I understand May 1 is Labor Day and is a national holiday in Italy. Consequently, places can be crowded since people aren't working (although I notice it's a Saturday this year). I heard from another traveler, however, that the whole last week in April is a "holiday" for Italians, so to avoid Rome, the CT, and places like that because they'll be crowded and lines will be long. Is that true?
Posted by
Salem, Oregon, USA
2727 posts
I was in Italy during this time in 2006. Crowds weren't any different than a busy weekend day. There were some labor strikes (ferries on Lake Como, metro in Milan, trains in Cinque Terre) but that is sort of Italy for you. Double check the dates for Easter - the days leading up to and just after are busier and may be what you have heard about. That said, it's a great time to be in Italy - not too hot, pretty flowers, etc
Posted by
Napa, CA
3580 posts
In 2007, crowds were HUGE in the Cinque Terre. Lots of teenagers. The trains were packed. I was lucky to get a hotel room for the May 1 weekend.
Posted by
Los Angeles
425 posts
In Italy, many National Holidays are transformed into "bridge" weekends ("Ponte" in Italian), and Italians take advantage of the extra day (or two) to take a "quick" holiday somewhere in Italy, such as the Cinque Terre, Roma, Firenze, Napoli, Costa Amalfitana, Venezia, Grandi Laghi (Maggiore, Como, Garda), etc. Of course, kids travel with their parents during these short trips.
Consequently, you should anticipate lines (particularly for the best-known museums), heavily-booked hotels, and crowded trains. Of course, if the weather happens to be bad, many people will cancel at the last moment. So you really can't anticipate with any degree of accuracy.
For this reason, I don't recommend that travellers necessarily avoid any particular destination, simply because of the holiday, unless of course one is very adverse to crowds and gravitates towards other types of venues, in which case the majority of the "popular" destinations in Italy would be "off limits" for much of the year!!!!
Are you willing to postpone your trip by one week simply to avoid the "Ponte"?
Posted by
OP
Ely, MN, USA
274 posts
Swan,
Were the crowds mostly on the weekend or the middle of the week, as well?