Italian school holidays in 2026–2027

Whether you’re exploring Italy or further afield, holidays are a great way to spend quality time with the family. To make sure you don’t interfere with their studies, scheduling around your children’s school holidays is your best bet. If you’re working during the breaks, however, it’s important to consider childcare arrangements in advance.

Planning ahead also means preparing financially for these holiday periods. Whether you’re organizing a family trip abroad, arranging childcare, or enrolling your children in vacation camps, managing your finances efficiently is crucial. For expat families who frequently travel between countries or maintain ties to their home country, services like Wise can help manage multiple currencies and international payments.

To help you plan your year, read on for the following:

An overview of school holidays in Italy

The Ministry of Education (MIUR) sets the national school holidays, which apply to all primary and secondary schools and are the same each year. Most schools stop for the following occasions:

• Christmas break (two weeks)
• Easter break (one week)
• Summer holidays (about three months)

Many schools will also celebrate Carnival by taking off an extra day or two.

In addition, each region has local holidays that differ per area. The country has 20 administrative regions, which are split into North, Central, South, and the Islands. These include:

• North: Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Liguria, Lombardy (Lombardia), Piedmont (Piemonte), Trentino-Alto Adige (split in Bolzano and Trento), Valle d’Aosta, and Veneto
• Central: Abruzzo, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Marche, Molise, Tuscany (Toscana), and Umbria
• South: Basilicata, Calabria, Campania and Puglia
• Islands: Sardinia (Sardegna) and Sicily (Sicilia)

Many Italian schools also allocate Monday as an extra bridge day off when it precedes a public holiday.

Keep in mind that international schools in Italy may have different holiday dates, so make sure to check directly with your school.

When are the Italian school holidays in 2026–2027?

2026–2027 school holidays in North Italy

Dates may vary per municipality – check your school’s academic calendar

Holiday	Friuli-Venezia Giulia	Liguria	Lombardy	Piedmont
Start of the school year	14 September 2026	14 September 2026	14 September 2026	14 September 2026
Christmas holiday	23 December 2026 – 6 January 2027	23 December 2026 – 6 January 2027	23 December 2026 – 6 January 2027	23 December 2026 – 6 January 2027
Carnival holiday	8-10 February 2027	8-9 February 2027	n/a	6-10 February 2027
Easter holiday	25-30 March 2027	25-30 March 2027	25-30 March 2027	25-30 March 2027
Start of the Summer holiday	9 June 2027	8 June 2027	8 June 2027	10 June 2027
	Trento	Bolzano	Valle d’Aosta	Veneto
Start of the school year	10 September 2026	7 September 2026	10 September 2026	10 September 2026
Christmas holiday	23 December 2026 – 6 January 2027	23 December 2026 – 6 January 2027	24 December 2026 – 6 January 2027	24 December 2026 – 6 January 2027
Carnival holiday	8–9 February 2027	6–14 February 2027	8–10 February 2027	8–10 February 2027
Easter holiday	25-31 March 2027	25-30 March 2027	25-30 March 2027	25-30 March 2027
Start of the Summer holiday	8 June 2027	16 June 2027	9 June 2027	8 June 2027

2026–2027 school holidays in central Italy

Dates may vary per municipality – check your school’s academic calendar

Holiday	Abruzzo	Emilia-Romagna	Lazio	Marche
Start of the school year	16 September 2026	15 September 2026	15 September 2026	14 September 2026
Christmas holiday	23 December 2026 – 6 January 2027	24 December 2026 – 6 January 2027	23 December 2026 – 6 January 2027	23 December 2026 – 6 January 2027
Carnival holiday	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Easter holiday	25–30 March 2027	25–30 March 2027	25–30 March 2027	25–30 March 2027
Start of the Summer holiday	9 June 2027	5 June 2027	8 June 2027	5 June 2027
	Molise	Tuscany	Umbria
Start of the school year	14 September 2026	15 September 2026	14 September 2026
Christmas holiday	23 December 2026 – 6 January 2027	24 December 2026 – 6 January 2027	23 December 2026 – 6 January 2027
Carnival holiday	8–10 February 2027	n/a	n/a
Easter holiday	25–30 March 2027	25–30 March 2027	25–30 March 2027
Start of the Summer holiday	9 June 2027	10 June 2027	8 June 2027

2026–2027 school holidays in South Italy

Dates may vary per municipality – check your school’s academic calendar

Holiday	Basilicata	Calabria	Campania	Puglia
Start of the school year	16 September 2026	15 September 2026	15 September 2026	17 September 2026
Christmas	23 December 2026 – 6 January 2027	23 December 2026 – 6 January 2027	23 December 2026 – 6 January 2027	23 December 2026 – 6 January 2027
Carnival	8–9 February 2027	n/a	8–9 February 2027	n/a
Easter	25–30 March 2027	25–30 March 2027	25–30 March 2027	25–30 March 2027
Start of the Summer holiday	8 June 2027	8 June 2027	8 June 2027	8 June 2027

2026–2027 school holidays on the Islands

Dates may vary per municipality – check your school’s academic calendar

Holiday	Sardinia	Sicily
Start of the school year	16 September 2026	15 September 2026
Christmas	23 December 2026 – 6 January 2027	23 December 2026 – 7 January 2027
Carnival	9 February 2027	n/a
Easter	25–30 March 2027	25–30 March 2027
Start of the Summer holiday	8 June 2027	9 June 2027

When are Italy’s public holidays?

Throughout Italy, schools are closed for the national public holidays. However, regions will also set local holidays that only apply to that area.

You can find the national and municipal holidays for the upcoming years in our article on public holidays in Italy.

Practical tips for expat parents in Italy

Financial planning for school holidays

School holidays often mean additional expenses for families – from travel and accommodation to childcare and activities. For expat parents who may be traveling internationally or paying for services in different currencies, managing these expenses efficiently becomes even more important.

When planning trips abroad during school breaks:

• Create a holiday budget that accounts for currency fluctuations
• Consider the most cost-effective way to spend money abroad
• Plan ahead for international payments for activities or accommodations

Using the Wise account can help you manage your holiday finances. With Wise, you can hold and convert money in multiple currencies, as well as spend abroad with the Wise card.

Childcare during Italian school holidays

If your work clashes with your children’s school holidays, you may need to find childcare in Italy. Fortunately, there are plenty of childcare services around the country, including:

• Daycare centers
• Au pairs/nannies
• Childminders
• Babysitters

10 fun summer camps in Italy

Italy has many fun and educational summer camps for children to learn and play during the school holidays, including:

• AC Milan Junior Camps (Soccer)
• Campo Estivo Estate in Volo
• Design, Fashion & Arts Summer Camp
• Green Summer School
• International Camp Sancelso
• Italiano Porticando Summer City Camp
• Labsitters English Language Camp
• Maker DOJO Summer Technology Camp
• Trulli School Italian Language Camp
• WWF Travel Summer Camps

Conclusion

Understanding the Italian school holiday calendar is essential for expat families to plan effectively throughout the academic year. With differences between the language communities and a variety of holiday periods spread across the year, advance planning is key to balancing work commitments with childcare needs and family activities.

Whether you’re arranging local childcare, sending your children to vacation camps, or planning family trips abroad during these breaks, having the right financial tools in place can make the process smoother. For expat families in Italy, Wise provides a solution for managing expenses across different currencies.