'Black Friday' in Italy: What today's nationwide strikes mean for travellers

Travellers coming to Italy could face major disruption, as a nationwide general strike is taking place today.

The strike is scheduled to last 24 hours, from 9 pm on 27 November until 9 pm on 28 November, and is expected to affect long-distance trains, local transport, ferries, airports and other transport links. Both public and private sectors are participating.

Unions have called the strikes largely in protest at the government’s budget plans.

Grassroots organisations, including Cobas, Usb, Sgb and Cub, are demanding better pay and better investment in health, education and other essential services, as well as a reduction in military spending.

What disruptions should travellers expect?

While few delays had been reported at the time of publication, service providers such as Trenitalia, FS Group and northern Italy's Trenord have warned travellers that long-distance and regional trains may be delayed or cancelled throughout the day.

Some services may be disrupted after the strike ends, too. That includes services to airports.

Trenord has reminded travellers that it will offer bus services to Milan Cadorna and Malpensa Airport should its airport trains be affected.

Meanwhile, airports in Naples, Venice and others have likewise warned of delays.

Prior to the strikes, national carrier ITA Airways cancelled 26 domestic flights, including 23 on Friday.

Another strike will affect Italy in December

Italy’s largest union, CGIL, has also called for a 21-hour general strike on 12 December, disrupting rail services and adding to ferry and aviation walkouts planned next month.

The strike is scheduled to run from just after midnight on 12 December until 9 pm the same day, according to the transport ministry’s strike bulletin.

CGIL, the leader of the 12 December walkouts, says the fiscal plan cuts funding for public services and leaves many long-expired national labour contracts unresolved.

The union argues that staffing shortages, rising living costs and delayed negotiations have created pressure across schools, hospitals and other essential services.

When the strike was announced in November, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took to social media to criticise the timing, suggesting unions were looking for a long weekend.

“What day of the week is 12 December?” she wrote on X, adding a thinking-face emoji.

What does this mean for travellers?

Long-distance and regional rail services, local public transport, ferry and potentially air links may run on reduced timetables or be cancelled entirely today.

Those connecting to airports by train should leave extra time in case services are cancelled or rescheduled. December is already a busy period for holiday travel, so even limited cancellations may create bottlenecks on key national routes.

Flights are not explicitly included in this walkout, and Italy’s airports are expected to operate normally. Travellers arriving by air, however, may find their rail connections affected if national services are running on an altered timetable.

The biggest impact of the 12 December strike will be on rail transport. Long-distance and high-speed services across Italy may again face cancellations or reduced schedules, potentially affecting routes between cities such as Rome, Milan, Florence and Turin.

Ferry connections may also be affected later in the month. A two-day strike called by ferry companies Tirrenia CIN and Moby, from 3 pm on 9 December to 3 pm on 11 December, could disrupt travel between the mainland and islands such as Sardinia and Sicily.

On 17 December, a four-hour walkout from 1 pm to 5 pm involving ground handling staff, airline crews and air traffic controllers responsible for Rome’s surrounding airspace may cause delays at airports across the country.

What are travellers' rights during strikes?

According to the Italian civil aviation authority, ENAC, flights are guaranteed during strikes from 7 am to 10 am and from 6 pm to 7 pm.

Some trains are guaranteed, including peak hour services on commuter trans, from 6 am to 9 am and from 6 pm to 9 pm. Some long-distance trains are also guaranteed.

Pre-booked long-distance train tickets affected by cancellations allow passengers to request a full refund or to be moved to an equivalent service.

Operators typically publish updated timetables and guaranteed service lists in the days leading up to a strike.

More information can be found on ENAC’s website, as well as the Transport Ministry’s website, which keeps a running list of strikes.