Workers in Italy have staged a mass general strike in support of Gaza, with railway, port and local public transport networks severely disrupted until 11pm local time, Monday, September 22.
Italy’s conservative Premier, Giorgia Meloni, is a close ally to Israel and has said she won’t be formally recognising the state of Palestine.
As a result, the Italian workers’ walk is, is set to cause disruptions across the country — which spells trouble for British tourists currently enjoying breaks in the likes of Rome and Milan — or those who are trying to travel between cities.
If you’re a tourist in one of Italy’s main hubs and you’re wondering how you can still visit famous landmarks like The Vatican or the Duomo di Milano, here’s everything you need to know about the general strike in Italy.
How to travel in Rome during the strike
When it comes to getting around, Rome’s Tram service (The Atac Network) and buses will be disrupted.
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However, there will be regular service on both trams and buses from 5pm to 8pm, so if you’re travelling in rush hour, or heading to a dinner reservation, you should be fine.
It’s recommended that you buy all your tickets online because ticket office service is not guaranteed at any point during the day.
Local metro trains on the A, B, B1 and C lines are operating. Line A (the orange one) will take you to popular tourist sites like Vatican City, Spanish Steps, Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain, while line B (the blue one) will take you to the Colosseum.
Make note though, the Repubblica stop on line A is closed, which is the stop which puts you in walking distance of the Trevi Fountain. The Termini station on lines A, B and B1 is also closed.
Inside Italy's general strike
Protests have been taking place today in Rome and Milan, as well as Turin, Florence and the southern cities of Naples, Bari and Palermo.
Rome has seen more than 20,000 people gathering in front of its central station to protest. In Bologna, its reported more than 10,000 have taken to the streets to take a stand.
Around 70 Italian cities are thought to be participating in the strike, with workers marching in demonstrations calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and urging the government to sever its relationship with Israel.
There are also workers’ sit-ins and rallies in the main Italian ports of Genoa and Livorno.
If you have mobility issues public transport may prove even more difficult because escalators, lifts and stairlifts will not be operational in metro or train stations.
Sounds too stressful? Luckily, if you’re up for walking, you should be able to reach all the main sites on foot. However, there’s also an option to cycle, with electric bikes being available.
There’s Dott bikes which can be located with the Dott app, or Lime Bikes and scooters too, which will save you downloading a new app if you use them in London.
How to travel in Milan during the strike
In Milan the public transport provider ATM has said it will guarantee services from 3pm to 6pm on all metro lines, but nothing is guaranteed outside these hours.
ATM is responsible for the metro, tram, bus, trolleybus and cable transport system which connects Lake Como to Brunate.
On X, the transport provider recommended looking for real-time updates in its app, but it says that all lines are operational apart from the M4, which is the line that will run between 3pm and 6pm.
It wrote: ‘National general strike: in Milan, M4, reopens after 3pm. All other metro lines remain open. After 9.30am, some bus and tram lines may be diverted, interrupted, or delayed to to demonstrations.’
The M4 is the newest metro line (also known as the blue line) and connects Milan’s city centre with the airport.
However, Lime bikes also operate in Milan, so this may be a safer bet.
The latest on Gaza
- What does it mean to recognise Palestine as a state? List of countries for and against the move
- Israeli veteran slips up that Gaza death toll may be much higher in Piers Morgan interview
- Gaza death toll reaches 65,000 one day after Israel accused of committing ‘genocide’
- I’m a Palestinian journalist – colleagues are being killed one by one
- Greta Thunberg wears ‘We are all Palestine Action’ shirt on journey to Gaza
Are flights to Italy affected by the strike?
The silver lining to this for tourists is that air travel is exempt, so domestic flights and tourists arriving or departing from main airports should be unaffected by strike action.
However, getting to the airport could prove slightly more tricky, with videos online showing long queues for taxis at an airport n Rome.
Trenord, a railway company responsible for operating rail services in Italy, connects 460 stations and travels to locations including Alessandria, Novara, Parma, Piacenza, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Vercelli, and Verona.
Its regional, suburban, long-distance and airport routes could all be affected, although the extent to which they’re impacted isn’t clear.
There is a guaranteed time slot from 6pm to 9pm where all trains on the list of guaranteed airport services here, will run.
If your airport train service is cancelled, non-stop buses are being provided between Milan Cadorna and Malpensa Airport. If you arrive at Milan Cadorna, your bus will depart from Via Paleocapa One.
Buses are also being provided between Stabio and Malpensa Airport, with no stops en-route.
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