Ferragosto in Sicily

italy tourism August 14th, 2009 | 1 Comment »

Ferragosto in Italy Sicily

15th August is the Italian national holiday of Ferragosto. Strange that a national holiday falling on a Saturday is not compensated with say the Monday but hey thats Italy.

All the city centres of Italy become ghost towns as everyone heads to the italian seaside. Traditionally the whole month of August was a holiday as the northern italian factories shutdown but here too times have changed and now its principally the week before and after Ferragosto that offices, factories close for holiday. There are of course, in this globalised world, some unfortunate italians whom still have to work. Today Friday the 14th the motorways are jammed and ferries shuttling to italian islands full, many of you hopefully have already reached your destination and are now preparing for this evening’s festivities.

Ferragosto eve, that is, the eve and night of the 14th, the festivities start. People chill out on the beach during the day then the evening explodes into beach parties, music pumping across the waves, drinking, and that midnight swim in the Mediterranean sea. “Falo”, beach fires, are common practice as BBQs fire up across the beaches.

Here feragosto in Sicily we are on the beach at Alcamo Marina, near to Castellamare del Golfo in the province of Trapani. The water is warm, people soaking up the sun and catching up on that needed sleep before tonight’s parties. Later were having a bikini apertif party on my friends boat : destination Tonnara di Scopello…should be fun, followed by dinner down at the harbour on the port side of Castellammare del Golfo. Most of the restaurants around the centre of Castellammare del Golfo feature cusucu a pesce (fish coucous). We are booked in at La Cambusa the best of the harbourside restaurants, next door is the Salvinus restaurant (also good). Both similar prices and ambience, with a selection of the catch of the day displayed for your order. Advice: Arrive early or book for the best tables.

The evening should continue into the early morning as we move onto the Lido Zanzibar just out of Castellammare del Golfo heading towards Alcamo Marina….

If you are in Italy maybe Sicily, looking for property in Italy or your holiday home in Sicily then take a break and enjoy Ferragosto. Buon Ferragosto.