Emperor Augustus, in 18 B.C., established the holiday of Ferragosto. Originally celebrated on the 1st of August, it was a day of rest for agricultural workers during the hottest month of the year. Later the holiday was moved to August 15th to coincide with the Catholic celebration of the Feast of the Assumption.

Italians today celebrate with anything from a single day off (August 15th) up to taking the entire month of August off — shuttering shops and restaurants in the cities — and heading to the mountains and the beaches seeking relaxation and cooler weather. Thus, the beaches and popular mountain vacation sites experience their high seasons with large crowds while the cities empty out.

This August marks the first August that we’ve been in Italy for the entire month. Granted, we visited in 2019 for a family wedding in Puglia, but we were on vacation with the rest of the Italian population. This August we had little choice other than to remain in town while we secured permanent housing and settled in to our new apartment.

Although I was well aware of the holiday, perhaps I failed to realize its true significance and implications. Living in Bergamo, a Northern Italian city with a population of 120,000, it quickly became apparent that a large part of the residents vacated the city. The normal pace of the city slowed, typically crowded locales thinned out, and store hours were shortened and/or closed for part or all of the month.

All this combined with pretty miserable heat. We look forward to rain along with cooler weather for a day or two. We are especially looking forward to the end of August and the beginning of September and a return to “normal” life. But before the beginning of September, we’ll be able to enjoy a brief August vacation ourselves to Calabria where we will join in the wedding celebration of a cousin.