It’s September, already the ninth month of the year, or in Italian: il nono mese. But what does this month look like in Italy? What is September usually like here? And what about this year?
A month of beauty, bellezza, a breath of fresh air (literally) and new energy. In other words, a month of change…
September is the month in which life accelerates and picks up speed again, after coming to an almost complete standstill in August. It’s that feeling of the big city that’s calling you after a big portion of nature and small villages in the summer.
It’s that wonderful visit to the hairdresser you’d been dying for in which they bring your hair back to life again after a summer of merciless sunshine and lots of salty water.
September is the month of those first heavy thunderstorms that make you sit upright in bed in terror, but at the same time, it’s the month of having to endure the heat just a little more. The month of Italians leaving their air-conditioned offices during their lunch break and complaining aloud to each other: will temperatures ever go down?
It is the month of my dear friend Julia’s birthday, on the eighth of September. Every year, I call her to congratulate her and every year we think back to that eighth of September 2015, the day we both arrived in Rome for our exchange year at Luiss University. She from Brazil, and I from the Netherlands. For the both of us, it would change the course of our lives forever.
It’s the month in which you have to get used to how incredibly early it gets dark every night.
September is the month in which Italy turns red: Ferrari red. It’s the month of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. By now, we know that once again, Ferrari did not manage to take the victory at Monza this year… It was none other than the Dutch Max Verstappen who did.
It’s the month of fresh figs that you can simply pluck from the tree.
It’s the month of looking longingly at your brand-new boots that you want to parade around town in, but for which it’s (still) too hot, so you just sigh and pull that one summer dress out of the closet once again.
September also means largely empty beaches in the most southern parts of Italy, while the beaches near Rome are still packed every weekend.
It’s the month of countless festivals and events and hence, the month to be seen by the public’s eye. Especially now you still have that sun-kissed tan on your face. It’s the month of the Venice Film Festival, which the whole of Italy eagerly awaits. For one reason in particular: to spot the most beautiful creations on the red carpet, which preferably would be masterpieces by Italian designers, of course.
September is the month in which we can finally sleep under a duvet again. Hallelujah!
And this year, September is the month in which the Italians will elect their new prime minister. This makes it a month of heated discussions, left versus right, conservative versus progressive, endless talk shows and election madness in the streets.
And although for me nothing beats summer, September is probably my favourite month being in the city. A month of beauty, bellezza, a breath of fresh air (literally) and new energy. In other words, a month of change…