One of my many loves of Italians culture is their passion for “Bel Far Niente” which translated, means “the beauty of doing nothing!” Bel far niente is at the forefront of every Italians mind. Well actually, to be more precise, its not! Bel far niente is so engrained into their psyches that it is just part of all Italians genetic make-up. You see, for most of us, we see a working day lasting from 9am to 5pm with a lunch break at noon, but to most Italians, they have never experienced a working day such as this. Italians never see each day as yet another day in which to achieve a certain goal or another day which will bring us closer to being able to retire. Italians never retire because they see work as part of daily life and not simply as a means to an end. Italians are the masters of being able to live in perfect balance. Each day’s purpose is to find the balance of pleasure, family, rest and work! To Italians there is no such thing as retirement, because they simply allow pleasure to be the goal of each day, with work and family central to that very notion.
Every Italian will start their day in a bar or café with an espresso and a pastry, followed by a burst of caffeine fuelled energy and ‘work’ until roughly 1pm. This is when they all close up their shops and either walk, drive or catch the bus home. Once home with their families they all sit around a table for the pasta meal of the day and a full spread of lunch cuisine. They chat about their day thus far and what is to come. They drink wine, they talk loudly and throw their hands in the air with all the gestures Italians are so well known for. Then with bellies full of food and wine they retire to their beds for the daily siesta!
That’s right, Siesta! Six days a week Italians crawl into their beds in the middle of the day for an hours nap, escaping the heat of the day. To rejuvenate from their hard few hours of ‘work’ from the morning of that day! And of course, Sunday is the day of rest, when absolutely nothing is open except the churches! No petrol station, post office, bank, supermarket, newsagent or bakery stays open for the hours of siesta. It is so engrained in the Italian way of living that literally the country closes down from 1pm to roughly 3-4pm each day.
You ask how does a country get anything down with a lifestyle such as this? Well I asked the same question, but believe it or not, Italy actually functions perfectly well on this course of daily life. During summer as the heat of the day begins to reseed the shops begin to reopen and daily working life resumes until roughly 7-8pm in the evening. Italians prefer to be able to go home to their families, sit and enjoy the most important meal of the day together, have a nap and then work longer into the evenings.
And it’s with great pleasure that I have been able to embrace this most of indulgent of lifestyles. I too retire to bed for the hours of siesta. With the heat of the Tuscan summer days reaching a point of unbearability (pretty sure I just invented a new word!). Following lunch, filled to the brim with delicious pasta all of us at the Villa traipse off to our beds and with the fan whirling in the corner of the room, we lay our bodies down, escaping the heat of the day by sleeping. Bliss!
