Business Hours
Banks
are open weekdays 8:30-1:30 and 2:45-3:45.
Most churches are open from early morning until noon or 12:30, when
they close for two hours or more; they open again in the afternoon,
closing about 7 PM or later.
Major cathedrals and basilicas, including St. Peter's, are open all
day.
Note that sightseeing in churches during religious rites is usually
discouraged.
Be sure to have a fistful of 100-lire coins handy for the luce (light)
machines that illuminate the works of art in the perpetual dusk of
ecclesiastical interiors.
A pair of binoculars will help you get a good look at painted ceilings
and domes.
Museum hours vary and may change with the seasons.
Many important national museums are closed one day a week, often on
Monday. Always check locally.
Most shops are open 9:30-1 and 3:30 or 4-7 or 7:30. Shops close on
Sunday and one half-day during the week.
Some tourist-oriented shops are open all day, also on Sunday, as are
some department stores and supermarkets.
Post offices are open 8-2; central and main district post offices
stay open until 8 or 9 PM for some operations. The main post office
is open on Sunday 8:30-7.
Barbers and hairdressers, with some exceptions, are closed Sunday
and Monday.
HOLIDAYS
January 1 (New Year's Day);
January 6 (Epiphany);
March 30, 31, (Easter Sunday and Monday);
April 25 (Liberation Day);
May 1 (Labor Day or May Day);
August 15 (Assumption of Mary, also known as Ferragosto);
November 1 (All Saints' Day);
December 8 (Immaculate Conception);
December 25, 26 (Christmas Day and Boxing Day).
The feast days of patron saints are also observed locally.
Many businesses and shops may be closed in Rome on June 29 (Sts. Peter
and Paul).
Return
to Pratical Information main page