Checked on 23 October 2026
Daily life in Italy: opening hours, public holidays, tipping, emergencies and customs to know
In Italy, people have lunch around 12:30 to 14:30 and dinner from 19:30, often after the aperitivo at 18:00; as a general rule, shops open Monday to Saturday and some close between 13:00 and 15:00, except in tourist centres where many also open on Sunday. Tipping is not compulsory (around 10% if you are happy), the till receipt is compulsory and should be kept, and the single emergency number is 112. Since 2026, 4 October (Saint Francis of Assisi) is once again a national public holiday, in addition to your city's patron saint's day.
- Costs
- Tipping not compulsory (about 10% if you are satisfied, according to the tourist board)
- Timeframes
- Not applicable
Daily life
- Language: Italian everywhere; German is also an official language in South Tyrol (province of Bolzano) and French in the Aosta Valley (special-statute regions). Elsewhere, procedures are carried out in Italian: a few phrases of Italian help a lot.
- Informal or formal "you": Italian uses the third person for the formal "you", dare del Lei ("to address someone as Lei"); the informal tu (dare del tu) is used with friends, close colleagues and young people. At a counter or with an older person, start with Lei.
- Meal times: breakfast from 7:00 (some bars and pastry shops open from 6:00); lunch from 12:30 to 14:30; aperitivo from 18:00; dinner from 19:30 to 23:00.
- Shops: open Monday to Saturday; some from 9:00 to 20:00 without a break, others close from about 13:00 to 15:00. In historic centres, stations and airports, many also open on Sunday. Opening hours vary from North to South and by season.
- Sales: early July and after Christmas, on dates set by each region.
- Paying: euros, common bank cards, mobile payment in big cities. The displayed price is the price: you do not haggle, except at some markets.
- Till receipt: every shop must give you a scontrino (receipt) or an invoice; keep it, it proves your purchase and is used for the warranty.
- Tipping: not compulsory and with no fixed rule; people leave about 10% when satisfied. In a restaurant, also check the menu to see whether a coperto (cover charge) or a servizio (service charge) is billed (common practice, amount free: to be checked on the spot).
- Transport: before boarding a regional train, check whether your ticket must be validated (convalidare) at a machine in the station; motorways are toll roads (cash, card, Telepass).
- Museums: state museums are free on the first Sunday of the month; book on the official sites and beware of unauthorised guides in the street (licensed guides wear their badge).
National public holidays (2026-2027 calendar)
- 1 January (New Year) and 6 January (Epiphany)
- Easter Monday (Pasquetta): 6 April 2026, 29 March 2027
- 25 April (Liberation) and 1 May (Labour Day)
- 2 June (Republic Day)
- 15 August (Assumption, Ferragosto: many shops and offices close around this date)
- 4 October (Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of Italy): a public holiday again since 2026
- 1 November (All Saints), 8 December (Immaculate Conception), 25 and 26 December
- Your city's patron saint, a local holiday: for example Saint Ambrose in Milan (7 December), Saints Peter and Paul in Rome (29 June), Saint John in Florence, Genoa and Turin (24 June), Saint Januarius in Naples (19 September), Saint Rosalia in Palermo (15 July), Saint Mark in Venice (25 April).
Emergencies
- 112: single, free number for all emergencies, with no area code.
- 113 state police, 115 fire brigade, 118 medical emergencies (also mountain and cave rescue), 1530 sea rescue, 1515 forest rangers.
- Roadside assistance: ACI (Automobile Club d'Italia), 803.116.
Common pitfalls
- Arriving at the office at 13:00. Some shops close at lunchtime (from about 13:00 to 15:00) and opening hours vary from one service to another: check them before you travel.
- Forgetting to validate your ticket when it is required: an unvalidated ticket may not be accepted at the inspection (rules specific to each company, to be checked).
- Leaving without a till receipt: receiving it is compulsory, and keeping it is useful.
- Planning a procedure in mid-August or on the patron saint's day: the administration runs slowly or closes.
- Relying on an old calendar: 4 October has been a public holiday since 2026, which some lists (even official ones) have not yet incorporated.
What changes by country of origin
- French speakers: the Aosta Valley is officially bilingual Italian-French; elsewhere, procedures are carried out in Italian.
- German speakers (Germans, Austrians, German-speaking Swiss): in South Tyrol, German is an official language alongside Italian.
- British and Irish nationals: Italy drives on the right; a British licence is not a European licence: it must be exchanged (sheet IT-PERMIS-TOUS-001).
- For everyone: the midday break and late dinner may surprise Northern Europeans; opening hours vary from North to South and by season (ENIT).
Official sources (8) ›
- ENIT – Italia.it (national tourist board), "Daily schedules and public holidays"
- ENIT – Italia.it, "How to pay in Italy and the current currency" (tipping, receipts, haggling)
- ENIT – Italia.it, "Useful information in the event of an emergency" (112 and specialised numbers)
- ENIT – Italia.it, "How to get around and travel in Italy"
- Normattiva, law no. 260 of 27 May 1949 on public holidays, article 2 (text in force since 01/01/2026, with 4 October)
- Ministero dell'Istruzione e del Merito, "Calendari scolastici regionali a.s. 2026-2027" (list of national holidays)
- Normattiva, constitutional law no. 4 of 26 February 1948 (special statute of the Aosta Valley), art. 38: French is placed on the same footing as Italian
- Normattiva, decree of the President of the Republic no. 670 of 31 August 1972 (special statute of Trentino-Alto Adige), title XI "Uso della lingua tedesca e del ladino", art. 99 (the text of the article could not be displayed when read on 23/10/2026)