The Celebration of Ferragosto in Italy – August is always a crazy time in Italy as this is the month where the majority of people take their yearly vacations at the height of the summer season. It is also a very important time for Italians for another reason, as on August 15th ‘Ferragosto’ is celebrated.
Ferragosto
Ferragosto marks an important religious day in the Christian calendar – the “Assumption of Mary” –, but the celebration of this time of the year traces back to the ancient Romans. In 18 BC, Emperor Augustus introduced the “Feriae Augusti”, a long period of rest after the intense agricultural labor in the previous months. During this time, a number of festivals used to take place to entertain Romans.
Today
Today, August 15th mainly means “ghost cities” and beaches full of people. As the summer heat reaches its peak in this period, a fair share of Italians literally escape to the seaside and celebrate the Ferragosto with family and friends at the beach. If you are visiting Italy in August, be prepared to find a lot of businesses closed, especially on August 15th, which is considered a bank holiday in Italy. However, if you are at the right destination, you will be able to enjoy Ferragosto like an Italian.
Around the period of Ferragosto there is an abundance of festivities that are celebrated uniquely in each region of the country, from processions dedicated to the religious significance of the day to music festivals and traditional fireworks that onlookers can admire from the beach.
Celebrates Ferragosto in an Italian style
Fresh and healthy, barley salad is the classic Italian dish you can prepare. Try it with our mortadella, pepperoni, cherry tomatoes, and grana cheese, you’ll be delighted by its taste!
Ingredients:
- 7.1 of pearl barley
- 3.5 oz of Veroni mortadella
- 1 grilled red pepper
- 1 grilled yellow pepper
- 1 handful red and yellow cherry tomatoes
- 1 oz of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, for slivers
- extra virgin olive oil
- basil
- salt and pepper
Steps:
- Boil the barley following the instructions on the packet
- Drain and transfer to a bowl
- Add the grilled peppers cut into strips, the cherry tomatoes cut into halves or quarters depending on their size, tear the fresh basil leaves into pieces by hand and garnish with the cheese slivers
- Season with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper, and serve with sliced mortadella.
