A series of protests over the coming days will disrupt Rome’s public transport, with the main upset to commuters centred around the S. Giovanni district.

Two large-scale protests have been scheduled by Italy's labour trade union federation CGIL on 19 and 20 October in Piazza Porta S. Giovanni, resulting in road closures and bus diversions in the vicinity, as well as the closure of the S. Giovanni metro stop on line A.

On Friday 19 October, from 20.00 to 23.00, about 30,000 people are expected for the first S. Giovanni protest, while on Saturday 20 October from 10.30 to 18.00 the main CGIL protest is expected to attract 50,000 people, many of them being bussed in from across Italy. The union federation secretary general Susanna Camusso will address the demonstrators at around 16.00.

S. Giovanni metro station will be closed on 19 October from 20.00 and from 10.00 on 20 October  and passengers will have to use the neighbouring stops of Manzoni or Re di Roma. The line A metro continues to run as normal.

The trade unions are protesting over the government’s economic policies and labour conditions. The last major protest held by CGIL in Piazza S. Giovanni took place almost two years ago, when it organised a similar event against the government of former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi in late November 2010.