Ferragosto at Intrawelt, what will we be doing?

What is Ferragosto?

Ferragosto is Italy’s August Bank Holiday, on 15 August every year. It coincides with the Catholic celebration of the Assumption of Mary and is marked by celebrations such as outdoor concerts and parties, food festivals, and firework displays all across Italy. The celebration of “Feriae Augusti” was introduced by the 1^st Emperor of the Roman Empire, Augustus to link with the other holidays celebrated in the month of August, forming a ‘ponte’ (bridge) and giving all the hardworking people of Italy (like us!) a long weekend to relax and/or party. This way, we can all come back to the office on Tuesday 16 refreshed after our weekends of socializing, bathing in the beautiful waters surrounding Italy, and eating, as food plays a BIG part of any celebration!

Everybody here at Intrawelt is making plans for the best way to spend the break. From trips to other regions of Italy such as Puglia, to it’s beautiful beaches for a traditional Ferragosto ‘bagno di mezzanotte’ (midnight swim); afternoons spent admiring the wonders of the Adriatic further along the coast (we love the shallow waters of Abruzzo, the beautiful natural beaches of the Riviera del Conero, and just about every other beach in between!); social gatherings with local friends or a total escape with a trip to Essaouira, Morocco!

This is the main weekend of the year where everybody abandons the cities and heads to the seaside! Each coastal town organizes its own special events and Porto Sant’Elpidio is no exception! Those of us sticking around will be attending the ‘Notte dei Desideri’ (Night of Wishes) which includes the popular tradition of releasing sky lanterns into the night and making a wish; this year’s edition of ‘Una Ragazza per il Cinema’ (A girl for the Cinema), established in 1989 as an occasion for hopeful actresses to show off their talents in a competition to be Italy’s next star on the silver screen; the Super Summer Games giving us all the chance to enjoy some live music; and last but not least – as food is perhaps one of the most important parts of any Italian celebration – Porto Sant’Elpidio is providing an evening of international cuisine ‘Sapori dal Mondo’!

So, from all of us at Intrawelt, we wish you a happy Ferragosto! Our offices will only be closed on Monday 15, and we’ll be back to work on Tuesday!

Image: Di Luca Boldrini – Flickr: sirolo, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16572767