Driving between France and Italy this year? You may be forced take a detour as the Mont-Blanc Tunnel, which links the two countries beneath the Alps, is closing for 15 weeks for renovation work.

Between 2 September and 16 December, a 600-metre stretch of the 11-kilometre tunnel will be completely reconstructed. During this time, the Tunnel du Mont-Blanc will be closed to traffic.

Alternative routes are available but they will likely add to your travel time. Here’s how to plan your Europe road trip around this autumn’s closure.

Why is the Mont-Blanc Tunnel closing?

Opened in 1965, the Mont-Blanc highway tunnel links Chamonix in Haute Savoie, southeast France, with Courmayer in Aosta Valley, northwest Italy.

It is part of the north-south European route E25, which runs from the Hook of Holland down to the ferry crossing from Cagliari to Palermo in Sicily.

Lying 2,480 metres beneath the Aiguille du Midi summit, it is the world’s second deepest tunnel in operation after Switzerland’s Gotthard Base Tunnel.

Various closures have taken place throughout 2024 to allow for maintenance work, safety drills and renovation.

This autumn’s closure is scheduled for structural renovation work on the vault. It will be one of the first major European tunnels to undertake deep renovation work on its structure.

Between 5pm on 2 September and 5pm on 16 December, different reconstruction technologies will be tested on two 300 metre stretches of the tunnel.

The most efficient and effective techniques could then be applied to an additional 600 metre section during another closure in 2025 – and further works along the tunnel’s entire length in the coming years.

During the Mont-Blanc Tunnel closure, it will still be possible to drive between France and Italy on different routes.

Although these may extend your journey time, they could save you money: the one-way toll for a car use to the Mont-Blanc tunnel is €51.50 while a return is €64.20.

Around 160 km south of the Mont-Blanc Tunnel, the Fréjus Tunnel connects Modane in France to Bardonecchia in Italy. It is slightly cheaper to use, with a one-way trip for cars costing €47 and a return €57. Heavy goods vehicles will be diverted to this route during the closure.

Toll payment subscriptions including the TMB card and Eurotoll cover both tunnels under the same pass. Multi-journey discount passes valid during the Mont-Blanc Tunnel closure will automatically be extended by four months.

Alternatively, the Tunnel du Grand-Saint-Bernard links Martigny in Valais, Switzerland, with Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses in Italy’s Aosta Valley. The one-way toll for a car is €31.

Located further southwest, the Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard is a mountain pass linking Savoie in France with Aosta Valley. However, it could face closures due to heavy snow, so check the weather before planning your route.

To the north, the Col des Montets mountain pass, linking Chamonix with Vallorcine in France – on the border with Valais – is another route that could be hit by snow closures.

The Tunnel des Montets, a single track railway tunnel that doubles as a road, can sometimes be used when the pass is closed but it is likely to face heavy traffic.

The scenic Mont Cenis pass between the Cottian Alps in France and the Graian Alps in Italy is typically open to traffic until November, when it closes for the winter season.

The Montgenèvre Pass connecting Briançon in France and Cesana Torinese in Italy is another option for road travel further south of the Tunnel du Mont-Blanc.

In souvenir shops around the Italian island of Sicily, you’ll often find Mafia-themed merchandise from magnets and t-shirts to bottle openers and shot glasses.

The Sicilian mafia continues to operate on the island, engaging in criminal activities like extortion, narcotrafficking and kidnapping.

Agrigento is a town in southern Sicily still struggling with Mafia control – and it is also set to be the Italian Capital of Culture in 2025.

In a bid to change its international image and crack down on the glamourisation of the criminal organisation, the town has decided to ban the sale of Mafia-themed souvenirs.

Francesco Miccichè, the mayor of Agrigento, has brought in a ban on the sale of souvenirs that feature the Mafia.

It is common to find images and symbols of the underworld organisation on merchandise, including Sicilians in traditional dress holding a sawn-off shotgun known as a ‘lupara’.

The ordinance hopes to change the way tourists see the town and send a clear message that the activities of the criminal organisation are not condoned by local authorities.

“Considering that the sale of such products in the territory of Agrigento humiliates the local community, which has been committed to spreading the culture of legality for years, I order a ban on the sale of any type of object that praises, or refers in any way and form, to the mafia and organised crime,” the mayor told Italian press.

The local police force has been given powers to inspect gift shops in the town and issue fines if prohibited products are found. How much businesses will have to pay has not yet been confirmed.

Agrigento cleans up its images as it prepares to be Italy’s Capital of Culture in 2025

The ban comes as Agrigento readies itself to be Italy’s capital of culture next year and aims to shine the spotlight on its cultural riches rather than Mafia heritage.

The city council says the cultural programme will include 44 new projects which explore humans’ relationship with nature.

One of the most important events will be a concert by the Italian operatic pop trio Il Volo at the Valley of the Temples.

Tourists already flock to this UNESCO heritage site with archaeological remains that date back to when the island was an Ancient Greek colony in the 6th and 5th centuries BC.

The city proper is a palimpsest of ancient, medieval, Baroque and modern architecture and there is a noteworthy archaeological museum.

Once considered beneficial to a community, digital nomads have become unwelcome in many areas of Europe, accused of aggravating gentrification and pricing out the local population.

But one region of Spain is still keen to host remote workers – so much so that it is offering financial aid to those who relocate there.

Extremadura, an autonomous community bordering Portugal, is one of Spain’s lesser visited regions but nevertheless is home to wild nature reserves, fauna-filled mountain ranges and a capital scattered with Roman ruins.

Here’s who is eligible for the grant to move to Extremadura and how to apply.

You can get paid to be a digital nomad in Spain’s Extremadura

The regional government of Extremadura is offering digital nomads up to €15,000 to move to the area.

The autonomous community has one of the lowest populations in Spain and is one of the least-developed regions. It has one of the country’s lowest GDPs per capita and one of the highest rates of unemployment at 17.6 per cent compared to the national average of 11.9 per cent.

To bolster both the population and the economy, authorities in Extremadura have earmarked €2 million that will be used to aid the relocation of 200 remote workers and digital nomads to the region.

As well as receiving financial aid, digital nomads can enjoy a low cost of living compared to many other areas in Spain. When compared with the Spanish capital Madrid, the Extremadurian city of Badajoz costs on average 30 per cent less for meals out, public transport and utilities, according to Numbeo.

According to regional authorities, Extremadura lacks in transport infrastructure but has above national average fibre optic and mobile coverage.

Who can apply for Extremadura’s digital nomad grants?

Extremadura is targeting remote workers who are highly qualified professionals in the tech industry.

You must be able to work completely remotely and online “through the exclusive use of media and IT systems, telematics and information fields.”

Those who wish to apply have to commit to maintaining a remote job and living in Extremadura for at least two years.

Both those living in other regions of Spain and those living abroad are eligible as long as they have not lived in Extremadura in the previous six months.

Foreign nationals may apply, but must be resident legally in Spain and be in possession of a foreign identity number (NIE) as found on their green EU certificate or non-EU TIE card.

Non-EU nationals can also apply as long as they are already participating in Spain’s digital nomad visa scheme.

Those not in possession of a digital nomad visa would need to apply for this first and have it approved by Spanish authorities as well as obtain a residency document before applying for the Extremadura scheme.

How much funding will digital nomads receive?

Women, young people under 30 years old and those who relocate to towns in Extremadura with populations less than 5,000 are eligible for a €10,000 grant. Others will receive €8,000.

After two years, those in the first category who choose to stay on another year will receive a second payment of €5,000 while the others will be given €4,000.

When can digital nomads apply for the Extremadura grant?

The date when applications open has not yet been confirmed but authorities say it will be the day after publication of the scheme in the Official Gazette of Extremadura, likely to be around mid-September.

Authorities say applications will stay open until all the funds to cover around 200 digital nomads have been allocated which will be no less than a month but no more than a year.

How can digital nomads apply for the Extremadura grant?

Applications have to be submitted electronically using the Extremadura General Electronic Access Point. Applicants need to be in possession of a digital certificate or electronic Spanish ID card which allows for electronic identification.

You must submit your application form along with an official document issued by your country or another region in Spain to prove your current place of residence and a certificate from your employer authorising you to work in Extremadura or remotely in Spain or, if you are self-employed, a document detailing the terms and conditions in which you will carry out your professional activity remotely.

If you are moving from another Spanish region, you will need an original report supplied by the General Treasury of Social Security showing you are up to date with social security payments, a document certifying you are up to date with your tax payments and a certificate proving you don’t have any debts with the Treasury of Extremadura.

Documents not in Spanish need to be accompanied by a sworn legal translation certified by a professional.

Applicants will hear within three months if they have been successful.

Those successful need to register with a municipality in Extremadura to get a padrón certificate (a local record for people residing in a Spanish municipality) within three months.

After this, you have a month to request payment of the grant, which will be made in a single transaction.