This Is Italy
When the sparrows are falling off the roofs in Rome and the thermometer in Naples hits 40 degrees, something magical happens in Italy. Or well, magical… mostly, a lot happens at the same time. While we Northern Europeans map out a meticulous itinerary to an as-yet-undiscovered part of France months in advance using Excel spreadsheets, Pinterest, and route planners, the Italian takes a different approach.
How do Italians celebrate their holidays? Spoiler: preferably in their own country, with the whole family, and on exactly the same square meter of beach as for the past 30 years. Welcome to the wonderful world of the Italian summer holiday. Here we go!
1. The collective migration
If you think the Black Saturdays on the Route du Soleil are bad, then you have Ferragosto Never experienced anything like it. Around August 15, Italy transforms into one big ghost town. Well, the city centers, anyway. Offices close, the local baker puts up a sign. 'chiuso per ferie' (closed for vacation) on the door and the whole country heads to the coast or the mountains at the same time.
Okay, the centers of Florence and Rome are still busy with tourists. But suburbs and medium-sized cities can seem deserted. Anyone walking through a small town on or around August 15th shares it only with stray pigeons and puffing foreign tourists who missed the memo. The Italians themselves? They stand bumper to bumper in the traffic towards the sea. Or the mountains.
2. For there are sea people and mountain people
There are only 2 types of Italian holidaymakers. Sea people en mountain peopleWhich category do you belong to? So, it boils down to either going to the beach or heading to (cooler) campsites in the Dolomites, Alps, or Apennines.
It depends entirely on what your family has been doing for generations. Some head to Puglia, others to Calabria, some go into the mountains by the North Italian lakes, and others prefer Rimini or perhaps La Spezia on the Ligurian coast. This is where the memories lie, and where entire families know everyone. It is the highlight of the year.
3. The little kingdom on the beach
Once arrived at la beach The real work begins. The average Italian family builds a complete fort. Armed with cool boxes that rival an American fridge in size, folding chairs, and parasols, they claim the territory. And the best part is: they are probably next to the exact same neighbors as last year. After all, why look for a new spot if the current one has suited you for 30 years?
4. Nonna comes along (and the pasta prepared in the authentic way too)
Vacationing alone or as a couple? Unsociable! Italians travel in herds. That means that nonna (Grandma), the uncles, aunts, cousins, and the neighbor's dog all come along.
This also has a practical advantage: culinary traditions do not have to give way to something as trivial as a holiday. While we settle for a lukewarm baguette with herb butter at the campsite, the Italian family on the beach conjures up a complete three-course dinner.
Baked pasta (Lasagna from the oven) for lunch at 35 degrees in the shade? No problem at all. Nonna It has been sitting in the kitchen of the holiday cottage all morning, so you will eat it up.
5. Going on an adventure? No thank you
We Northerners like to go 'on a voyage of discovery'. We book a ticket to a country where we don't speak the language and don't know the food, purely for the adventure. The Italian shakes his head at this kind of self-flagellation.
Why risk the coffee being undrinkable or the pasta being overcooked? No, the Italian remains loyal to his own regions. Sicily, Sardinia, Puglia, or the famous seaside resorts on the Adriatic coast like Rimini; that is where it happens.
The food is top-notch, the sun is shining, and everyone speaks Italian—albeit with a local dialect. Which is nice. Besides, they already live in the most beautiful country in the world anyway.
6. Taking half the household contents to the campsite
Anyone who thinks that only the Dutch and Germans hit the road with a packed caravan has never seen an Italian family arrive at a campsite.
Italians who do camp (often in a giant family tent or a comfortable mobile home) adopt the concept glamping Very serious. Half the contents of the house are being dragged along to make it the ! to make (the housewife) as comfortable as possible.
From the familiar espresso machine to complete dinnerware sets and the iron: everything comes along. Because going on vacation is fun, but of course, it shouldn't come at the expense of domestic standards.
It is certainly convenient if you own a chalet on one of those typical Italian campsites. Then you can lay down a nice artificial grass lawn and decorate everything with colored lights, red and white checkered tablecloths, photo frames of the whole family, and more.
7. Fare Bella Figura: also on the beach in style
While we happily stroll into the local supermarket after a week of camping in a washed-out T-shirt, zip-off trousers, and flip-flops, the Italian has a very different opinion about that. The concept fare bella figura After all, (making a good impression) has no vacation days.
Even at 38 degrees on the boulevard, you see the gentlemen in perfectly ironed linen shirts and the ladies in elegant beach dresses, with sunglasses that cost at least half a month's salary.
When you walk from the beach into the town, you naturally dress smartly again. After all, you never know who you might run into during the walk (the evening walk).
8. Live updates from the beach
When you are lying on an Italian beach, you don't need to read the newspaper; you hear all the news live around you. As soon as the parasols are set up, the collective calling begins. Men and women reach for their smartphones to update the rest of the family.
The topics? Always the same: how warm it is, what the waves are like and, most importantly, what is being eaten that afternoon or evening. 'Yes, it's me, we just had the eggplant put it in the cooler. What are you eating?' A holiday day is simply not complete without keeping the entire family bond warm.
9. No staggered holidays? No problem!
In Northern Europe, we try to spread out our holidays neatly to avoid traffic jams and overcrowded holiday parks. In Italy, they hardly do that. The entire country grinds to a halt practically simultaneously in August. The fact that this results in sky-high prices and overcrowded beaches doesn't bother the Italian. In fact, they secretly find the crowds quite enjoyable. Sitting alone on a quiet beach? To them, that feels like going to a party where no one showed up. The chaos is simply part of the experience.
10. Summer lasts nice and long
Everyone goes on vacation in August, but the summer season secretly begins as early as late April or early May and lasts well into September. It is a long period during which you have to take things easy because it is getting warmer. You will start sports, education, or courses again soon, after that endless summer, when the first signs of autumn announce themselves.
What can we learn from this?
Although we tend to laugh at the Italian holiday stress, the overcrowded beaches, and the apparent chaos, there is a deep wisdom in their approach. After all, it is about il dolce far niente: the sweet art of doing nothing. The clock does not rule the holiday, but rather the rhythm of meals and being together with the people you love. It is a lesson in the art of living.
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