BackgroundOlder adults living in long-term care facilities (LTCF) have been severely affected by COVID-19. Hospice care (HC) facilities and palliative care are essential in treating patients dying from COVID-19. In Italy, little is known about the impact of COVID-19 on deaths in LTCF and the care provided in HC to COVID-19 patients.AimTo assess overall and case-specific mortality in 2020 in LTC and HC facilities in comparison to the previous five years (2015–2019).MethodsWe performed a descriptive study using data derived from the Italian national “Cause of Death” registry—managed by the Italian National Institute of Statistics—on deaths occurred in LTC and HC facilities during 2020 and the period 2015–2019.ResultsNumber of deaths significantly increased in 2020 compared with 2015–2019 in LTCF (83,062 deaths vs. 59,200) and slightly decreased in hospices (38,788 vs. 39,652). COVID-19 caused 12.5% of deaths in LTCF and only 2% in hospices. Other than COVID-19, in 2020, cancer accounted for 77% of all deaths that occurred in HC, while cardiovascular diseases (35.6%) and psychotic and behavioral disorders (10%) were the most common causes of death in LTCF. Overall, 22% of the excess mortality registered in Italy during 2020 is represented by the deaths that occurred in LTCF.Discussion and conclusionLTCF were disproportionally affected by COVID-19, while the response to the pandemic in HC was limited. These data can help plan strategies to limit the impact of future epidemics and to better understand residential care response to COVID-19 epidemic.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40520-023-02426-7.