I like naps just as much as the next person. Actually,
that’s a lie. I like naps WAY more than normal people. I like naps so much that
my nickname is “Nappy.” True story. Clearly life doesn’t always allow time for
a snooze, but when it does, things are good; I’m a happy camper if I can fit in
a catnap.
So when I moved to Italy and heard they had a siesta-like
approach to afternoons, I was over the moon. In Spain a siesta means, “nap,”
and they take their siesta during the hottest part of the afternoon—between 2
and 4 pm, roughly. The concept is great: You eat lunch, finish running your
errands, then go home to cool off and take a quick nap; you wake up just in
time to start prepping dinner. I fell madly in love with Spain for being in
sync with my nap schedule and couldn’t wait to have a built-in naptime every
day in Italy.
On paper, Italy’s siesta is even better than Spain’s
version. It’s called riposo in
Italian, which means, “rest” in English, and it’s from about noon until aound 4
pm. Riposo is a four-hour break in the middle of the day—every day. Like I said, in theory, that sounds like a fantastic
plan. In reality, it’s horrible, which says something coming from a die-hard
napper.
During that four-hour timeframe almost everything closes. Is
your car running low on gas and you need to fill up? Too bad, the gas stations
are all closed*. Decide to take a “late” lunch or want a snack in the middle of
the afternoon? Should’ve thought about eating before noon since almost all of
the restaurants are closed and they don’t have fast food out here (not a bad
thing, just not convenient when you’re driving around and you can hear your
stomach growl over your car radio). Want to go shopping in the afternoon?
Forget about it. Your errands, clothes, crafts, and groceries will just have to
wait. Between the hours of 12 pm and 4 pm my little bustling city becomes a
ghost town. Of course in the larger (touristy) cities, riposo goes practically
unnoticed, but in rural Italy, it’s pretty routine.
Another quirky aspect of living in Italy is that on top of
closing for a good chunk of the afternoon, each little Italian town usually
closes one or two days a week. Almost everything is closed in my town on
Wednesdays, but the town over is closed on Thursdays. Can you see where this
can get a little frustrating? Oh, but it gets better…
There are exceptions to every rule since each business is in
charge of their own hours. Here’s an example of a store around the corner from
our house.
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At first glance, it may seem confusing, so I’ll break it down for
you in English:
Hours:
Monday: 11 am—2 pm; closed in the afternoon
Tuesday: 11 am—2 pm; 5 pm—10 pm
Wednesday: 11 am—2 pm; 5 pm—10 pm
Thursday: closed all day
Friday: 11 am—2 pm; 5 pm—10 pm
Saturday: 11 am—2 pm; 5 pm—10 pm
Sunday: closed all day
Long story short: riposo sounds
like a wonderful idea, but I miss knowing that a business or restaurant will be
open during “normal” business hours. We’ve been here for just over eight months
and while Italy’s unique way-of-life still annoys me, I’m finally learning how
to take a deep breath and just go with the flow. Luckily, the bar next to me is
one of the few places that’s open all the time (except all day Sunday and
Wednesday afternoons), so if I’m not taking a nap during riposo you’ll most
likely find me becoming one with the Italians. I’ll be the loudmouth American
drinking wine in the corner.
*Since we are here with military orders, we get gas ration
cards that can only be used at certain gas stations. The gas pumps are open
during riposo; however, we have to give our rations to an actual person, so we
can’t fill up until they re-open.
1 comment:
hahahahahaha how I miss riposo! By year two Jess you will be used to it and when you come back to America you will think WHAT the heck was I thinking loving this American way!
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