Workers vacation

 

Yes we soon in the middle of August and most workers in Italy take a well-deserved summer vacation. These days it is usual a 2 week vacation from around the 10^th until the 23^rd. Back in the 1980, 90s and even into early 2000 companies in Italy was in Norway known to take the hole August off. This has changed. It is to understand that a manufacturing plant need to stop working for a few weeks to do maintenance on machines, and that is what we see today, two weeks complete stop at a company.

 

There are special reasons for a vacation at this time. Ferragosto is an Italian and Sammarinese public holiday celebrated on August 15^th, coinciding with the major Catholic feast of the Assumption of Mary. By metonymy, it is also the summer vacation period around mid-August, which may be a long weekend (ponte di ferragosto) or most of August.

The Feriae Augusti (“Festival of Holidays of the Emperor Augustus”) were introduced by the emperor Augustus in 18  BC. This was an addition earlier ancient Roman festivals which fell in the same month, such as the Vinalia rustica or the Consualia, which celebrated the harvest and the end of a long period of intense agricultural labor. The Feriae Augusti, in addition to its propaganda function, linked the various August festivals to provide a longer period of rest, called Augustali, which was felt necessary after the hard labor of the previous weeks.

During these celebrations, horse races were organized across the Empire, and beasts of burden (including oxen, donkeys and mules), were released from their work duties and decorated with flowers. Such ancient traditions are still alive today, virtually unchanged in their form and level of participation during the Palio dellAssunta which takes place on August 16^th in Sienna. Indeed the name “Palio” comes from the pallium, a piece of precious fabric which was the usual prize given to the winner of the horse race in ancient Rome.

 

During the festival, workers greeted their master, who in return would give them a tip. The custom became so strongly rooted that in the Renaissance it was made compulsory in the Papal States.

The modern Italy name of the holiday comes directly from the Latin name.

The popular tradition of taking a trip during Ferragosto arose under the Fascist regime. In the second half of the 1920s, during the mid-August period, the regime organized hundreds of popular trips through the Fascist leisure and recreational organizations of various corporations, and via the setting up of the “Peoples Trains of Ferragosto”, which were available at discounted prices.

The initiative gave the opportunity to less well-off social classes to visit Italian cities or to reach seaside and mountain resorts. The offer was limited to August 13^th, 14^th and 15^th, and comprised two options: the “One-Day-Trip”, within a radius of 50-100 km, and the “Three-Day-Trip” within a radius of about 100-200 km.

In religion the Catholic feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary also falls on the August 15^th, and is a major feast and Holy Day of Obligation.

The ancient Roman goddess Diana was honored on August 13^th.

Seen from the West side

 

Seen from the East, look pretty good

 

Our great architect and Construction Company arrange the work force so it will be only one week complete stop on the progress on our house. No work will take place according history between August 10^th and 15^th.

 

With sunny weather and temperature above 30 degree C since late June and its looks like it will not stop until way into September we have been fortunate with extreme good working conditions, maybe a bit too good as the temperature has touched 40 degree C at times. A reason for the workers to have a working day from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m.

 

Looking at the pictures we got from the architect this time show us work in progress and some interesting things for some. Yes, getting close to finishing the roof and they have started to remove the floor at first floor. For those who have not seen an Old Italian floor before have an opportunity now. For our guest who will stay at first floor, we do changes to the better.

Things moves quick

 

Looking down to what will be the kitchen

 

We expect to have a trip to see the progress in October, but I am sure both the Pasqual, Gianluca and Galileo will send us photos so we can update the blog prior to that.

Enjoy the summer !!