Ponte, Bridge days
Italy - No, we're not talking about the card game, or any of the famous Italian bridges such as the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, or even Ponte Sisto (right) or Ponte St. Angelo in Rome (below). As mentioned, yesterday was the legal holiday Tutti i Santi (also Ognissanti), and tomorrow starts the weekend. So when speaking of Ponte we're actually talking about today, the "bridge-day" from a legal holiday to a weekend.
People plan their entire work year around the ponti and how they fall. School kids have today off, but theoretically everyone else should be back at work . . . theoretically. What il ponte actually means is that the majority of Italians have taken a day off from work or called in sick to make an extra-long 4 day weekend. Or, if they are really into getting away, have also taken the first three days of the week off, so together with 4 days off of the ponte week-end they manage to carve out a whopping 9 day double ponte holiday. It's a bit of a problem to get anything done today . . . "No, Sig.So-and-so isn't in the office, sorry," or a
sign out front since wednesday evening, "Thanks for coming by. Your clothes are clean so come pick them up Monday." Good for them and the ponte I say, as most people are probably with family having a grand time at their country house, visiting relatives, off to Sardegna or some other interesting part of Italy, etc.