Italy reinstates national holiday on 4 October with effect from 2026.
Italy will have 12 national public holidays from 2026 after the Italian parliament voted to reinstate a day off in honour of one of the country’s two patron saints, Francis of Assisi.
The restored national holiday, which the Italian state abolished in 1977 for economic reasons, coincides with the feast day of San Francesco on 4 October.
In addition to school and office closures, Italy will organise cultural initiatives dedicated to Francis and the values he embodied: peace, fraternity, inclusion and environmental protection.
The date falls on a Sunday this year, 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.
The move, designed to mark the 800th anniversary of the death of St Francis, brings to 12 the number of national public holidays in Italy.
Alongside the usual holidays for Christmas, New Year and Easter, Italy marks the Epiphany (La Befana) on 6 January; Festa della Liberazione on 25 April; Labour Day on 1 May; Festa della Repubblica on 2 June; Ferragosto on 15 August; All Saints’ on 1 November; and the Immaculate Conception on 8 December.
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