Hacking Ferragosto
How To Visit Italy In the No-go Month of August
It ranks high among the travel advice most often given, and most often ignored: never visit Italy in August. Someone usually shares this insight moments after you receive the flight confirmation for your pre-Labor Day Roman holiday. Now what?
Admittedly, August is not the ideal time in Italy, especially in the major cities, which are simultaneously crowded with overheated tourists and abandoned by locals heading to their barcalounger by the sea. But for many people, squeezing in a vacation between school schedules, PTO allotments, and the kids’ summer camp, it’s the only time there is.
So how do you defy the odds for disappointment during your end of summer Italian getaway? You have to start by understanding the nature of the problem.
Italy’s August challenges are a product of official policy: a national idyll known as Ferragosto that occurs the first two weeks of the month. Dating back to a decree from Caesar Augustus (in Italy, a good decree has some staying power) Italians take their annual vacation en masse during this period. Other than those in the hospitality sector, everyone is off the grid at the same time.
It’s a nice idea, until the entire nation loads up the camper and hops on the autostrada all at once. Good luck getting a coffee from the rest stop Autogrill.
If you dream of renting a vintage Cinquecento and motoring down the coastline, hold that thought. When Ferragosto starts, the best place to be is wherever you are. If you must move around at all, do it with short trips on the local roads, (the SS or Strade Statali) or by plane (Italy has plenty of small regional airports), train, boat, or even a bus. At least you’ll have a restroom available when you’re stuck in a traffic jam.
But if too many cars on the freeway is the bad news, then the good news is that at least there should be something happening. All of those people must be going somewhere. In fact, it’s surprising how many Italians spend their August vacations in their own country. That’s partly because there are traditional summer events that only happen at that time.
The Tuscan town of Siena is famous for its Palio competition, a madcap medieval horse race around the piazza that happens on July 2 and August 16th. But other cities across the country have palios as well.
In our region of Le Marche, the largest one is in Ascoli Piceno. Surprisingly, there’s even a palio in the small town of Servigliano near our home. The horse race is the finale of La Quintana, a week-long series of events that runs from August 13-20 . On one night, the locals dig out their 15th-century finery to parade through the main streets in a sort of Renaissance drag ball. On another evening, the piazza is filled with squads of drum-pounding, flag-waving young people, twirling and tossing their neighborhood’s bandiera. The whole week is a Borgia-worthy costume drama crossed with a Southern college marching band competition.
Meanwhile, it’s outdoor concert season at the ancient amphitheaters in Verona and Taormina. On the Amalfi coast, Ravello hosts a classical music festival, while up North, the lakeside town of Lonato del Garda brings together street performers and contemporary circus acts. This year we’re heading to the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro. Because hey, you can’t live life much more Italian than a Rossini opera.
Late August also kicks off the season of sagras, when each village celebrates their local food obsession. Needless to say, that opens up a pretty wide spectrum of choices. I’ve seen sagras for everything from snails and frogs to chestnuts and vino cotto, the local cooked wine. Drive through any small town and you’ll see signs along the road for what can range from a block party to an all-night bacchanal. At the same time, there are concerts on the beach at sunrise, biker fests, philosophy lectures and tango parties. You can keep busy all day and night. But don’t.
For Italians, August is meant for enjoying the natural beauty that defines the country. It’s a time to reconnect with traditions, catch a show in the piazza, or share a pizza and beer with your neighbors. Rooted as it remains in the rhythms of the farm, Italy waits the whole year for Ferragosto. Above all, this is a month to rest before the hard work of harvesting begins.
So do that. Enjoy the beach, whether in a secluded Sardinian cove or under a striped umbrella next to a laughing, shouting, well-baked Italian family on the Adriatic. Both have their appeal. Eat a perfectly ripened tomato with your mozzarella. Take a nap after lunch, and book dinner for 9:00 p.m.
Let Italy teach you the lessons it wants to teach, ones not always gathered on a sweaty Colosseum tour or a frantic “4 cities in 10 days” itinerary. No one does summer better than the Italians, even in August. Treat yourself to a granita or a limoncello and learn from the best.
Happy Ferragosto!
