Fifteenth of August, the laziest day of the year. Even more than at Christmas, the whole country is at a standstill. Shut down by that one holiday, Ferragosto, which for many Italians means the start of the summer holidays. The whole of Italy shifts down to the lowest gear. The whole of Italy horizontal for a day. On a sun lounger, that is.
For one night, anyone could sleep on the beach and fall asleep with the soothing sound of the waves washing against the shore. Well, to fall asleep maybe not exactly…
I experienced my very first Ferragosto seven years ago, in Sicily. I couldn’t believe my eyes! The night before, hundreds of tents were pitched on the beach, and there were bonfires all over. For one night, anyone could sleep on the beach and fall asleep with the soothing sound of the waves washing against the shore. Well, to fall asleep maybe not exactly… The night before Ferragosto is a ‘notte bianca’, a white night. The many bands only start playing at midnight, at three o’clock in the morning you still find yourself walking around the carnival and bedtime simply does not exist. After all, the next day there is nothing else to do but unfold your sun lounger.
As if it were agreed upon every year, in the week leading up to this holiday the temperatures far exceed thirty degrees
And there is not much else to do, as Ferragosto is traditionally the day when the heat seems to reach its peak. As if it were agreed upon every year, in the week leading up to this holiday the temperatures far exceed thirty degrees, even reaching forty. Whole families and large groups of friends settle down on the beach under brightly coloured parasols. But where does this tradition come from?
Children from the working-class areas of Naples, a city which is even situated on the seaside, would grow up without ever spending a day of their childhood at the beach
Despite the fact that the majority of Italians don’t live that far from the sea – considered by our modern standards, that is – less than a century ago it was not a place where the average Italian would go. Children from the working-class areas of Naples, a city which is even situated on the seaside, would grow up without ever spending a day of their childhood at the beach. During the Fascist era, Mussolini saw his opportunity to gain popularity with the population. He turned Ferragosto, a religious holiday that had existed for centuries, into a popular feast by giving the working classes the chance to go to the beach by offering very cheap train tickets that were only valid on 13, 14 and 15 August. However, food and drink, which for many Italians is the mainstay of their lives, was not included and so people brought bags full of lasagne, hard-boiled eggs, bread and bottles of wine from home with them. The tradition of specially priced train tickets around Ferragosto still exists today. Also, many Italians still associate lavishly filled bags with home-made food with this holiday.
I smiled at her and said, while giving her a wink, that I wanted to be anywhere but on the beach today
And me? Although I’m usually only too happy to take part in the Italian customs and live the traditions to the fullest, yesterday was the second Ferragosto in a row that I decided not to go to the beach. With millions of Italians heading for the coast at the same time – most of them taking the car instead of the train these days – the holiday could be a real challenge. First of all, to actually arrive at the beach, and second of all to conquer a sun lounger that easily costs you forty euros for a day. Instead, early in the morning, when the heat was still bearable, I had a cappuccino at my coffee bar, the only one in all of Rome – so it seems – that is not closing its doors. To my great joy. Next to me sat an elderly lady, who took me in unabashedly for a moment and then said “Dear child, shouldn’t you be at the beach?”. I smiled at her and said, while giving her a wink, that I wanted to be anywhere but on the beach today. A smile broke through her face as she shook her head and muttered that i stranieri, the foreigners, were a little cleverer indeed. Oh well, I assured her, in a few days that sun lounger will be all mine again because Ferragosto or not, the sun will still be shining here for a good while.