Italy marks the Feast of Immaculate Conception, a Catholic holy day, with a national public holiday on 8 December. The fact that the festa falls on a Wednesday this year means that many people will turn the occasion into a "ponte" (bridge) or long weekend, despite the snow forecast in some northern regions.
 
This year more than 10 million people in Italy are expected to take a short break, according to projections by Italian hotel federation Federalberghi, which estimates that 93 per cent will vacation in Italy - in most cases in their home region or one nearby - with 7 per cent taking a mini holiday abroad.