Rush hour

Mid-August and the commuting is easy. Fewer cars, buses and motorini, as well as fewer people and closed shops define the period from now through the end of next week. Starting the 25th, life will return to the city. For now, we enjoy the quiet.  Usually the major avenue near us, Viale Parioli, is chock-a-block with vehicles. Ric says on a normal evening you could practically walk across the street on the tops of cars.

This is Viale Parioli at 17:30 this evening, the major shopping street a few minutes walk from our apartment. Usually it is a hubbub of cars, motorcycles, buses and people scurrying to do their shopping.

Sunday morning it was so quiet we could hear the priest in the church across the street giving his homily to a greatly reduced congregation. His voice echoed off the walls and spilled into the street.

No matter how long we live here, I think we will find this an interesting and amusing cultural phenomenon: everyone who can leaves town and goes to the beach for as much of August as they can manage. Many shops and restaurants close from the 1st to the 31st, some for only a couple of weeks.  

Friday is the holiday, Ferragosto, which has its roots in ancient Rome introduced by Emperor Augustus.  Families will lunch, everything that can manage to will close, and we will get the day off. Gotta love the foreign holidays!

To my Italian friends, buona festa. 

Typical sign on a local restaurant. Nice break for the employees, paid of course!