{"id":1247,"date":"2013-05-29T12:50:54","date_gmt":"2013-05-29T10:50:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rickzullo.com\/?p=1247"},"modified":"2021-11-18T15:59:49","modified_gmt":"2021-11-18T14:59:49","slug":"summer-in-rome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/summer-in-rome\/","title":{"rendered":"Summer in Rome"},"content":{"rendered":"

This year, the summer in Rome has struggled to gain traction.\u00a0 There\u2019s been more rain than normal and the temperatures have yet to inspire the \u201ccambio di stagione<\/i>,\u201d the change of season as it relates to wardrobe choices.\u00a0 Remember, unless it\u2019s at least 30 degrees Centigrade (86 F), then leaving the house without a jacket and scarf puts you at mortal risk from a \u201ccolp<\/i>o d\u2019aria<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 As a foreigner, you may believe that you\u2019re immune to such ridiculous ailments<\/a>.\u00a0 But trust me, being Italian is contagious.\u00a0 Don\u2019t take the chance.<\/p>\n

Usually<\/i>, you hear people complain about Rome being too hot and crowded this time of year.\u00a0 Well, yes, if you hang out in Piazza Navona in the middle of the afternoon.\u00a0 But it just takes a little planning and common sense to avoid this situation.\u00a0 My strategy is to get all of my errands done in the morning (ha!), and then surrender to the imposed pausa<\/i> for the afternoon.\u00a0 This leaves the glorious evenings wide open for socializing.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

How to enjoy summer in Rome<\/h2>\n

Dusk lasts much longer here in Italy than back home in South Florida.\u00a0 By 7:00 in the evening, the lower edge of the sun has slipped behind the Roman skyline, the start of a protracted twilight that lingers on past 9:00 p.m.\u00a0 During this time of day, the entire cityscape is drenched in a pastel glow, thick as a liquid, like pink honey dripping down the sides of the old buildings and slowly draining into the river.<\/p>\n

A collective buzz overcomes the ancient town, especially on the weekends, as the citizens awaken from the heat-induced torpor of the afternoon and invoke any small cause to celebrate.\u00a0 You can hear distant laughter and the clinking of wine glasses as you walk onto the Ponte Cestio, then stopping to admire the silhouette of Michelangelo\u2019s dome rising above Saint Peter\u2019s in the distance.<\/p>\n

\"summer
“Quanto sei bella Roma quand’e’ er tramonto…”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Along the river banks below, the summer festivities are in full swing.\u00a0 Rows of white tents are set up along both sides of the Tiber; an unbroken string of temporary bars, cafes, and restaurants of every type to give Romans and tourists alike limitless venues for which to enjoy the long, hot evenings.\u00a0 On the little island (L\u2019isola Tiberina<\/i>), the annual film festival sets up, \u00a0awaiting the gradual darkness to begin the evening\u2019s entertainment. \u00a0They offer a wide variety of cinema in the open air, both Italian and foreign.\u00a0 Additionally, they have smaller venues for group discussions on film, books, poetry, etc.\u00a0 Check out their website for a full schedule of events. \u00a0\u00a0Isola del Cinema<\/a><\/p>\n

If you are new to town or just passing through, why not join one of the social groups that meet up on the Isola<\/i> for an aperitivo?\u00a0 As you may have read in my last post, this has some sentimental value for me.\u00a0 On Tuesday evenings at 8:30, there is a weekly meeting of Expats Living in Rome, a mixed group of Italians and foreigners that gather to exchange languages and make new friends over Campari cocktails<\/a> and hors d’oeuvre. \u00a0 Here’s a link to their list of events<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And if the heat is still too much for you, you can always chill out at the Ice Club<\/a> where it\u2019s -5 degrees Centigrade (23 F) year round. \u00a0For just \u20ac20, they offer an Open Bar and you can drink away the night until your heart (and\/or liver) is content.<\/p>\n

Ferragosto<\/h2>\n

Looking ahead, the month of August is a unique time of year in Rome and indeed for the entire country.\u00a0 Traditionally, most businesses shut down completely and folks head either to the beach or to the mountains for the entire month.\u00a0 It\u2019s like a month-long <\/a>pausa<\/a>.\u00a0 <\/i>This is especially true for the two weeks around Ferragosto<\/i>, or August 15th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

For someone visiting Rome from mid-July to the end of August, this can either be a good or bad thing.\u00a0 It\u2019s good because the city will seem much less crowded and hotel prices might even be a bit lower.\u00a0 On the other hand, you may find that many businesses are closed, which can be frustrating.\u00a0 However, in the historical center of Rome, all of the museums and tourist attractions (and many of the restaurants) will maintain their normal hours.\u00a0 I would tell you to double check their websites, but doing so would only marginally guarantee the information gathered.\u00a0 You just have to hope for the best.<\/p>\n

\"roman
Diana or Mother Mary?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But I\u2019m intrigued by this concept of a nation-wide stoppage of work for an entire month every year.\u00a0 While this practice might sound counterproductive for a country that\u2019s trying to crawl its way out of a deep recession, it is perfectly consistent with the Mediterranean philosophy of taking time to relax and enjoy life regardless of present circumstances.\u00a0 Fortunes always change. \u00a0The economy wavers up and down, the politicians come and go (except Berlusconi), but quality time with family and friends are what makes it all worthwhile.<\/p>\n

If you try to uncover the origins of this month-long holiday you\u2019ll find a mixed history.\u00a0 Or rather a mixture of histories, as is often the case in Italy. \u00a0To wit, the tradition was started by the Emperor Augustus to celebrate the end of the agricultural season, paying homage to the gods\u2014particularly Diana\u2014in hopes of a good harvest.\u00a0 This idea was then picked up by the Christians who merely swapped out Diana for the Virgin Mary and called it the Day of Assumption.<\/p>\n

The Church did a lot of this sort of thing to make Christianity more palatable to the pagan masses.\u00a0 But I have a feeling that it took very little \u201cselling\u201d to convince the populace to take a paid month off from their labors.\u00a0 Not surprisingly, this appealing tradition endures up to the present day.<\/p>\n

Insomma<\/h2>\n
\"ice<\/a>
You’re not hallucinating, it’s a bar made from ice.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Summer in Rome can be a bit surreal, especially in August.\u00a0 It\u2019s like you\u2019ve accidentally wandered onto the set of a Fellini film\u2014a strange sort of dream that is at once alluring and unsettling. \u00a0 And that\u2019s what I love about it.\u00a0 On the one hand, it fulfills our fantasies of the sunlit piazza, the chilled bottle of Frascati wine, and folks wearing white linen clothes and big black sunglasses.\u00a0 At the same time, much of the city is deserted and you\u2019re left wondering if you\u2019ve missed some important news alert warning you to evacuate.\u00a0 (Is that Mount Vesuvius rumbling in the distance?)<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s that relentless heat\u2014it can play tricks with your imagination and make you do strange things, like wearing seasonally inappropriate clothes and hiding out in an ice bar while drinking enough vodka to convince yourself that summer was just a passing dream.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This year, the summer in Rome has struggled to gain traction.\u00a0 There\u2019s been more rain than normal and the temperatures have yet to inspire the \u201ccambio di stagione,\u201d the change of season as it relates to wardrobe choices.\u00a0 Remember, unless it\u2019s at least 30 degrees Centigrade (86 F), then leaving the house without a jacket […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1251,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[40,52,271,51,14,482,25],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1247"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1247"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1247\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}