The Italian Senate has voted to restore October 4 as a national public holiday honoring Saint Francis of Assisi, the country’s patron saint, starting in 2026. The lower house (Camera dei Deputati) had approved the measure on September 23, 2025, by a wide margin (247 in favor, 2 against, 8 abstentions); the Senate then ratified the decision on October 1, 2025.
The Italian holiday was first established in 1958 but abolished in 1977 during austerity measures. It marks the feast day of Saint Francis, the 13th-century friar who founded the Franciscan order and was canonized in 1228. Government leaders said reviving the day honors the values of peace, brotherhood, environmental care, and solidarity.
Italians will not see an immediate paid day off—the bill will go into effect January 1, 2026, so the first possible day off would be October 4, 2026. That day falls on a Sunday. Because Italy generally does not shift holidays that land on weekends, the first weekday holiday in practice will be on Monday, October 4, 2027. There might, however, still be a reason to celebrate Saint Francis: 2026 will mark his 800th death anniversary.