Overview
- The Senate Constitutional Affairs Committee granted final approval in a deliberating session, making the measure law pending publication in the Official Gazette.
- From 2026 the date enters the calendar of national holidays with full legal effects, though the first non-Sunday day off will be in 2027.
- Schools and public offices will close on October 4, and the law allocates just over €10 million for holiday pay to essential public workers, including €8.8 million for health staff and €1.9 million for police, military and firefighters.
- The bill, introduced by Noi Moderati after an appeal from poet Davide Rondoni, passed the Chamber 247–2 with eight abstentions and drew broad cross‑party backing.
- Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni welcomed the outcome as unifying, while PD’s Gian Antonio Girelli warned it risks being merely symbolic without policies consistent with Franciscan values.