Buon Ferragosto ☼
- 10 years ago
The highlight of the year for all Italians!
Ferragosto is an Italian public holiday celebrated on 15 August.
Each town, each village has its own unique way to celebrate the most important holiday of the year.
All villagers assist in the preparations.
Shops (and garages!) are closed.
Hope, you enjoy my impressions of one of the most beautiful rural areas of Italy...no, it's not the Toscana...too many tourists...lol!
Roberto Benigni produced a film here, it pretends to be the Toscana!...well...the Toscana was like this 40 years ago...:)
This area is contemporary...slow food!...organic food! This area is medieval! One doctor covers 10 villages...The doctors are fantastic! Though they don't speak English, German etc.... gesticulate and they know what's wrong! LOL! :))
note: the Renaissance paintings on the ceiling and walls are partly restored...lots of work!!!
'Sir Archibald', the skinny street cat got rid of his cough, but walks with a limp by now...tough little guy...
The man-trained owl escaped its holders the day I took the pictures (had to fly through rings, set on fire!)...welcome freedom! :)
...ah, the lizard was gobbled up by 'Sir Archibald'.
Album: Putamayo, Italian Café, To Vuo' Fa' I'Americano, Quadro Nuevo
The term Ferragosto is derived from the Latin expression Feriae Augusti (Augustus' rest), which is a celebration introduced by the emperor Augustus in 18 BC. This was an addition to already extant 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 ancient Ferragosto, in addition to obvious self-celebratory political purposes, had the purpose of linking the main August festivities to provide a longer period of rest, called Augustali, which was felt necessary after the hard labour of the previous weeks.
The present Italian name of the holiday derives from its original Latin name, Feriae Augusti ("Festivals [Holidays] of the Emperor Augustus").
During these celebrations, horse races were organised 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 dell'Assunta which takes place on 16 August in Siena. Indeed the name "Palio" comes from the pallium, a piece of precious fabric which was the usual prize given to winners of the horse races in ancient Rome.
During the festival, workers greeted their masters, 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.
Source: Wikipedia
Ferragosto is an Italian public holiday celebrated on 15 August.
Each town, each village has its own unique way to celebrate the most important holiday of the year.
All villagers assist in the preparations.
Shops (and garages!) are closed.
Hope, you enjoy my impressions of one of the most beautiful rural areas of Italy...no, it's not the Toscana...too many tourists...lol!
Roberto Benigni produced a film here, it pretends to be the Toscana!...well...the Toscana was like this 40 years ago...:)
This area is contemporary...slow food!...organic food! This area is medieval! One doctor covers 10 villages...The doctors are fantastic! Though they don't speak English, German etc.... gesticulate and they know what's wrong! LOL! :))
note: the Renaissance paintings on the ceiling and walls are partly restored...lots of work!!!
'Sir Archibald', the skinny street cat got rid of his cough, but walks with a limp by now...tough little guy...
The man-trained owl escaped its holders the day I took the pictures (had to fly through rings, set on fire!)...welcome freedom! :)
...ah, the lizard was gobbled up by 'Sir Archibald'.
Album: Putamayo, Italian Café, To Vuo' Fa' I'Americano, Quadro Nuevo
The term Ferragosto is derived from the Latin expression Feriae Augusti (Augustus' rest), which is a celebration introduced by the emperor Augustus in 18 BC. This was an addition to already extant 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 ancient Ferragosto, in addition to obvious self-celebratory political purposes, had the purpose of linking the main August festivities to provide a longer period of rest, called Augustali, which was felt necessary after the hard labour of the previous weeks.
The present Italian name of the holiday derives from its original Latin name, Feriae Augusti ("Festivals [Holidays] of the Emperor Augustus").
During these celebrations, horse races were organised 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 dell'Assunta which takes place on 16 August in Siena. Indeed the name "Palio" comes from the pallium, a piece of precious fabric which was the usual prize given to winners of the horse races in ancient Rome.
During the festival, workers greeted their masters, 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.
Source: Wikipedia