Around 1,300 construction sites are open on Italy's rail network this summer, from major infrastructure projects to small upgrades, as the government races to spend European recovery funds before a 2026 deadline.
The state operator RFI has scheduled them for July and August on the grounds that this is when train travel is at its lowest intensity. That is true of commuting and false of tourism, which is why the timing reads differently depending on who is holding the ticket.
The heaviest single item is Florence Santa Maria Novella, closed for works from 5 to 10 July and again from 26 to 30 July to replace the 140 year old Ponte al Pino overpass. RFI expected the Rome to Milan journey to double from three hours to six while the first phase ran. The Brennero to Verona line follows, with interruptions from 18 July to 1 August and traffic between Bolzano and Brennero suspended on 18 July.
A deadline is a good way to get deferred maintenance done and a bad way to decide when to do it. The network is being repaired on a schedule set in Brussels and Rome rather than by the shape of Italian demand, and the passengers absorbing that are the ones travelling in the only weeks most of them can.