So what does that mean for tourists who are in town for a day or a few days? It means that a restaurant you may have read about, or a shop a friend told you to visit just might be ‘closed for holidays’= ‘chiuso per ferragosto’.

Don’t think about postponing your trip. A little bit of pre-planning and flexibility is all that you need. We still manage to guide our tour through many open shops.

Here’s a great list of restaurants open in Rome in August from food blogger Katie Parla.

You can check activities for each month including August on Eventful.

Why? It is the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker or International Worker’s Day, a National Holiday. On May 1, 1955, Pope Pius XII granted a public audience to the Catholic Association of Italian Workers, whose members had gathered in Saint Peter’s Square to celebrate the tenth anniversary of their society. They were solemnly renewing, in common, their promise of loyalty to the social doctrine of the Church, and it was on that day that the Pope instituted the liturgical feast of May 1st, in honor of Saint Joseph the Worker. He assured his audience and the working people of the world: “You have beside you a shepherd, a defender and a father”. We at Can’t Be Missed Tours also celebrate this day in a special way, commemorating our founding.

Italians celebrate this day with parades, picnics and festivals to celebrate the day. Expect big crowds in popular Italian tourist destinations. Some attend church services and most spend time outdoors with family and friends, enjoying the day off from work. Many attractions and shops are closed on May 1, so if you are visiting Italy on this day get a picnic basket and a bottle of wine and join locals outside.

If you are not in Italy on May 1^st you can still celebrate! Here are some delicious Italian recipes to try. Found on Fisheaters.com. (Great Website!)

Minestrone (serves 4)

1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup celery, with leaves, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-ounce can of tomatoes, with juice
1 large can white beans (Cannelli beans or Navy beans)
5 cups beef or vegetable stock
1/2 cup flat parsley, finely chopped
1 cup finely sliced, then roughly chopped Swiss Chard (or spinach or cabbage, or some combination)
2 zucchini, unpeeled and cut into little cubes
1/2 cup small pasta (like ditalini)
For garnish: freshly-grated Parmesan cheese

Sauté the onion and celery in the oil til wilted, toss in garlic and stir for a minute, then put in cut-up tomatoes and cook down for about 10 minutes to concentrate flavors. Stir in beef stock, reserved tomato juice, and beans and bring to a boil. Add half the parsley, lower heat, and cook for about 30 minutes.

Add Swiss chard (or spinach or cabbage), zucchini, and pasta and cook at a gentle boil until pasta is tender.

When ready to serve, stir in the rest of the parsley. Season to taste and grate in some black pepper. Ladle into bowls and serve with the parmesan and a crusty bread.

Pasta di San Giuse (pasta with breadcrumbs that symbolize sawdust)

Note: This recipe came from my parish’s website, and was said to be in tribute of “Mamma Giglio.” I don’t know who Mamma Giglio is, but I don’t want to omit the dedication to an Italian Mamma!

Cooked pasta

Sauce:
2 TBSP olive oil
5 cloves garlic, chopped
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 cups chopped fresh fennel
2 cups crushed tomatoes
2 TBSP tomato paste
1 TBSP chopped fresh basil
4 cans of drained, skinless, boneless sardines

Heat oil in large pot, and saute in it the garlic and pepper flakes. Add the fennel, tomatoes, paste, and basil. Cover and let simmer 30 minutes ’til fennel is tender. Add the sardines and simmer a few more minutes.

Topping:
1 TBSP olive oil
1 cup fine homemade breadcrumbs

Heat oil, and add crumbs and heat until golden brown. Pour sauce over the pasta, then sprinkle with the breadcrumbs.

Sfinge di San Giuseppe (St. Joseph’s Cream Puffs)

Sfinge:
1 cup water
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1 TBSP sugar
Grated rind of 1 lemon
Pinch of salt
1 cup sifted flour
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 TBSP Cognac or vanilla

Filling:
2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/3 cup grated dark chocolate
2 TBSP finely chopped pistachios

Garnish:
Powdered sugar
Lemon rind

Put water, butter, granulated sugar, lemon rind, and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, and as soon as the butter has melted, remove from heat. Add the flour all at once, stirring constantly and with vigor.

Return the pan to the heat, and stir constantly until the mixture forms a ball and comes away from the sides of the pan. Cook just a little longer, until you hear a slight crackling, frying sound. Remove the pan from the heat, and cool slightly.

Add the eggs, one at a time. Be sure that each egg is thoroughly blended into the mixture before you add the next. Stir until smooth and thoroughly blended . Add the Cognac or vanilla. Cover the dough and let it stand for 15 to 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400º F.

Drop the dough by heaping tablespoonsful on a buttered cookie sheet or onto parchment-lined sheet (better!), leaving 2 inches between the sfinge. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool.

Filling: Mix the ricotta, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, chocolate, and pistachios. Just before serving (so they don’t get soggy!), cut off the tops of the sfinge and fill; place top back on after filling. Arrange on platter, sprinkle with powdered sugar to make them pretty, and garnish platter with lemon rind.

If you visit any other day of the year, just take a look around the Vatican and you cannot miss seeing the Swiss guards in their colorful uniforms. It is no wonder that the Swiss guard are the most photographed soldiers in the world. The current uniforms were not designed by Raffaello– or  Michelangelo. These current uniforms were worn for the first time in 1914, the apparel was designed by an unknown Vatican seamstress who surpassed herself when Pope Benedict XV asked her to create a ceremonial attire for his Swiss soldiers. The puffy sleeves idea, however, goes back to the middle of the 16th Century and may have been inspired by a Raffaello painting, from a design he copied that was then the style in France. Vatican tailor Ety Cicioni stated in an interview the changes made in 1914 were actually a simplification of their previous Swiss Guard uniforms.

So, who are these men? The Pontifical Swiss guard is a small force maintained by the Holy See who are responsible for the safety of the Pope, including the security of the Apostolic Palace. It serves as the de facto military of Vatican City.  (Link Vatican)

The tradition of the Swiss guard began on January 22, 1506. 150 Swiss soldiers first entered the Vatican by request of then-Pope Julius II to form the Pontifical Swiss Guard. The group has remained present to this day and is now the oldest standing army in the world. Currently, there are 110 guards at the Vatican.

And not just anyone can become a Swiss Guard! You must be an unmarried male between the ages of 19 and 30 years old, and a Swiss citizen, a faithful Roman Catholic with a good moral ethical background, attend the military school in Switzerland, at least 5 ft, 8.5 in. tall, and have either a professional diploma or a high school degree.

Swiss Guard

The guards signed a two year contract and make 1300 Euros a month. In an interview Swiss guard Pillip Hass said “1300 Euros per month [about $1600]. We make six Euros per hour for overtime after 150 hours per month of work. We pay no tax, get free accommodation, and eat free, good Swiss-Italian food cooked by Polish sisters. So we do all right.”
Most of their free time is given over to the required study of the Italian language and to technical and commercial courses to prepare them for a future as civilians.

When you visit Rome, come ready to snap a picture of these guards!