If you haven’t booked in advance, you’ll find out now, a few days before Easter: tickets to Calabria are almost sold out, and the remaining ones cost a lot.
Simulating a return flight from Milan Malpensa to Lamezia Terme for the weekend of 3-7 April returns prices between 389 and 489 euros. From Milan to Reggio Calabria it starts from 375 euros, with a stop in Rome which raises the fare up to 440. Crotone is the cheapest option among the Calabrian stopovers: 340 euros. Flying from Rome, however, costs around 325 euros. The only alternative under 250 euros involves a stopover abroad – and at least ten hours of travel.
Price increases also for trains and buses
The Frecciarossa from Milan Centrale to Lamezia Terme on Friday 3 April fluctuates between 149 and 259 euros. From Turin to Reggio Calabria you spend 209 euros. The bus remains the cheapest choice – between 100 and 165 euros from Milan to Reggio Calabria – but many trips are already sold out.
Compared to last year, bus and train tickets have increased on average by 10%.
Because it costs so much
The official explanation is twofold:
What the AGCM says
The topic of pricing algorithms in air transport is not new to the Italian authorities. The Competition and Market Authority conducted a fact-finding investigation – concluded in December 2025 – which documented how ticket prices systematically increase during periods of high demand, with peaks close to Easter, Christmas and New Year. The AGCM has detected opaqueness in the comparability of the tariffs and has started a discussion with the European Commission to define more transparent rules. The investigation focused on island routes (Sicily and Sardinia), but the pricing dynamics it describes are identical to those that affect foreigners returning to Southern Italy every year.
