Thursday, August 4, 2011

An Italian Girl In... Vacation Mode

August in Italy is by definition the month for vacation. We often complain because everything stops and you don't find even a bottle of fresh milk unless in big centres, but when we face vacation planning every year it's the same: we all want to go away in August. Why? Just because it's August and Italians are not made to work in August!  So here we are, another August has arrived and there is only one dominating topic of discussion all over the Country: vacation. People exchange suggestions about places to visit, friends try to organize the classical "pizza-before-we leave" as if they weren't to see each other for ages, women rush to the hair dresser, everything is procrastinated "let's see that after vacation", all over shops stick to their close door the motto "Chiuso per ferie".
A whole Country enters the vacation mode until September arrives, even a crowded, international city like Milan is calm (you can even take a seat on the subway on your way to the office).
I'm affected by this August sindrome as well, hence counting down the days to be off for two weeks, backpacking across the Mediterranean. There is something magic in these days that repeats every year: people are happy, altogether at the same time, as they are preparing for something they've been longing for, and they get relaxed. My count-down is ticking over - as everything in neighborhood gets closed and I wander around to find a kebab for dinner and someone still home for a chat. This atmosphere drives me more and more excited about the places I'll visit, persons I'll encounter, adventures I'll bump into...but this will be part of the next story...

Buon viaggio!

1 comment:

  1. Have a great vacation Elena! Can't wait to hear about it when you get back.

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