I understand that there is a huge holiday on Oct. 31st. We arrive from Canada that morning. Should we expect alot of activity? Will stores be closed? Does anyone know what this celebration is and how big it gets?
Mishka

The holiday, All Saints Day, is November 1

I meant to add, it is a national bank holiday.
, you'll have to check websites to determine which museums, if any, will be open.

Many Italians will be traveling "home" for the November 1 holiday, a day to remember family and visit cemeteries.

If you plan to travel Oct 31, Nov 1, or Nov 2, I'd recommend making any ES or IC train reservations for before you go.

THanks everyone. What about restaurants -- will they be open? And, how do I find out if the museums will be opened?

We were in Venice for All Saints Day, and very little was closed. We went to San Marco Cathedral for the service which was very lovely. Restaurants were all open. The main thing we noticed was special decorated cookies at the bakeries. I don't remember about the Museums, but you could check their websites.

October 31st would be All Souls Day.

1st November is All Saints Day (it is the saint day celebrated by those who don;t have a named saint!) - also known as All Hallows Day. 2nd November is All Souls Day - day to remember the dead. Hallowe'en, of course, is a shortening of the 'Eve of All Hallow's Day' hence it is 31st October however it is not a holiday in Italy - it is becoming more common for Halloween parties etc in american style but now, only the 1st is the holiday (used to be 2nd as well but that isn't the case anymore).