There is no nationwide train strike in Italy in mid-October 2026, but three dates matter. On Wednesday 14 October, a regional CGIL strike disrupts Tuscan trains from 9.01am to 5pm. On Friday 16 October, staff at Pisa and Florence airports walk out for 24 hours, and a security stoppage at Venice is announced. In Sicily, the RFI strike on 12-13 October is announced but still to be re-checked. Travel before 9am or after 5pm, and check the official strike register 48 hours before you leave.
A trip to Italy between 8 and 20 October won’t necessarily fall apart, but it does take a little planning. Strike notices are filed, moved and withdrawn quickly, and the press doesn’t always agree with the Ministry of Transport’s register. Here is where things stand on 8 October 2026, with the date, scope and level of certainty for each strike, plus what you can do to avoid being stranded. The window to watch ends on 20 October, when the Sicilian hauliers’ stoppage finishes.
1. Tuscany, Wednesday 14 October: the train strike to watch
CGIL Toscana regional general strike
This is the heaviest strike of the window for a traveller. According to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport’s strike register and the CGIL Toscana statement, the regional general strike hits rail from 9.01am to 5pm, local public transport for roughly 4 hours, rail subcontractors and freight. Schools and air transport are excluded, so Pisa and Florence airports keep running that day.
The motive is political, not about pay. The union is protesting against the trial of 36 people in Massa after the occupation of the station tracks on 3 October 2025, during a solidarity action for Palestine, according to La Nazione. A demonstration is planned in Massa, with difficult traffic in the town centre.
What it means in practice
- The protected weekday bands (6am-9am and 6pm-9pm, based on the departure time at the origin station) don’t overlap with the strike, so early-morning and late-afternoon trains are guaranteed.
- Midday is the risk zone: Florence Santa Maria Novella, Pisa Centrale, Siena, Livorno, Lucca and the Tyrrhenian line.
- Long-distance Rome-Florence-Milan services can be hit if they cross the region, so check Trenitalia’s or Italo’s list of guaranteed trains.
2. Sicily: FS security on the 8th, RFI on 12-13 to re-check, hauliers 16 to 20
Three movements in Sicily, none of which stops the island
Thursday 8 October, FS security. The ministry’s register confirms a 24-hour regional strike by security staff of the Ferrovie dello Stato group, called by SLM FAST CONFSAL and ORSA Trasporti. These are the security officers in stations and on board, not the drivers: trains don’t necessarily stop, but checks may be slower. The day is already under way as we write.
Monday 12 to Tuesday 13 October, RFI: announced, to be re-checked. The Sicilian press, including La Sicilia, reports a 24-hour strike by RFI (Rete Ferroviaria Italiana) infrastructure staff in Palermo, from 9.01pm on the 12th to 9pm on the 13th, called by UILT-UIL. As of 8 October it doesn’t appear in the official register and we haven’t found any withdrawal. Treat it as possible and check again 48 hours ahead. It concerns infrastructure maintenance and operations, not drivers, so the main risk is delays and the odd cancellation, especially around 9pm.
Friday 16 to Tuesday 20 October, hauliers’ stoppage. According to LaPresse and QuiFinanza, the Sicilian Transport Committee is keeping lorries in their depots from 00.01 on 16 October to midnight on 20 October, in protest at diesel above €2.40 a litre. No blockades or demonstrations are announced: the effect on travellers is indirect, mainly on supplies reaching the ports.
Alternatives if your train is cancelled
- Long-distance buses (FlixBus, Interbus, Segesta): Palermo to Catania takes about 2 hours 45 minutes, from around €10.
- A flexible or refundable ticket for critical journeys on the evening of the 12th and on the 13th.
- A hire car for routes away from the main corridors, keeping an eye on fuel prices.
3. Friday 16 October: Pisa, Florence and Venice, the busiest day
Pisa, Florence and Venice Marco Polo airports
Pisa and Florence: confirmed. The ministry’s register lists a 24-hour strike by staff of Toscana Aeroporti and the ground-handling companies GH Toscana and Consulta, called by USB Lavoro Privato. A 4-hour stoppage already took place on 13 September, with dozens of flights cancelled between Pisa and Florence according to Gonews. Expect delays and cancellations, especially outside the guaranteed bands.
Venice Marco Polo: announced, to be re-checked. Several sites, including Deeparrival, report a 24-hour strike on 16 October by Sicuritalia IVRI security staff (FISASCAT-CISL), who run departure screening. But the latest reading of the official register, on 8 October, only shows one Sicuritalia line at Venice, dated 22 November. The notice may therefore have been moved or withdrawn. If the strike goes ahead, expect longer security queues, with no announced closure of the airport.
easyJet cabin crew are also on a 24-hour national strike that day. If you’re flying with this airline, keep an eye on your notifications.
Tips for that Friday
- If you can, pick a flight within the bands guaranteed by ENAC (7am-10am and 6pm-9pm) and check the list of guaranteed flights published before the strike.
- At Venice, arrive 2.5 to 3 hours before an international flight, and allow plenty of time for security.
- Alternative for Venice: Treviso Canova airport, linked to Venice by ATVO bus in a little over an hour for around €12 each way. It isn’t affected by the security stoppage at Marco Polo.
- If you have a long-haul flight home, leave a 24-hour buffer after your last journey in Italy.
4. The calendar at a glance (as of 8 October)
- 8 October: FS security in Sicily, 24 hours, confirmed.
- 9 October: Milan city transport (ATM), 24 hours, confirmed. Check the guaranteed times with the operator.
- 10 October: Florence tram and Autolinee Toscane buses in the province, 24 hours, confirmed.
- 12-13 October: RFI in Sicily, 9.01pm to 9pm, announced, to be re-checked.
- 14 October: Tuscany, trains from 9.01am to 5pm, confirmed.
- 15-16 October: central Tyrrhenian ports, 48 hours, confirmed (effect on ferries not established).
- 16 October: easyJet (national), Pisa and Florence airports, EAV in Naples in the evening, all confirmed; Venice security, announced, to be re-checked.
- 16 to 20 October: Sicilian hauliers’ stoppage, end of the window.
Updated on 8 October 2026. Strike notices change: this calendar is a progress report, not a guarantee.
5. Your rights if your train or flight is cancelled
By train. According to Trenitalia’s strike page, you can get a full refund for an unused ticket as soon as a strike is declared, up to departure time for Frecce and Intercity trains and up to midnight the day before for regional trains. You can also rebook your journey free of charge. If you arrive 60 minutes or more late, EU Regulation 2021/782 provides for a refund or re-routing, plus compensation of 25% (60 to 119 minutes) or 50% (120 minutes or more) of the ticket price, unless the cause is external. In practice, Italian operators often refuse it when the cause is a strike: you can ask, and the answer depends on the case. The regulation applies to journeys within Italy whatever your nationality, including UK visitors.
By air. Which rules apply depends on where you fly from. On flights departing from Italy, any airline, Regulation 261/2004 (EU261) guarantees a refund or re-routing if your flight is cancelled, plus care (meals and hotel if needed). On flights departing from the UK to Italy, the UK’s own version, UK261, gives you the same core rights. It also covers flights arriving in the UK on UK or EU airlines. Compensation is €250 to €600 under EU261 and £220 to £520 under UK261, depending on distance, but it depends on the origin of the strike: a strike by the airline’s own staff is not an extraordinary circumstance, according to the CJEU ruling C-28/20, whereas a security or ground-handling strike is generally treated as external, with no compensation. For more detail, read our article on summer 2026 flight strikes and your rights.
6. How to avoid being stranded: five steps
- Check the register. The ministry’s strike register takes two minutes: look at the date, the sector and the scale (national, regional, local). The UK’s FCDO travel advice also warns that transport strikes are often called at short notice. Check again 48 hours ahead, then on the morning you leave.
- Read the right scope. A security, cleaning or infrastructure strike doesn’t necessarily stop trains or planes. A strike by drivers or cabin crew does.
- Travel in a protected band. Trains: 6am-9am and 6pm-9pm. Flights: 7am-10am and 6pm-9pm. Trenitalia and Italo publish their guaranteed trains, ENAC the list of flights.
- Book a flexible ticket on critical journeys and a cancellable hotel for the night before a flight.
- Keep a written plan B: a bus, a taxi, a nearby airport, a spare day.
Practical info for your trip to Italy
Handy for following real-time alerts from your airline, Trenitalia and the strike register without roaming charges.
A strike that has already been announced is generally not covered: take out your policy early, and check the strike clause and the trip interruption cover.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a nationwide train strike in Italy between 10 and 20 October 2026?
No national rail strike showed up in the Ministry of Transport register on 8 October. Disruption is regional: Tuscany on 14 October from 9.01am to 5pm, and Sicily with the RFI strike announced for 12 and 13 October, still to be re-checked.
At what times do trains still run during a strike?
The protected weekday bands are 6am-9am and 6pm-9pm, applied to the train’s departure time at its origin. On 14 October in Tuscany the strike runs from 9.01am to 5pm, so early-morning and late-afternoon trains run normally. Trenitalia publishes the list of guaranteed trains.
Can I get a refund on my Trenitalia ticket because of a strike?
Yes. An unused ticket is refunded in full up to departure time for Frecce and Intercity trains, and up to midnight the day before for regional trains. You can also rebook your journey free of charge, according to Trenitalia.
My easyJet flight on 16 October is cancelled: what are my rights?
You’re entitled to a refund or re-routing and to care. Compensation (€250 to €600 under EU261 for flights leaving Italy, £220 to £520 under UK261 for flights leaving the UK) may be due if it is the airline’s own staff on strike and you were told less than 14 days before the flight, according to Regulation 261/2004.
Is the Venice airport security strike on 16 October confirmed?
Not consistently. Several sites announce it (Sicuritalia IVRI, 24 hours), but the latest reading of the official register, on 8 October, only shows a strike dated 22 November. Check the register and the airport’s website 48 hours before your flight.
What if airport security staff are on strike?
It is a strike outside the airline’s control: generally no compensation, but a refund, re-routing and care are still owed if your flight is cancelled. Even without a cancellation, queues get longer, so arrive earlier.
Are Pisa and Florence airports affected on 14 October?
No, the 14 October strike excludes air transport. The airport staff strike at Pisa and Florence takes place on 16 October.
Will the Sicilian hauliers’ stoppage block the roads?
According to the organisers, no: lorries stay in their depots from 16 to 20 October, with no blockades or demonstrations. The expected effect is on supplies, not on car traffic, according to QuiFinanza.
Does my travel insurance cover a strike that has already been announced?
Generally not, if the strike was announced or had started before you bought the policy. Read the strike clause in your contract: some policies only cover strikes by airline or airport staff with no notice filed at the date of purchase.
Where can I find the official list of strikes in Italy?
On the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport register (scioperi.mit.gov.it), which the UK FCDO also points travellers to. Add ENAC for guaranteed flights, and the Trenitalia app (Infomobilità section) or the Italo app for trains.
Sources
- Strike register, Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport: official notices, checked on 8 October 2026.
- GOV.UK, FCDO travel advice for Italy: transport strikes.
- CGIL Toscana: statement on the 14 October strike.
- La Sicilia: October 2026 strikes.
- LaPresse: Sicilian hauliers’ stoppage.
- QuiFinanza: details of the 16 to 20 October stoppage.
- Deeparrival: security strike announced at Venice.
- Gonews: Pisa and Florence airports strike.
- La Nazione: the Massa trial.
- Trenitalia: refunds in case of strike.
- ENAC: guaranteed minimum services.
- Regulation (EU) 2021/782: rail passengers’ rights.
- Regulation (EC) 261/2004: air passengers’ rights; UK261 on legislation.gov.uk.
Research carried out on 8 October 2026
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