Weekly blog #129: Oh Bella Ciao, week of national holidays in Italy

There are weeks, especially in spring, when you get a little confused about what day it is. Weeks in which Tuesday feels like Monday and Monday feels like Sunday. That is, of course, all because of the national holidays in this period. And right now, this is exactly the kind of week we’re having in Italy. We both start and end the week with a national holiday. Just like last week, when the whole country had the Monday off because of Pasquetta – Easter Monday – this Monday, too, everyone has the day off. It’s the 25th of April, Italian Liberation Day. Or as it’s called here: La Festa della Liberazione, which celebrates the fact that the Italian resistance movement defeated Nazi Germany and the fascist government in the last week of April in 1945. At last, the Italians were free again after 23 years of fascist dictatorship and five long years of war. 

The song “Oh Bella Ciao”, made famous thanks to the immensely popular Spanish Netflix series La Casa De Papel, is the song inextricably linked to this day

The song “Oh Bella Ciao”, made famous thanks to the immensely popular Spanish Netflix series La Casa De Papel, is the song inextricably linked to this day. Originally written in the 19th century as a protest song by workers in the fields of northern Italy, the lyrics were rewritten in 1940. In the version that was created then – and which is now known worldwide – a partisan sings the farewell to his beloved because he is joining the Partisans in the fight against the Fascist regime. 

There’s another place in Italy where I am expected: Turin is calling! 

But as I said, we also end this week in Italy with a holiday as it’s the first of May on Sunday, Labour Day. No extra day off this year, unfortunately, but that doesn’t detract from the celebration. In Rome, it’s traditionally celebrated with a large music festival where a whole range of famous Italian artists perform. After it was cancelled for two years in a row, and we all know why, the music fest will take place again this year. Now, I love a party and I would undoubtedly have called on some of my girlfriends to attend this year, were it not for the fact that the first of May is also a special day for me this year. There’s another place in Italy where I am expected: Turin is calling! 

Oh Bella Ciao! Those will be my exact words when my high-speed train rolls into Turin’s main station on Sunday, just after three in the afternoon…

As with the arrival of May, also the Eurovision Song Contest kicks off, which is going to take place in Italy this year thanks to Mäneskin’s win in Rotterdam. It’s the city of Turin in Northern Italy that has been given the honour of hosting the biggest music spectacle in the world. Behind the scenes, hundreds of people have been working very hard for months already, and from Sunday onwards, I am going to contribute too. And I can’t say any different than that I’m looking forward to it so much. I’m looking forward to seeing all those forty countries together again. I’m excited to hear how the songs are eagerly rehearsed in the dressing rooms and to see which incredible acts are going to be showcased on stage. I can’t wait to meet lots of new people again and walk around in the arena that’s going to be the heart of Europe for a fortnight. But apart from all the Eurovision stuff, I’m also really looking forward to spending two weeks in Turin as I’ve already had the honour to discover that the city is extremely bella when I spent a few days there in the beginning of February in preparation for the Song Contest. Oh Bella Ciao! Those will be my exact words when my high-speed train rolls into Turin’s main station on Sunday, just after three in the afternoon…

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