Renato1
Established Member
- Joined
- May 1, 2015
- Posts
- 1,730
For the last 14 years, the most annoying thing about visiting Italy has been the three to three and a half hour siesta time, where shops close down between 12.30 and 3.30 to 4pm. Even happens in some major tourist cities like Venice.
It makes driving to numerous cities - which in Australia would be a pleasant day trip - a pain in the backside. By the time one gets there, everything is closed.
In the local city of Bassano del Grappa, I'd watch numerous German tourists over the years walking around with their hands in their pockets - "Well, I've spent an hour at lunch - how do I kill the next two and a half hours?".
In this region - the shopping siesta in the centre of town was required by law. Shop keepers couldn't even keep their shops open to take advantage of the summer tourist trade. To make matters worse, "Centro Commerciale" - shopping centres were opening outside the central City area, and they could and did stay open all day.
This ravaged the local businesses. In Bassano last year, about a third of stores were closed down, the place was looking desolate. I remember speaking to a jewelry store owner five years ago, who was telling me she only made money in summer months, but that she was now closing down, because she was making nothing at other times.
So I was feeling sorry for the businesses in such towns, where local laws were oppressing them and making them uncompetetive.
But all that has changed. A new EU law means they can all stay open all day till 10 or 11pm.
Result? All the shops in Bassano still close between 12.30 and 3.30pm.
Talk about shooting one's self in the foot.
Regards,
Renato
It makes driving to numerous cities - which in Australia would be a pleasant day trip - a pain in the backside. By the time one gets there, everything is closed.
In the local city of Bassano del Grappa, I'd watch numerous German tourists over the years walking around with their hands in their pockets - "Well, I've spent an hour at lunch - how do I kill the next two and a half hours?".
In this region - the shopping siesta in the centre of town was required by law. Shop keepers couldn't even keep their shops open to take advantage of the summer tourist trade. To make matters worse, "Centro Commerciale" - shopping centres were opening outside the central City area, and they could and did stay open all day.
This ravaged the local businesses. In Bassano last year, about a third of stores were closed down, the place was looking desolate. I remember speaking to a jewelry store owner five years ago, who was telling me she only made money in summer months, but that she was now closing down, because she was making nothing at other times.
So I was feeling sorry for the businesses in such towns, where local laws were oppressing them and making them uncompetetive.
But all that has changed. A new EU law means they can all stay open all day till 10 or 11pm.
Result? All the shops in Bassano still close between 12.30 and 3.30pm.
Talk about shooting one's self in the foot.
Regards,
Renato