On the Riviera di Ponente, sandwiched(夹在……之间) between the glitzy(光鲜亮丽的，浮华的) resort towns of the Ligurian coast, sits the Albenga plain. Dotted with campsites and bungalows(平房，小屋), the area developed during Italy’s postwar boom as an affordable refuge(避难所，庇护所) for workers to escape the smog(烟雾，雾霾) of nearby industrial cities like Turin and Milan. While much of the surrounding coast is now given over to(被用于，被转作……用途) boutique(精品店，小型的) lidos(海滨浴场，露天游泳池), this corner of the riviera is still a place where families gather in the shade of eucalyptus(桉树) trees to play cards, share picnics and nap through the afternoon heat to the chorus of(伴随着……的齐鸣) cicadas(蝉). These are the stubborn(顽固的，执着的) devotees(爱好者，信徒) of villeggiatura(意大利传统夏季长假): Italy’s mythic, month-long summer break.
在利古里亚海岸的里维埃拉迪蓬嫩特，夹在光鲜亮丽的度假城镇之间，坐落着阿尔本加平原。这里遍布露营地和平房，在意大利战后繁荣时期发展起来，成为工人们逃离都灵和米兰等附近工业城市烟雾的可负担的避难所。虽然周边海岸的大部分现在已变成精品海滨浴场，但里维埃拉的这一角仍然是家庭聚集的地方，他们在桉树荫下打牌、分享野餐，并在蝉鸣声中度过午后的炎热。这些人是“villeggiatura”的忠实信徒：意大利神话般的、长达一个月的夏季假期。
The origins of villeggiatura go back to the Renaissance, when nobles would leave their urban palazzos(宫殿，豪华住宅) for gilded(镀金的，富有的) countryside villas in the hills, for weeks at a time. During the 20th century, however, middle- and working-class Italians made their own claim on(对……提出自己的主张) it, transforming an aristocratic(贵族的) privilege into a mass ritual(仪式，惯例). By the 1960s, millions of Italians had come to consider a long summer break a fundamental right, spending holidays in ancestral(祖先的，祖传的) villages, seaside campsites, or even company-sponsored holiday resorts. It was the era immortalised(使不朽，使永存) in Gino Paoli’s 1963 jukebox(自动点唱机) hit Sapore di Sale (The Taste of Salt), which celebrates “lazy days passing by” at the beach, dreaming “of a different world” beyond the factory and office.
villeggiatura 的起源可以追溯到文艺复兴时期，当时贵族们会离开城市宫殿，前往山间镀金的乡村别墅，一次待上数周。然而，在20世纪，中产阶级和工人阶级的意大利人提出了自己的主张，将贵族的特权转变为大众的仪式。到20世纪60年代，数百万意大利人已将漫长的夏季假期视为一项基本权利，他们在祖辈的村庄、海滨露营地，甚至公司赞助的度假胜地度过假期。吉诺·保利1963年的点唱机热门歌曲《Sapore di Sale》（《盐的味道》）使那个时代永垂不朽，这首歌歌颂了海滩上“慵懒的日子流逝”，梦想着“一个不同的世界”，超越工厂和办公室。
There is something undeniably(不可否认地) nostalgic about this picture-postcard(如明信片般美丽的) image, but the politics that made it possible are worth reflecting on, not least(尤其是，特别) in contrast with our own overworked(过度劳累的) age. Italy’s enviable(令人羡慕的) leisure culture did not emerge from nowhere(凭空出现). It was the once-powerful trade unions that fought for this right, securing Italian workers some of the longest protected holidays in Europe. The forces of capital were forced to adapt. Firms like Fiat and Olivetti(意大利著名企业) didn’t just shut down for most of August; they actively encouraged their employees to decamp(离开，撤营) for the summer, funding mountain retreats(静居处，疗养地) and seaside colonie for workers and their children. Even the state helped bankroll(资助，提供资金) the long pause, offering low-cost train tickets and supporting budget holiday programmes to enable families of all classes to participate.
这种如画般的景象无疑令人怀旧，但使之成为可能的政治因素值得反思，尤其是与我们这个过度劳累的时代相比。意大利令人羡慕的休闲文化并非凭空出现。正是曾经强大的工会为这一权利而斗争，为意大利工人争取到了欧洲最长的一些受保护的假期。资本的力量被迫适应。菲亚特和奥利维蒂等公司不仅在八月的大部分时间停工；他们还积极鼓励员工夏季离开，为工人及其子女提供山区度假胜地和海滨“colonie”的资金支持。甚至国家也帮助资助这一长假，提供低价火车票，并支持经济型度假项目，使各阶层的家庭都能参与。