Vacation and Public Holidays in Italy: How to Plan Team Coverage

If you hire in Italy, you will notice a pattern. Replies slow down in August. Some colleagues vanish for weeks. Clients and suppliers go quiet. This is normal, and it is predictable. You can plan for it.

This article explains why it happens and how to build coverage that works.

Why August slows down  

Italy has a strong summer holiday culture. Many people take their main break in August, and they take it in a block. Schools are closed. Families travel together. The mid-August holiday, Ferragosto, sits in the middle of the period and anchors it.

Many Italian businesses also close entirely for part of the month. Factories, small firms and professional offices often shut down so everyone can rest at the same time. If your team works with Italian customers, partners or advisors, expect them to be away too.

So the slowdown is not only about your employees. It is the whole local ecosystem. Your accountant, your payroll contact, your landlord and your customers may all be out at once.

How leave works in practice  

Italian employees have a legal right to paid annual leave. The exact entitlement and the rules on how it is used come from national law and from the collective agreement that applies to the role. Collective agreements vary by sector. Always check which one covers each employee before you write a leave policy.

A few points matter for planning:

• Leave is a right, not a favor. You cannot ask people to give it up.
• Employers have a say in when leave is taken, but they must take employee needs into account.
• Part of the leave is expected to be used as a continuous break during the year. Summer is the usual choice.
• Unused leave does not simply disappear or get paid out in the normal course. Carrying it forward has limits.

This means a US-style policy of “take it when you can” or “unlimited time off” does not map cleanly. You need a clear, documented process.

Public holidays  

Italy has several national public holidays across the year. Some fall on fixed days. Others move, such as Easter Monday. Local patron saint days add more in individual cities. A team spread across several cities may not share the same calendar.

When a holiday lands on a weekday, the office is closed. When it lands on a weekend, the treatment depends on the contract and the collective agreement. Do not assume the US habit of moving the day off to a Friday or Monday.

Build a holiday calendar for each location at the start of the year. Share it with your whole company, not just the Italy team. Your US colleagues should know when Italian coverage is thin.

Plan coverage before the rush  

The worst time to plan summer coverage is in July. Start early. A simple process works well.

Ask for leave plans in spring. Request preferred summer dates from everyone. Most people already know when they want to go. Asking early lets you spot clashes while there is still room to adjust.

Stagger the breaks. If a team has several people, avoid having everyone away at the same time. Agree a rotation. Be fair about it. Rotate who gets the most popular weeks from year to year.

Name a backup for each critical task. Payroll inputs, customer escalations, compliance deadlines and system access all need a second person. Write down who covers what. Do not rely on memory.

Document handovers. Before anyone leaves, ask for a short handover note. It should list open items, deadlines that fall during the absence, and who to call.

Set expectations with clients. Tell customers and partners in advance that response times will be longer. A short notice in June avoids frustration in August.

Do not plan around people on leave  

A common mistake is to expect people to check email while away. In Italy this is poorly received, and in many cases it undermines the purpose of the break. Employees may also have rights about disconnecting. Treat time off as time off.

If you truly need an urgent decision from someone on leave, handle it as a rare exception. Plan so that it is not needed.

Align your global calendar  

US founders often schedule product launches, board meetings and fiscal deadlines without thinking about Italy. Check your calendar against Italian holidays and the summer break. Avoid setting big deliverables for the quiet weeks. If a deadline cannot move, agree the coverage months ahead and confirm it in writing.

Payroll and statutory filings keep running even when people are away. Make sure the person who handles them, internally or through a provider, has a clear backup.

Get the terms right in the contract  

Your employment contracts and internal policy should state how leave requests are made, how far ahead, and who approves them. They should also describe how public holidays are treated. A clear policy prevents disputes. If you use an Employer of Record (EOR), your provider can apply the correct collective agreement and keep leave balances accurate, so your managers focus on scheduling rather than rules.

The short version  

Italy slows down in August because the whole country takes a break at once. Accept it. Collect leave plans early, stagger absences, name backups, document handovers and tell clients ahead of time. Do this and the quiet weeks cost you very little.

Want to see what hiring in Italy costs? Try the cost calculator.