Daylight saving time in Italy is the anticipation of an hour to enjoy the summer presence of the sun in the morning. Summer time was introduced by the Kingdom of Italy from 1916 and from 1940 on the occasion of the two world wars during two periods; From 1966 it was taken over in a stable form. Moving the hands of clocks forward by one hour means delaying the use of artificial light at times when professional activities are still in full swing. The months with the greatest energy savings are April and October, while savings are more limited during the summer months when most offices are closed. At the end of 1948, the abolition of daylight saving time was introduced for the following year, which was considered a wartime system and caused excessive inconvenience to workers. In early 1950, it was assumed that due to an electricity crisis, it would cease to exist on September 26, 1950. It resumed in February, but the improvement in the situation led to its suspension. [21] Daylight saving time was first introduced in the Kingdom of Italy, moving from 24 June to 3 June 1916 to one hour on 4 June. [1] Between 1916 and 1920, individual measures were adopted for the beginning and end of winter time. The change in daylight saving time, unlike solar time, is not dictated by necessity due to the rotation of the Earth, but is due to a series of conventions between states that have decided to advance the time by one hour to enjoy more hours of light, thus saving considerable figures on electricity consumption. The other countries of the European Union have also introduced summer time, only a few have deviated from this variation in solar time. Countries that do not use daylight saving time in Europe are Iceland, Belarus, Armenia, Georgia and Russia.
The DST story is really funny when you think that it begins with a demonstration by Benjamin Franklin, who wanted people to be earlier risers, saving on the cost of candles, and not just wanting cannon shots fired to wake residents. One of the reasons why the abolition of the time change is long talked about is its impact on people`s well-being and habits, which is also supported by scientific studies. While shorter days can cause symptoms of depression, the arrival of daylight saving time with more hours of daylight and less sleep brings temporary decompensation comparable to a small jet lag. Even Hudson`s essay remained nothing more than an academic paper, but a few years later, thanks to these theories, the builder Willet managed to create a proposal that later led to the creation of daylight saving time. The main promoter of daylight saving time in Italy was the engineer Luigi Luiggi, who published several papers both for its introduction and for its subsequent maintenance. He highlighted the positive aspects of the new timetable, in particular a possible saving of 100 to 150 million lire for coal for lighting. [2] [3] Daylight saving time, originally scheduled to be reintroduced in 1965, was set at 1966. [22] The European Parliament approved the abolition of summer time by 410 votes in favour, 192 against and 51 abstentions. When it comes to winter, we discuss steps we can take to save energy and combat costly electricity and gas bills for families and businesses. In this context, the Minister of Ecological Transition, Roberto Cingolani, after the cuts resulting from the Russian war in Ukraine, is working with technicians on an energy saving plan, which will have to be followed from October. And as the plan takes shape, other proposals come from several quarters. For example, there are those who propose to keep daylight saving time throughout the year.
The discussion about the possible abolition of daylight saving time began in 2018 in Europe, but many countries, including Italy, do not want to give up economic and time gains. To encourage discussion, not to change the time, were the northern countries such as Finland, Lithuania, Sweden and Estonia, which cannot enjoy the greatest number of hours of sunshine due to the proximity of the pole. READ ALSO: Spring equinox 2022: What it is, when it falls and why it is not always March 21 Daylight saving time in Italy follows European Union rules, although DLL n.631 was first approved on May 25, 1916. However, daylight saving time was introduced by Law 503 of 1965 without ever stopping. Italian law provided for summer time from May to the end of September. Today, however, daylight saving time starts two months earlier, in accordance with the rules imposed by the European Union. However, it was not until 1966 that Italy definitively applied summer time and winter time for the first time. The time change took place first on the last Sunday in May and then again on the last Sunday in September.
In 1980, it was decided to extend summer time by bringing forward the start to the first Sunday in April. In 1996, the European Union decided to comply with it and the Member States decreed that summer time should come into force after the spring equinox. In particular, on the last Sunday of March, the hands are advanced, while on the last Sunday of October, solar time comes into effect and the hands are moved back.