The whole of Italy is on holiday for Ferragosto which falls on August 15th. Its origins are religious as it was declared the day when the Virgin Mary ascended to heaven by one of the early popes. It is a public holiday and since it falls in the middle of August coincides with the big exodus from the cities. The main factories are closed for 2-3 weeks over this period. I had a nightmare on Thursday because I had to send a proposal to Nairobi by courier to arrive on the 19th at the latest. So I drove down to the DHL office in Albenga to be met with a big sign stuck proudly on the front door with DHL tape : “Chiuso per ferie”. After some frantic asking around I managed to send it by TNT instead from a local shop.
Ferragosto in Liguria also means there is nowhere to park a car anywhere near a beach, and all bagni are full especially in popular places like Alassio. Bagni are an uniquely Italian feature of beach life here which most visitors are put off by and consequently misunderstand. A bagno is a private concession for a section of beach where you can rent a lettino and an umbrella for the day/week/season. The beach is kept spotless, there is a bar with service, showers, lifeguard etc. and costs between 10-30 euro a day depending on the season. The public section of the beach is crowded, dirty and there is no shade. Once you accept that it’s best to pay then the experience becomes pleasant – although it goes against the grain for Anglo Saxons to pay to go an a beach.
We are here in Colletta which is another world away from the beach. Colletta is peaceful and lively at the same time in August. Even in August it is possible to find complete silence and peace, while if you want to party in the evening that is also possible. For us though this is not fully a holiday as for our sins we became involved in the rentals and village management. This means that we can never completely relax as we are responsible for the economics and the staff in the village. This is not an easy task in Italy as there are always surprises around the corner and I am discovering that the taxes on businesses are horrendous. Still it is a good season and we hope that overall we will more than break even and even clear some debts from last year !
Colletta was an abandoned medieval village before it was restored to top rate accommodation and the apartments sold. Consequently the village life has to be developed from scratch as there are no old inhabitants, bars, shops etc. Currently we have an Osteria/Bar which works well in the summer but which needs to exist also out of season to keep the village alive. Ths is the main challange – to find out of season activities like – walking, art, music, yoga, climbing, cycling activities to attract people to Colletta and thereby sustain the basic amentities.
