It’s one o’clock, businesses are closed, schools are closed, and everybody goes home for lunch. In the Mediterranean basin, life stops from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm every day. The main purpose of those four hours of pause is to have lunch with the family. After lunch, people have different activities, take a nap, read, talk on the phone, do house chores, help kids with homework, go out to exercise and many others. At 4:00 pm, all the businesses start again until the evening at 8:00 pm. This is the Mediterranean life, summer and winter.
The balcony above a business, as in my photo, often says the owner of the business lives above. In the Middle Age, it was a custom to live above the business to care for the family easier without having to walk or take the carriage to go home. Today, in Europe, the same work/living arrangement is still valid, unfortunately, there are only a few examples left.
The shutters of the French door on the balcony are real, meaning they have a real function, versus the decorative types I often see on houses in America. In the Summertime, the shutters are kept closed to let the fresh air in through the slats and keep out the ferocious sun. Behind the shutters, inside, the glass panels are always open.
If you are visiting Italy, make sure you eat during the hours Italians eat. Restaurants are closed for a good part of the day, as Italians love to eat under the moon and not under the sun. Lunch in restaurants is served between 12:00 and 2:00 pm, and dinner doesn’t start until 8:00 in the evening until the smallest hours of the night. In some areas on the coasts, restaurants have a full house even at 3:00-4:00 am.
I am happy to participate in the Thursday Door Challenge organized by Dan Antion, I am learning so much about doors in the world.
Ciao.
Valentina
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Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking and travel.
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Valentina Expressions 
May 30, 2022 @ 17:55:00
Hi VAlentina, we should definitely have this system here in South Africa. It is so hot during the middle hours of the day, it is almost impossible to work, but no such luck. We just have to do our best. I am really enjoying your posts.
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May 30, 2022 @ 20:49:05
Hi Robbie, to people not used to that system, it seems a lot of wasted time, but in reality the rest in the middle of the day is very beneficial to the human condition. Thanks for the visit.
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May 31, 2022 @ 15:37:23
I agree, it is 🌷
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May 30, 2022 @ 16:09:27
Cheers to the Mediterranean lifestyle!
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May 30, 2022 @ 20:45:27
I say cheers to that too!
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May 27, 2022 @ 18:24:03
I love that door and balcony.
It might take some getting used to, but i think I would like the Mediterranean lifestyle. The hardest part would be eating so late. As far as operable shutters, we only see them over here on historic houses. It’s a shame because they still do serve a necessarily function, while looking much better than the plastic ones.
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May 28, 2022 @ 05:46:58
In the heat of the summer it is not easy to work in the middle of the day, that’s the reason everything close and people go home, the streets are deserted and only tourists are around, trying to find something to do. It was a big adjustment for me when I moved to the US, I had to adapt to a fast life and to the non-stop work system. Humans adjust to any life condition.
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