Today June 2 is the Festa della Repubblica or Italian National Day.  The holiday commemorates the day in 1946 when Italians went to the polls to vote for the form of government the country would take after World War II.  They voted for a republic (monarchy came in second).  The holiday marks the unofficial start of summer much like Memorial Day in the U.S.  This year it fell on a Monday making a three-day weekend.  So when many Italians who live outside of Rome were coming in for the festivities, most Romans were leaving the city after work on Friday.

When I first encountered the three-day holiday weekend I heard Italians talking about a ponte.  What “ponte”? I asked confused because ponte is the word for bridge.  “You know, since the holiday is Monday many people take off Friday.  Friday is the bridge.”  Ahh.  We do that too, especially when a holiday like Fourth of July is on a Thursday or a Tuesday.  Then they added, “But there’s also the “pontone”.  Pontone means big bridge, so it didn’t take me long to figure that one out (Imagine Fourth of July falling on a Wednesday…).  And so this year I was not surprised that several of my friends who left Rome won’t be back until tomorrow, Tuesday, night.

The day started with military planes flying overhead, followed by a big parade of all the armed forces in centro storico.  Most stores and restaurants were closed except for those in the tourist center as the crowds around the parade site can be quite large.  But on this warm, sunny day most Romans were starting their summer tans on a beach about 30 minutes from Rome.  Sun kissed, they will eat out then make the traffic-laden trip back to the city, arriving home at about 9 or 10 pm.  Unless of course this year they are making a pontone.