Hello -
We are looking to plan a trip to Italy next year, visiting Florence, Rome and a few smaller towns in Tuscany. We would be arriving the Wednesday before Easter, and now am wondering if museums, restaurants will even be open, being that it is Holy Week. We are Catholic, so I would love to attend services, but I know we would also like to visit museums and such. Has anyone traveled to Italy during this time, and if so any feedback would be appreciated.
Posted by
Italy
3812 posts
I Don't know what "holy week" exactly means, but Good Friday is a working day in Italy.
Most museums will be open on Easter Sunday, but you'd better check on the website of each actraction you are interested in. For example Pompeii was open in 2018, but it was also free and the queues were very long.
Churches will be open for services, not for tourists, but you should be able to enter anyway in the smaller ones. Saint Peter's could be a problem because of queues.
Easter Monday is a big holyday for Italians, a day to make the traditional trip either out of town or to the so-called art cities. Most museums are closed anyway on Mondays, while special openings for Easter Monday are aimed to locals and purposedely announced at the last minute.
I can't see any reason for restaurants and shops on the tourists' path to be closed when Italians are on vacation and there are tourists coming from all over the world. Many family owned restaurants will be closed on Easter Sunday, but you won't starve.
The Vatican Museums are not in Italy and they will be closed like any other Sunday. I guess they close also on Easter Monday, buy I'm not sure.
Posted by
Milan, Italy
289 posts
Contrary to what everyone thinks, holy week doesn't exist in Italy.
Easter is celebrated, and the Monday after Easter (pasquetta) is a festivity, but other than that, it's a normal work week. You can attend services etc but there will be nothing out of the ordinary regarding shops, restaurants, streets etc.
Posted by
19 posts
I spent Holy Week in Sorrento two years ago. Everything was open as usual and there was even a wonderful late night Good Friday Procession that was a very big deal. Easter Sunday many places are closed. We drove across country from Sorrento to Bari and had a tough time finding something to eat along the way. Easter Monday was like any other Sunday in Bari.