The Origin of August Festival in Italy
August 15 is August Festival, and its history can be traced back to ancient Rome more than two thousand years ago. At that time, Emperor Augusto designated August of 1 year as a festival; From the end of17th century, the August Festival was changed to August15th, so people had to take a holiday around August Festival to avoid working in the hottest time of the year. At the same time, this day is the ascension day of the Virgin Mary (the mother of Jesus). Augustus created this festival in order to let the ancient Romans enjoy themselves and forget the sorrow and troubles in the world.
The custom of August Festival in Italy
During the festival in August, a grand Gran Ballo di Ferragosto event will be held. Professional dance performances will be held in many squares in cities from downtown to suburban. Music will be broadcast live and the public will be invited to join the dance. Every square has different kinds of dances, from tango to rock, from hip-hop to punk and so on. Among them, Piazzadel Popolo in Rome is the core of the August Festival celebration, and it is also a must-see place for tourists during the festival.
With the coming of August Festival, Italian civil servants and employees of all units will take a vacation in August. Generally, it is divided into two batches, the first batch is from the end of July to August 15, and the second batch is from August 15 to the end of August. During this period, offices are closed, schools are on holiday, and shops are closed in turn. People usually go to other places for their holidays, some to the seaside, some to the mountains and some to foreign countries.
Holiday tourism in Italy in August
A must-see place for the festival: Popolo Square.
People's Square is a square in Rome and the center of August Festival. The square is named after poplar (Latin: populus) behind Santa Maria Church in the northeast corner of the square. The People's Gate here is the Flamini Gate (North Gate) of the Roman Wall. People's Square is the starting point of Flaminia Road, leading to Flaminia (now Rimini), which is the most important road to the north.
Before the railway era, this was the first sight that travelers saw when they arrived in Rome. For hundreds of years, the People's Square has been a place where the death penalty is publicly executed. The last time was at 1826. There are two very similar churches standing next to each other in People's Square: Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria in Montesanto, and Santa Maria del Popolo not far from the north.
A must-see place for festivals: Villa Ada in Rome.
Ada Park is one of the most natural parks in Rome, covering an area of 320,000 square meters. The park has lush trees, dense grasslands and primitive landforms, which makes people feel separated from the noisy city as soon as they step into it. Leisure environment and fresh air are natural oxygen bars. It not only has supernatural scenery, but also retains some historical sites, which is a treasure house for Roman citizens to exercise and relax. Every August holiday in Italy, a music festival is held here.