The Italian holiday period of Ferragosto dates back to Roman times when the Emperor Augustus permitted a period of festivity followed by a long period of rest to celebrate the end of the main agricultural activity and the hard labour which it demanded.
In the not too distant past it was common for businesses to close for the entire month of August, but now holidays are much shorter. The main holiday falls on the 15th but it is not uncommon for festivites to commence a few days before and continue until a few days after. Ferragosto is celebrated in varying degrees in different parts of Italy, with week long organised events that start early in the morning and continue long into the night in some parts, whilst in others the holiday is marked with a special meal with friends and family.
Ferragosto is not a religious holiday but it does coincide with the Roman Catholic Feast of Assumption, which celebrates the bodily taking up of The Virgin Mary into heaven at the end of her earthly life. The holiday also coincides with the peak activity of the Perseids meteor shower which gives those that celebrate late into the night the opportunity of witnessing this astral event.
Ferragosto activities around Lake Garda include:
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