Is today a public holiday in Italy?

Legge 260/1949, Festività Non Godute & Banking Rails

In Italy, public holidays (giorni festivi) are established under Law No. 260 of 27 May 1949, supplemented by Law No. 90/1954 and Law No. 54/1977. The Italian statutory calendar recognizes 11 nationwide public holidays, comprising national civil anniversaries (such as Festa della Liberazione on 25 April and Festa della Repubblica on 2 June) and religious solemnities recognized under the Lateran Pacts with the Holy See.

In addition to national dates, every Italian municipality (comune) observes one official local public holiday for its Patron Saint (Festa del Santo Patrono), codified under applicable National Collective Labor Agreements (Contratti Collettivi Nazionali di Lavoro - CCNL). On patron saint days—such as Sant'Ambrogio in Milan (7 December), San Pietro e Paolo in Rome (29 June), or San Gennaro in Naples (19 September)—local public offices, municipal schools, and bank branches close within city boundaries.

The 'Festività Non Goduta' Rule: No Monday Rollovers

Unlike the United States, United Kingdom, or Australia, Italy does not operate a statutory Monday rollover system (nessun riporto al lunedì). When a public holiday falls on a weekend, workers do not receive the following Monday off.

Instead, under Article 5, Paragraph 3 of Law 260/1949 (amended by Law 90/1954), Italian labor law protects workers through an economic compensation mechanism known as festività non goduta (un-enjoyed holiday):

• Salaried Employees (Impiegati Mensilizzati): If a recognized statutory holiday coincides with a Sunday or weekly rest day, the employee receives an extra daily wage entitlement in their monthly payslip (busta paga), calculated as 1/26th of their gross monthly salary.
• Hourly Workers (Operai): Entitled to an additional payment equal to 1/6th of their standard contractual weekly working hours.
• Compensatory Rest: Depending on the applicable CCNL, the employer and employee may agree to take a compensatory paid rest day in lieu of the cash payout.

Can an Employer Force You to Work on a Holiday?

Under established jurisprudence from Italy's Supreme Court of Cassation (Corte di Cassazione, including landmark rulings No. 16592/2015 and No. 21209/2016), an employer cannot unilaterally compel an employee to work on a statutory public holiday. The right to rest during national holidays is considered an individual worker prerogative.

Work on a public holiday requires explicit employee consent or specific provisions within the applicable CCNL (such as in healthcare, emergency services, continuous manufacturing, or hospitality). When an employee legally works on a holiday, the CCNL mandates an overtime surcharge (maggiorazione per lavoro festivo), typically ranging from +20% to +50% above the standard contractual rate.

Ex-Festività: The 32 Hours of Contractual Leave

Under Law No. 54 of 5 March 1977, Italy suppressed five religious holidays (including Saint Joseph on 19 March, Ascension Day, Corpus Domini, and National Unity Day on 4 November) to increase economic productivity. In exchange, national collective agreements (such as CCNL Commercio and Metalmeccanici) compensate employees with 32 hours of paid annual permits (permessi ex-festività), which workers can take as flexible paid time off or receive as a cash payout at year-end if unused.

Banking Clearing Rails: TIPS & Banca d'Italia

Wholesale interbank financial infrastructure is supervised by Banca d'Italia and integrated into the Eurosystem's TARGET2 (T2) settlement engine. TARGET2 closes on only six pan-European dates per year. On Italian national civic holidays—such as 25 April (Liberation Day) or 2 June (Republic Day)—TARGET2 remains open, allowing cross-border institutional capital and European treasury wires to settle normally.

Domestic retail banking operates across two distinct settlement channels:

• SEPA Batch Transfers (Bonifico Ordinario): Interbank clearing halts on Italian bank holidays coordinated by the Italian Banking Association (ABI). Batch payment orders placed on a bank holiday execute on the next business day.
• TIPS & Instant SEPA: The Target Instant Payment Settlement (TIPS) rail functions 24/7/365. Instant electronic transfers (bonifico istantaneo) settle between Italian and European bank accounts in under ten seconds, regardless of weekend closures or national holidays. Calculate exact business turnaround windows using our Working Days Calculator.

Borsa Italiana (Piazza Affari / Euronext Milan)

The Borsa Italiana, operating Piazza Affari under Euronext Group rules, maintains an international trading calendar that diverges significantly from Italian civic holidays:

• Exchange Closures: Piazza Affari closes for trading on Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labour Day (1 May), Christmas Eve (24 Dec), Christmas Day (25 Dec), and New Year's Eve (31 Dec).
• Open on Italian National Holidays: Borsa Italiana remains fully open for regular daytime equity trading on Epiphany (6 January), Liberation Day (25 April), Republic Day (2 June), Assumption Day / Ferragosto (15 August), and Immaculate Conception (8 December), ensuring Italian equities remain liquid for international investors even while Italian bank lobbies, courts, and schools are shut.

Italy Payment Rails, Exchange Cutoffs & Statutory Pay Matrix (2026–2027)

When a statutory public holiday or in-lieu bank holiday occurs in Italy, commercial banking counters, central bank real-time gross settlement (RTGS) rails, and retail instant payment systems follow distinct operational rules:

Key 2026 vs. 2027 Holiday Date Shifts & Bridge-Day Planning in Italy

Because fixed calendar holidays shift one weekday forward between 2026 and 2027 (and movable lunar or liturgical holidays shift by 10 to 15 days), HR teams, payroll processors, and employees in Italy should account for the following 2026–2027 date comparisons and leave-bridge opportunities: