Welcome To Italy, Everything Is CLOSED! From Today – ???

Summertime in Europe is probably the best time anywhere in the world. Festivals are everywhere, the temperatures are warm, and the beaches are packed with people trying to escape from the heat. Venice is no different, but as a tourist I know it’s sometimes difficult to arrive somewhere on a Sunday and find that everything is closed until Monday morning. Usually, this isn’t a problem, unless it’s August 15th in Italy.

August 15th in Italy is known as Ferragosto. Ferragosto, if you’re not aware, is basically the pivot point for all Italians. At this point, you are either arriving back from vacation or you are eagerly flying off to a destination to escape for a few days. This schedule is usually the 2 weeks up to the 15th, the week before and the week after, or the two weeks following the 15th. Regardless of the situation, many bars, restaurants, shops, and stores will remain closed. Most of the time it’s just for the two week period, however, some places close for the entire month. 

You’ll see many signs that say Chiuso per ferie and basically this means “Closed for the Holiday”. Sometimes there’s a date of closure, sometime it just says per agosto (for August). Take a look around, because these signs will help you plan your time. 

Venice survives on tourism so if you’re near Saint Mark’s Square, you’ll be just fine and everything will be open. However, the farther you venture into the “local Venice” the more likely it will be that things are closed with no hope of reopening until September. So what other advice can I give?

It’s simple really. Just call ahead and make sure that the restaurant or place you want to visit is open. Usually, there will be somebody who answers the phone anyway, but it might simply be the owner’s house that you’re calling which happens to be upstairs from the establishment…regardless, they’ll be able to provide you with hours. 

On the bright side, there is usually a huge celebration in each town on this night…usually complete with fireworks and a concert of some kind. Padova is a small town near Venice that has a spectacular display in Prato della Valle in the center of town, so that’s good for a day trip, but you’ll need to make hotel reservations because the trains back to Venice don’t run that late.

Don’t get discouraged, it’s a problem for most people who are not aware of the tradition. All you can do is think ahead and call, don’t panic when you get there, and if something is closed go ahead and wonder into the next open door. Just remember that traveling is an adventure, and this could be your next!