Earlier today I had my weekly Skype lesson with my Italian language teacher in Caserta, near Naples. After our lesson, my teacher Vittorio was on the way to the sea to meet up with his friends for Ferragosto, the most important holiday of the year for Italians after Christmas and Easter. Ferragosto is the more common name for the Catholic Feast of the Assumption (more on that to follow). Tomorrow, August 15, is the actual holiday; however, most Italians use the day off as the centerpiece of a longer vacation. Forget trying to get any business done until late next week sometime!

Tonight, the official kick off usually starts with friends holding bonfires on the beach, like at this one photographed at Capo Bianco on Sicily’s south coast. Friends hangout, catch up, and enjoy time together late into the night–many, sleep on the beach!

Although, I’m not in Sicily right now, I will live vicariously through my friends and cousins in Italy, like Vittorio, and dream of an evening spent with friends at the sea. Buon Ferragosto!