If you’ve ever spent time in Italy in August, you know about Ferragosto, the national holiday that marks the height of summer. Every year on August 15, Ferragosto is celebrated across the country with barbecues, beach days, fireworks, concerts, or local festivals. In Rome and other cities across Italy, entire offices, shops, restaurants, and other businesses shut down. Walking around Italian cities, it’s common to see “Chiuso per ferie” signs on the doors. Some places close for a week, others for the whole month.
But what exactly is Ferragosto anyway? And how do Italians celebrate the holiday? Read on to find out.
What are the origins of Ferragosto?
If you guessed that Ferragosto has ancient origins, you would be right. Augustus Caesar first established the Feriae Augusti in 18 BCE as a period of rest following the grain harvest. Throughout the Roman Empire, farmers and other workers took a much-needed break. Even working animals like mules, horses, and oxen were given a rest and decorated with flowers.
During the Feriae Augusti, people gathered for communal feasts, chariot races, theatrical performances, music and dancing. They offered religious sacrifices to the gods in order to ensure future prosperity.
When Christianity became the dominant religion in Rome, the festival’s pagan aspects started to fade. By the Middle Ages, the holiday was associated with the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
Though Ferragosto’s Catholic association has mostly faded today, the holiday remains a beloved period of rest during the hottest time of the year.
The 20th Century and Mussolini’s Treni Popolari
It was actually a push by Mussolini and his Fascist regime that turned Ferragosto into a mass summer holiday. Prior to the 1930s, vacations were mostly reserved for the wealthy upper class, not for average Italians. Mussolini encouraged Italians to ditch the cities for seaside resorts, the mountains, and the lakes.
In the 1930s, the state began promoting “Treni Popolari” (the People’s Trains) by offering heavily discounted tickets around Ferragosto. These fares allowed many working class Italians to leave their hometown for the first time and visit holiday destinations on the coast.
During this period, the government also invested heavily in tourism infrastructure. They improved roads, expanded railways, and developed seaside resorts like Sabaudia, a beach town near Rome. Many of these changes survived the Second World War and grew during Italy’s postwar economic boom in the 1950s and ‘60s. Then in 1960, Fellini filmed La Dolce Vita, further romanticizing Italy’s culture of leisure and the pursuit of pleasure.
How is Ferragosto celebrated today?
How Italians celebrate Ferragosto nowadays varies by region, but it’s generally a day of leisure, when families and friends gather for a big meal. And though the menu varies, it typically includes lots of fresh summer produce such as tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplant, pasta, grilled seafood or meat, watermelon and other seasonal fruit like peaches and figs.
If you’re traveling in Italy on Ferragosto, keep in mind that many restaurants in cities like Rome, Florence, Venice, and Naples will be closed, but some will have special menus or events. Be sure to plan ahead so you’re not left scrambling at the last minute.
Want to plan a Ferragosto feast of your own? Try making these 6 easy tomato recipes from our guest hosts or perhaps some panzanella or spaghetti al pomodoro. And don’t forget the watermelon!
Tracy Totaro says
I love this 🙂 Will start next year in America ! Italian Americans