Italy' Siesta Time.

[Renato1]

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

 

[goldenhorn]

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

Interesting about the new EU law.

I just got back from a month in Italy. I noticed how the pausa annoyed me to start with but once we got in the swing we made sure we had lunch reservations organised in advanced for a 12:30-1pm sitting each day.

Then after about a week my body was telling me I was ready for the pausa at 2:30pm each day

But I hear you about the economic impact. Italy has many economic and social problems but they seem unable to change centuries of tradition to move into modern times.

I was speaking with a waitress at a spectacular restaurant we visited near Castellabate and I asked her what happens in winter when all the tourists go home and the restaurants shut down.

She said that everyone stays at home until April and the government pays them unemployment benefits.

Hardly a great strategy to help them reduce their €2.1 trillion debt!

 

[Renato1]

Interesting about the new EU law.

I just got back from a month in Italy. I noticed how the pausa annoyed me to start with but once we got in the swing we made sure we had lunch reservations organised in advanced for a 12:30-1pm sitting each day.

Then after about a week my body was telling me I was ready for the pausa at 2:30pm each day

But I hear you about the economic impact. Italy has many economic and social problems but they seem unable to change centuries of tradition to move into modern times.

I was speaking with a waitress at a spectacular restaurant we visited near Castellabate and I asked her what happens in winter when all the tourists go home and the restaurants shut down.

She said that everyone stays at home until April and the government pays them unemployment benefits.

Hardly a great strategy to help them reduce their €2.1 trillion debt!

Yes, if one is living/staying in the same place for a time, one can easily fit it into the rythm - because one will be around at opening times. But if you are touring the place - driving to or catching trains to a place - it just doesn't work well. You more or less have to stay two nights in a town, to get a full day of being there and seeing it properly.

Lots of other quaint uneconomic things in Italy. Like each city with populations of only say 20,000 people having their own municipal government with fully stacked departments.

The thought of economies of scale in local government departments hasn't been thought of. They look at me in amazement when I tell them that in Victoria, a local government has to have a minimum of 120,000 residents.

However, they do do one thing really well in Italy, which benefits tourists. Numerous free to air TV stations broadcast programs both in Italian and in the original undubbed language. So that German and particularly English speakers have plenty to watch on TV. Only problem is, most people in Italy and the tourists are unaware of the service. Most nights over in Italy, I have the choice of six or seven movies or TV shows to watch in English.
Cheers,
Renato