From a Senate vote on electoral reform to Naples’s patron saint celebrations, here’s what to expect in Italy this week.

Monday, September 14th

School term begins across most of Italy

Most Italian regions send children back to school from this week after more than three months of summer holiday.

Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Liguria, Lombardy, Marche, Molise, Piedmont and Umbria are the first to start on Monday. Most of the rest of the country follows on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday

See our guide to what parents should know about the return to school in Italy.

Tuesday, September 15th

Senate to hold final vote on electoral reform

The Senate is set to complete its vote on Meloni’s controversial rewrite of Italy’s electoral law on Tuesday. It then goes to the Chamber of Deputies, with a final vote expected on September 28th.

The government says the reform will produce more stable administrations, while opposition parties call it a power grab.

Transport strikes in Tuscany, Veneto, Campania and Emilia-Romagna

Tuesday is the week’s main day for industrial action. Trams and buses are expected to be disrupted in Florence, and bus services disrupted in Pisa in the evening.

Venice’s Atvo airport bus link halts for 24 hours, and Naples rail staff walk out from 12.45pm to 4.45pm.

Ravenna’s buses and ferries pause in the morning, and Florence buses strike again on Friday.

Minimum guaranteed services run during rush hours, so check operator websites before travelling. See our full guide to September’s strikes for more detai.

Thursday, September 17th

Fuel excise discount ends

The cut to fuel excise duty on diesel ends on Thursday, after the government again extended it by a week from its previous deadline. Diesel prices, already near record highs, are expected to climb further if the discount lapses; the tax cut does not apply to petrol.

Friday, September 18th

Festivalfilosofia opens in Modena

The free philosophy festival returns to Modena, Carpi and Sassuolo in Emilia-Romagna from Friday to Sunday, with close to 200 events, including 50 masterclasses, open to the public without booking. Past editions have drawn tens of thousands of visitors across the three towns over the weekend.

Saturday, September 19th

Feast of San Gennaro, Naples

Naples marks the feast day of its patron saint, when the cathedral opens the vials said to hold his dried blood in the hope it liquefies, a tradition read as a good omen for the city if it does. Visitors can expect crowds and an especially busy historic centre around the Duomo from the morning ceremony through the evening mass.