains and city buses usually run a festivo service on every date in the calendar above, and many state museums close on 1 January and 25 December.
Roaming inside the EU costs nothing extra. An Italian plan works at Italian rates anywhere in the European Union, so a ponte spent in Barcelona, Lisbon or Athens raises no data question at all. Only the trips outside it, London, Zurich, Marrakech, are worth checking the tariff for.
Coming the other way, these dates are also when Italy is fullest and dearest, and an Italy eSIM saves working out a foreign tariff on the morning you arrive.
FAQ
How many public holidays does Italy have in 2026?
What is a ponte?
Which is the best Italian long weekend in 2026?
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Dates checked against Law 260/1949 as amended by Law 151/2025 and published 2026 holiday calendars, September 2026.
