L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 2018 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE ANTHONY DI RENZO T he exodus begins in early August. Facto- ries in the Tiburtina Valley grind to a halt. Executives abandon EUR's corporate offices. Shops on Via del Corso and cafés in Piazza Navona shutter their win- dows and post signs. Surveying the des erted centr o s tor ico, tourists wonder if they have missed a military bulletin about some mass evacuation. A cara- biniere in a sweat-stained, short- sleeved uniform reassures them. Rome is not under attack, he explains. It is only on vacation. Ferragosto, the name of this summer escape, has a long histo- ry. Back in 18 BC, Caesar Augustus consolidated his power through recreation. After being proclaimed a god, he renamed the eighth month of the Roman calendar after himself and made it a 31-day holiday, the Feriae Augusti or Festivals of Augustus, to celebrate his most important victories. The Pontifical College, which administered Rome's civic reli- gion, objected. The new festival upstaged the Nemoralia, honor- ing the goddess Diana, and the Vinalia Rustica and Consuala, blessing the harvest and ending months of intense agricultural labor. Augustus smiled at the scowling priests. As Pontifex Maximus, he could combine these existing holidays to provide a longer period of rest called Augustali—and he did it quicker than it takes to boil an asparagus. Rome took a paid month off. Oxen, donkeys, and mules were released from work and decorated with flowers. Aristocrats tipped servants before leaving for their villas in Tivoli and Frascati. Commoners, stuck in the city, were treated to public feasts, gladiator fights, and horse races. Republican senators were apoplectic. "Through the sweet- ness of leisure," wrote the histori- an Tacitus, "Augustus seduced one and all." So did Benito Mussolini, who made summer vacations possible for the masses. During the 1930s, he organized hundreds of popular trips in mid-August through Fas- cist leisure and recreational orga- nizations. Since this initiative coincided with the Feast of the Assumption, which honored Rome's new virgin goddess, the Vatican approved. The People's Trains of Fer- ragosto, available at discounted prices, gave the less well-off a chance to visit other cities or to reach seaside and mountain resorts. Limited to August 13, 14, and 15, the offer comprised two options: the One-Day Trip, within a radius of 50-100 km, and the Three-Day Trip, within a radius of 100-200 km. This pattern per- sisted even after the postwar boom and strong unions extended the August break to the entire month. Only affluent Romans can afford to hike in Ortesi, ski at Passo del Tonale, or yacht in Portofino. Working people must endure the indignities of ATAC, Rome's notoriously unreliable mass transit system, or the Fifth Circle of the GRA, the hellish traffic ring surrounding the city, to reach a crowded beach at Ostia or Civitavecchia or a pokey hill- side villa near Rieti or Chieti. Bad trips are never worth the effort. The concierge, who neglected to fix the ice dispenser, books the wrong dinner reserva- tion. The poolside limoncello, made from frozen concentrate, attracts a squadron of flies. Obese sunbathers, wearing the skimpiest Pucci knockoffs, carpet the entire Adriatic shore. Good trips always end too soon. The fleeting time makes one desperate to see and do everything. On the last Saturday of Ferragosto, vacationers frug the night away at provincial dis- cos. Despite the exhaustion, this is the happiest moment of their trip, when desire takes its last stand against disillusion. Come Sunday morning, they will pack and pray that the boredom of church and the anguish of the long drive home will be extin- guished in the anticipated return to the daily grind. Back in Rome, a remnant awaits their return. Like Pope Francis, who prefers the air-con- ditioned rooms at Casa Santa Marta to the stucco halls of Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer estate above Lake Albano, these humble folk have taken a stayca- tion. For many, it is their first chance to enjoy the city. They have lived in Rome all their lives but, until now, have never attend- ed the film festival on Tiber Island, visited the Pantheon, or picnicked in the Villa Borghese gardens. Instead, they have strug- gled as clerks and custodians to support their families. Even so, they do not feel deprived nor do they envy what they cannot have. "Politicians promise," they say, "but it's all talk. Life is hard, and work is all. Everything else is a dream." Pasquino's secretary is Antho- ny Di Renzo, professor of writ- ing at Ithaca College. You may reach him at direnzo@ ithaca.edu. Ferragosto Pasquino takes a vacation August: the month Italy goes on holiday, gets a tan and should thank Emperor Augustus for it Le "ferie estive," the time of the year every Italian dreams of since the cold and icy days of January...

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