UK business travellers heading to Rome this weekend face widespread closures, holiday transport timetables and near-deserted streets as Italy stops for Ferragosto, the country’s most important summer holiday, on Saturday 15 August.

The shutdown is far more than a bank holiday. Ferragosto brings the whole country to a halt, with celebrations beginning on the evening of 14 August, and anyone in the capital for work should assume that meetings, restaurants and even pharmacies may be unavailable. With temperatures reaching 38°C this week, the holiday demands careful planning from anyone combining business with an August stay in Italy.

Valentina Telese, Regional Director at tour operator Walks of Italy, describes Ferragosto as “the summer holiday… the sacred middle of August when the whole country stops”. For Italians, she says, it means the sea, lavish food and time with family and friends. In Southern Italy the traditions go further still, taking in gavettoni, or surprise water fights, alongside beach bonfires, late-night singing and midnight swims.

Rome’s annual disappearing act

On 15 August, “Rome performs a magic trick… it empties,” Telese says. Many trattorias and family-run shops close for the day, and in some cases the whole week, as locals head for the coast. The upside for visitors is the chance to see the Colosseum and Trevi Fountain without the usual crowds. The downside is merciless heat, shuttered restaurants and public transport running to holiday schedules.

Diana Simon, Partnerships Manager at Walks of Italy, adds that neighbourhoods outside the historic centre become “very quiet”, with many shops and restaurants closed, although tourist-focused venues in central Rome generally remain open provided visitors check ahead. For business travellers in Rome, that means confirming every booking in advance, from client dinners to airport transfers, rather than trusting that somewhere nearby will be open.

Do not assume anything is open

The biggest mistake, Telese warns, is assuming Italy will be open for business. “Don’t plan anything that depends on Italy being open – no big shopping, no ‘we’ll find somewhere for lunch,’ no assuming the pharmacy is staffed,” she says. “And don’t be the tourist who complains that everything’s closed. It’s closed on purpose.”

Simon also cautions against ambitious sightseeing in the heat, recommending that visitors combine outdoor plans with indoor activities and check opening times before setting out. Travellers should also review the latest Foreign Office advice for travelling to Italy and the current gov.uk guidance for Italy before departure, particularly around carrying identification, which is a legal requirement in the country.

How to join in like a local

For those with a free evening, or a bleisure day either side of a trip, the holiday can be a highlight rather than a hindrance. Telese advises heading to the coast on the evening of 14 August. “Find a spot near a bonfire, raise a glass with a hearty cin cin, and let the singing carry you toward the traditional midnight swim,” she says. Visitors should brace themselves the following day, however: “No one, tourist or not, is safe from a surprise bucket of water” during gavettoni.

Ferragosto can be magical, chaotic and inconvenient all at once. For UK business travellers who plan ahead, confirm bookings and embrace the spirit of bonfires and midnight swims, it offers something rare: Italy at its most authentic, and a quieter Rome than at almost any other point in the year.