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Italian Labor Day

Posted by (Slidell, LA) on

Arriving in Milan on April 30 and was planning to take the train to Venice shortly thereafter, arriving late afternoon (assuming I can find a place to stay). I was just reading through the Italian holidays and learned that May 1 is their Labor Day and that major cities such and Venice and Rome are very crowded, and that there is the possibility of strikes and protests. Have any of you had any experience in Milan or Venice on this day and if so can you share your experiences? My itinerary over 12 days is Venice, Florence, the Cinque Terre and Milan, right now split equally between these places, but I am flexible. Should I consider reversing the order? I also would like to get to Lake Como from Milan if there is time. Thanks.

Jim

Posted by
15144 posts

Makes no difference if you make your loop clockwise or counterclockwise. Labor Day (May 1) will be a busy tourist holiday wherever you go, except for maybe Milan, which is the business capital more than a tourist destination, therefore probably fewer will be in town. I wouldn't worry about strikes (which are rare, especially on May 1) and the labor union marches are peaceful and generally limited to the major cities, certainly not Venice. Your only worry should be to book a hotel room for that period, whether it's in Venice or the Cinque Terre. Also May 1, 2015 falls on a Friday, therefore you need to worry about booking accommodations fast for that entire weekend.

Posted by
11613 posts

I agree with Roberto, and the day of the week does matter.

Protests in Italy - actually demonstrations called "manifestations" - are usually peaceful and often festive, with balloons and music in addition to the marches and speeches at public monuments. They are easily avoided, just walk away from the piazza or major street.

Posted by
500 posts

Unions usually organize a very large outdoor pop concert in Rome on May 1st and that is all. Strikes are not usual on May 1st - unless some employer tries to dodge the festivity, and this is more and more frequent in this later years. An example could be public transportation - till a few years ago there was little or no service on May 1st, now local officials try to run transportation, sometimes unions cooperate, sometimes unions oppose and call a strike.

Posted by
8035 posts

The biggest problem with May 1 is that so many things are closed. This is the most important holiday in Europe and it is typical for shops, transport and even many restaurants to close. We arrived in Venice on May 1 about 30 years ago to find that the Vaporettos were not running that day and so shlepped our luggage a mile or so from the train station to our hotel over the bridges and up the alleys.

We have seen many demonstrations in Europe over the years and they are interesting to watch, well managed and not a cause for concern although they may be in the way of you getting from point A to point B

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