But with a little planning, you can elongate a weekend or holiday in between those that fall towards the beginning or end of the week.
Here's the full list of Italy's public holidays in 2017:
January 6th - Epiphany (Saturday)
April 2nd - Easter (Monday)
April 25th - Liberation Day (Wednesday)
May 1st - Labour Day (Tuesday)
June 2nd - Republic Day (Saturday)
August 15th - Assumption of Mary/Ferragosto (Wednesday)
November 1st - All Saints’ Day (Thursday)
December 8th - Immaculate Conception (Saturday)
December 25th - Christmas Day (Tuesday)
December 26th - Saint Stephen’s Day (Wednesday)
Regional holidays
Venice: April 25th (Wednesday), Feast of St Mark
Sardinia: April 28th (Saturday), Sardinia Day
Rome: June 29th (Friday), Feast of St Peter and St Paul
Palermo: July 15th (Sunday), Feast of St Rosalia
Naples: September 19th (Wednesday), Feast of St Gennaro
Bologna: October 4th (Thursday), Feast of St Petronius
Trieste: November 3rd (Saturday), Feast of St Giusto
Bari: December 6th (Thursday), Feast of St Nicholas
Milan: December 7th (Friday), Feast of St Ambrose