What to do in Italy on Sundays

When we create custom itineraries at Italy Beyond the Obvious, we always include the day of the week – not just the date – during the planning process. The main reason for this is that Sundays (and sometimes Mondays) require a different approach because lots of things in Italy are closed on Sundays – but not only Sundays!

Use the tips below for Sundays but also if you’re traveling to Italy on a national holiday or you hit the middle-of-the-day pausa, when (seemingly) everything closes between about noon and 4 pm. It’s also possible that it won’t be a Sunday or a holiday or the middle of the day pausa and that you’ll have planned to do something, you’ll show up, and it will be closed. So, what to do?

A Few Suggestions for What to do in Italy on Sundays

Go to church. Services are usually in the mornings and the evenings and may be held in Italian or in Latin. There are English services in major centers like Rome and Florence. Usually there is a window of time between the services when visitors can explore the church. But don’t go to church as a tourist during the service.

Visit a museum. Museums in Italy are usually closed on Mondays and open on Sundays, so this is a perfect day to visit a museum, UNLESS it’s a free Sunday. In that case — especially for the Vatican museums or Colosseum free Sundays — stay away as it is utter chaos.

Have Sunday lunch. In Italy, Sundays are spent relaxing with family and even friends. A traditional Sunday lunch — or Sunday brunch in some places — is a thing, so you should join the Italians. Just book in advance.

Go shopping. Boutiques and family-owned shops used close on Sundays but more and more of them in big cities are choosing to stay open. Outlet stores and big department stores like La Rinascente or Coin are pretty reliably open on Sundays and don’t close in the middle of the day for the pausa.

Go to a festival. Local festivals are held on weekends, so before you go to Italy, check your locations and dates. Italy has some amazing festivals, especially in the spring and fall. I wish there were one central website that was kept up to date and listed all festivals in Italy. There isn’t one that I know of, although Regioni Italiane is probably the best. You can search by region and by month, which takes a bit of time but it’s worth it. I usually use google and enter the town or region (so Siena or Tuscany for example) and the month, and see what comes up. There are lots of hotels and farmhouses that list local festivals on their websites and these will come up in a google search. Keep in mind that most festivals are yearly and Italians are not good at updating festival information very far in advance, so you may see last year’s festival information but you can probably figure out when the festival might be held in the future. For example if it was on the 3rd Sunday in May last year, it will likely be on the same weekend this year.

Take a long passeggiata (walk in Italian), hike, or bike ride. Taking a walk after a big lunch is a great way to get your digestive juices going and is a favorite pastime in Italy. But Italians also love hiking and you can definitely find paths around Italy’s countryside, which sometimes even pass through or begin near small towns. If you’re in Rome or Milan, you may need to get out of the city, but urban trekking is also a great opportunity to see the city.

Get lost. This is an activity I recommend for small Italian towns (and for Venice, Florence and Bologna in particular) even when things are open. Explore small Italian streets and soak up the atmosphere. Then use your map to get found again.

Schedule a private city tour or activity. You don’t have to worry about shops being closed if you are busy learning in the ins and outs and all the intricate details of the city you’re visiting if on tour with a local expert.