Closed: On Vacation

August marks the month that most Italians take their leave from work and vacation. Consequently, many businesses are closed. I don't just mean closed for the weekend, but closed for weeks, and sometimes the whole month of August. The streets are remarkably quiet, and unless we're using the freeways or traveling, we don't get many tourist crowds. We've found "ferie" (holiday) to be a bit tricky, especially when our favorite bread store won't open again until the end of the month. Here are some signs we've found posted around our city:"We are on Vacation

from August 12th to September 2nd"

"Closed for Holiday
from July 28th to August 25th"