Italy’s 2026–27 school year is approaching, and the return to the classroom will not look the same across the country. While pupils in Bolzano are due back on 7 September 2026, families in Puglia have almost another fortnight of summer, with lessons beginning on 17 September.
That regional difference is one of the quirks of school life in Italy. Each region sets its own timetable, which means Carnival breaks, extra days off and handy long weekends can vary just as much as the first day of term.
Here are the key Italy school holiday and term dates for 2026–27, including national holidays and the regional closures already published.
Italy’s national school holidays in 2026–27
The following national holidays apply across Italian schools:
- 4 October 2026: St Francis of Assisi, patron saint of Italy
- 1 November 2026: All Saints’ Day
- 8 December 2026: Immaculate Conception
- 25 and 26 December 2026: Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day
- 1 January 2027: New Year’s Day
- 6 January 2027: Epiphany
- 29 March 2027: Easter Monday
- 25 April 2027: Liberation Day
- 1 May 2027: Labour Day
- 2 June 2027: Republic Day
The calendar offers relatively few natural long weekends: 4 October and 1 November 2026 are Sundays, while 25 April 2027 also falls on a Sunday. Labour Day, on 1 May 2027, falls on a Saturday.
School start dates in Italy for 2026–27
First day of school | Region or province |
|---|---|
7 September 2026 | Autonomous Province of Bolzano |
10 September 2026 | Autonomous Province of Trento, Valle d’Aosta, Veneto |
14 September 2026 | Friuli Venezia Giulia, Liguria, Lombardy, Marche, Molise, Piedmont, Umbria |
15 September 2026 | Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Sicily |
16 September 2026 | Abruzzo, Basilicata, Sardinia |
17 September 2026 | Puglia |
Northern Italy school dates and regional breaks
Lombardy
- School starts: 14 September 2026
Piedmont
- School starts: 14 September 2026
Valle d’Aosta
- School starts: 10 September 2026
- Additional closures: 30 January for a local holiday; 7 December for the Immaculate Conception long weekend
Liguria
- School starts: 14 September 2026
- Additional closure: 7 December 2026
- Carnival break: 8–9 February 2027
Trentino-Alto Adige
Autonomous Province of Bolzano
- School starts: 7 September 2026
- Additional closures: 2–8 November 2026, for the commemoration of the dead
- Carnival break: 8–12 February 2027
Autonomous Province of Trento
- School starts: 10 September 2026
- Carnival break: 8–9 February 2027
- Easter break: extended until 31 March 2027
Veneto
- School starts: 10 September 2026
- Autumn break: 30 October–2 November 2026
- Additional closure: 7 December 2026
- Carnival break: 8–10 February 2027
- Long weekend: 29–30 April 2027
- Long weekend: 31 May–1 June 2027, ahead of Republic Day
Friuli Venezia Giulia
- School starts: 14 September 2026
- Additional closure: 7 December 2026
- Carnival break: 8–10 February 2027
Emilia-Romagna
- School starts: 15 September 2026
- Additional closure: 2 November 2026, for the Commemoration of the Dead
- Carnival: No Carnival closure days are listed among the official planned breaks.
Central Italy school dates and regional breaks
Tuscany
- School starts: 15 September 2026
- Additional regional closures: No additional closures for Carnival or 2 November are listed.
Marche
- School starts: 14 September 2026
- Additional regional closures: None stated; the calendar follows national public holidays.
Umbria
- School starts: 14 September 2026
- Additional closure: 2 November 2026, for the Commemoration of the Dead
- Additional closure: 7 December 2026, before the Immaculate Conception holiday
Lazio
- School starts: 15 September 2026
Southern Italy and islands school dates
Abruzzo
- School starts: 16 September 2026
- Additional closure: 7 December 2026, for the Immaculate Conception long weekend
Molise
- School starts: 14 September 2026
- Carnival break: 8–10 February 2027
- Long weekend: 31 May–1 June 2027, before Republic Day
Campania
- School starts: 15 September 2026
- Additional closure: 2 November 2026
- Additional closure: 7 December 2026
- Carnival break: 8–9 February 2027
Puglia
- School starts: 17 September 2026
- Additional closure: 7 December 2026
Basilicata
- School starts: 16 September 2026
- Carnival break: 8–9 February 2027
Calabria
- School starts: 15 September 2026
- Additional closure: 2 November 2026, for the Commemoration of the Dead
- Additional closure: 7 December 2026
Sicily
- School starts: 15 September 2026
- Christmas break: Until 7 January 2027, with pupils returning on 8 January
- Additional closure: 2 November 2026
- Additional closure: 7 December 2026
Sardinia
- School starts: 16 September 2026
- Additional closure: 2 November 2026
- Carnival break: 9 February 2027
- Additional closure: 28 April 2027, linked to a local holiday
Italy school holidays 2026–27: what to keep in mind
The listed dates cover the regional start dates, national public holidays and additional closures stated in the published regional calendars. Individual schools and municipalities can have further closures linked to local patron-saint days or local public holidays, so dates may differ within the same region.
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