New Year's Eve in Italy will be a muted affair, for the second year in a row, due to restrictions aimed at stemming a rapid rise in new covid-19 infections driven by the Omicron variant. Italy has banned public New Year events and ordered the closure of night clubs from 30 December until 31 January 2022, under new restrictions announced by the government two days before Christmas.

However the latest anti-covid rules - which include the compulsory wearing of masks outdoors - are far less restrictive than New Year's Eve last year when all of Italy was in a 'red zone' lockdown. This year, by contrast, there are no new travel restrictions and people are not prohibited from hosting New Year parties in their homes, with no limitations on the number of guests.