Italian senate gives green light to bill ahead of 800th anniversary of St Francis of Assisi.
The Italian parliament has voted to reinstate 4 October as a national public holiday, restoring the day off in honour of Saint Francis of Assisi after almost half a century.
The Italian senate on Wednesday gave final approval to a bill launched by the centre-right Noi Moderati party after it was passed in the lower house last week with 247 votes in favour and just two against.
The bill, backed by the ruling right-wing parties, calls for cultural initiatives dedicated to Italy’s patron saint and the values he embodied: peace, fraternity, inclusion and environmental protection.
The public holiday on 4 October, which was removed from Italy’s calendar of public holidays in 1977 for economic reasons, will be reinstated as of next year.
The move, designed to coincide with the 800th anniversary of the death of St Francis, brings to 12 the number of national public holidays in Italy.
The date falls on a Sunday in 2026, meaning that workers and students won’t see any tangible difference until 2027 when there will be a long weekend in honour of St Francis.
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