It’s Always Something

Romans love their holidays.

I arrived on Easter Monday, and within the first few weeks there were three more in quick succession: Rome's 2,779th birthday, Liberation Day (marking the end of Nazi occupation), and Labor Day.

This weekend is another long one. Tuesday is Republic Day (marking the 80th anniversary of the Italian Republic), making it a four-or-five-day holiday depending on who you ask. And holidays here mean celebrations, parades, cultural events, parties. They also mean closures — shops, museums, roads. It pays to pay attention.

Venture out around a holiday and you never quite know what you'll find: a reenactment of Caesar's assassination in the Largo Argentina, gladiator tournaments, a fireworks rehearsal that spooked the ceremonial horses and sent them galloping down Viale Cristoforo Colombo. This weekend, the final leg of the Giro d'Italia bicycle race passed just a few blocks from our apartment.

Next up: the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, later this month. I'm told to expect floral displays and fireworks.