Lovely article! I am Italian, and I know what you mean. A lot of it has to do with temperature. If you think that now - 18th October - in Rome (my hometown) there are still avarage temperatures of 24 celsius, you can understand why September is still considered a full fledge Summer month. To be fair it is also accurate, as Autumn starts on September 21st...In Italy that's when beaches start retiring umbrellas and sun beds, public open swimming pools shut down, and people stop going to the seaside for the weekend. Ah, sweet, messy Italy. If I could go back, I would never leave it!!
I learned how to love autumn—and the scary season that follows it—while living in Italy. I always felt like Italians moved happily between seasons thanks to food cues, and over the years I found myself enjoying every seasonal transition. That said, seeing porcini vendors on the roadside in August left me a bit melancholy at first because it seemed there was an effort to speed ahead to fall.
Beautifully said, and written, as always. You nailed NYC post Labor Day, as well as Iate summer in Italy, although up in Piemonte the fall colors have taken over and it is pouring rain today. (We had our first fire last night.) I do love the fall; my birthday is the autumnal equinox, probably a week before yours. : )) Thank you for this, I always look forward to reading it!
An excellently written ode to Italian summer's end. Punta Ala! Beati voi! Made me happily recall a weekend I once spent in the Conero at a hotel right on the Adriatic. A colleague in northern Italy had friends, a husband and wife, who, at the end of every vacation season, would close their hotel to the public and invite their friends for an entire week. I happened to be driving up from Puglia and was kindly invited to join them. An entire hotel to ourselves! The hosts made superb alici marinati, and, as even more luck would have it, there was a "luna rossa" -- a fat, orangey moon one night we could watch from our balcony. As I wrote in late September in my post, "Italy's Long, Long Summers," at least in Rome, those with second homes at the sea or in the countryside --or with relatives with homes there -- whisk their kids out of school on Friday afternoons and head out of the city, weekend weather permitting. Who wouldn't?
My pals in Ponza delight in taunting me with their late season sunshine and swims. I delight in watching them finally getting their island back to enjoy. Oh the quiet of the house when children (and guests!) leave. It takes me a few days to re-adjust.
sounds familiar...life was like this in the 70s- 80s in Porto S. Stefano.. moms and kids left Rome when school ended in June and didnt return until it started again in mid September. Husbands came on weekends. Enjoyable but could get boring with the same people year after year
Thank you-- so kind of you to share the positive feedback. Yes, Piemonte gets a head start, and is so beautiful in the fall. Happy belated birthday, and enjoy the cozying in. So appreciate your kind comments.
I agree-- there is the appearance of the chestnut guys, the squash at the market, the return of the mandarino vendor from Sicilia to ease the transition. But today I went to our bar to order a granita and was informed that they were off the table until June. Argh!!!
Thanks so much! Love that story about Conero! We have had a home for many years in Le Marche (near Fermo) so I know how beautiful the Conero coast is-- that sounds like an amazing week. Thanks for sharing that!
Lovely article! I am Italian, and I know what you mean. A lot of it has to do with temperature. If you think that now - 18th October - in Rome (my hometown) there are still avarage temperatures of 24 celsius, you can understand why September is still considered a full fledge Summer month. To be fair it is also accurate, as Autumn starts on September 21st...In Italy that's when beaches start retiring umbrellas and sun beds, public open swimming pools shut down, and people stop going to the seaside for the weekend. Ah, sweet, messy Italy. If I could go back, I would never leave it!!
Again, true poetry, Eric...
I learned how to love autumn—and the scary season that follows it—while living in Italy. I always felt like Italians moved happily between seasons thanks to food cues, and over the years I found myself enjoying every seasonal transition. That said, seeing porcini vendors on the roadside in August left me a bit melancholy at first because it seemed there was an effort to speed ahead to fall.
Beautifully said, and written, as always. You nailed NYC post Labor Day, as well as Iate summer in Italy, although up in Piemonte the fall colors have taken over and it is pouring rain today. (We had our first fire last night.) I do love the fall; my birthday is the autumnal equinox, probably a week before yours. : )) Thank you for this, I always look forward to reading it!
An excellently written ode to Italian summer's end. Punta Ala! Beati voi! Made me happily recall a weekend I once spent in the Conero at a hotel right on the Adriatic. A colleague in northern Italy had friends, a husband and wife, who, at the end of every vacation season, would close their hotel to the public and invite their friends for an entire week. I happened to be driving up from Puglia and was kindly invited to join them. An entire hotel to ourselves! The hosts made superb alici marinati, and, as even more luck would have it, there was a "luna rossa" -- a fat, orangey moon one night we could watch from our balcony. As I wrote in late September in my post, "Italy's Long, Long Summers," at least in Rome, those with second homes at the sea or in the countryside --or with relatives with homes there -- whisk their kids out of school on Friday afternoons and head out of the city, weekend weather permitting. Who wouldn't?
Very evocative. Most pleasing and calming.
My pals in Ponza delight in taunting me with their late season sunshine and swims. I delight in watching them finally getting their island back to enjoy. Oh the quiet of the house when children (and guests!) leave. It takes me a few days to re-adjust.
Beautiful- I loved this snapshot. I’ve been in Portugal this October and have been graced with a late summer to savor.
sounds familiar...life was like this in the 70s- 80s in Porto S. Stefano.. moms and kids left Rome when school ended in June and didnt return until it started again in mid September. Husbands came on weekends. Enjoyable but could get boring with the same people year after year
Beautiful writing, beautiful reading. Really enjoyed it.
Beautiful Eric! Thank you!
I love the images of people lingering past the deadline, relaxed and savoring until the last drop. They had to be Italian!
Thank you-- so kind of you to share the positive feedback. Yes, Piemonte gets a head start, and is so beautiful in the fall. Happy belated birthday, and enjoy the cozying in. So appreciate your kind comments.
I agree-- there is the appearance of the chestnut guys, the squash at the market, the return of the mandarino vendor from Sicilia to ease the transition. But today I went to our bar to order a granita and was informed that they were off the table until June. Argh!!!
Thanks so much! Love that story about Conero! We have had a home for many years in Le Marche (near Fermo) so I know how beautiful the Conero coast is-- that sounds like an amazing week. Thanks for sharing that!
Thanks so much-- really pleased that you enjoyed it and completely caught the spirit of what I was trying to do. So appreciate the feedback!