I am now looking at dates for a trip to Italy next spring. On the Amalfi Coast last year, shops and restaurants were open on both 25 April and 1 May.

Now considering trip to Piedmont.

April 25 falls on a Saturday in 2009.

What, if any, impact would this holiday have on the situation in Turin?? (Museums/restaurants/shops closed? Huge influx of visitors?)

What about in Piemontese countryside? Restaurants closed?

Would this be considered a "bridge" weekend?

Many thanks!

My experience, many Italians use the April 25 weekend as an opportunity for a long weekend away--lots of people on the move.

But Ellen, do you think that the fact that it falls on a Saturday means that many people take Friday off and turn it into a long weekend?

......more important than weather or not people take Friday off, as I asked above, is whether or not shops, museums and restaurants will be closed.

Italians still get a holiday, so they would choose to take Monday or Friday off. My friend who lived in Torino for 15 years says much was closed for the holiday when she lived there, but that was 10 years ago.

Easter?
We trained from Bologne to Bellagio on Good Friday and to Milan on Easter Monday to catch the DC flight.

We stayed in La Pergola in Bellagio and their restaurant was open for a huge Easter lunch (like 8 courses!) and there was room for us. It seemed like many stores were open on that Sunday morning. Perhaps it is different in some other cities?

We bought Bellagio tickets early in the week but arrived at station early enough to catch an earlier train so tried to change. The ticket person said that all reserved seats were sold out and that weekend was one of the most heavily travelled. Indeed, on Thursday night the bus stop was mobbed with Bologne students on break and on Friday the train station was a zoo. Coming back early Monday became problemmatic because the ferry was on a holiday schedule so we had to get a hotel for the night in Varenna in order to catch the train. We were too cheap to hire a private launch.
My advice is to get tickets a more ahead of time than usual and do check with your hotel for Easter Sunday meals.

Guess it can't be Easter if it's a Saturday. Still, do check for holiday schedules.

Thanks, TD, but I am not even thinking of going during Easter! I am trying to work in a week between holidays in April, but since I have to go from Saturday night to Sunday, I may have to chance it that I will find things open on the 25th...