Hard Work?

In a recent article by an Italian journalist Vittorio Zucconi stationed in Washington DC for La Repubblica, the American notion of hard work and the prevailing habit of not taking vacation days has me in a quandry. Are Americans really work-a-holics and do Italians over do it by practically closing down for almost the entire month of August??
This has been something that has had me torn between two worlds since I have been living in Rome while working for Americans (requiring me to work the entire month of August while my husband is off for 2-3 weeks). At first, I did not think much of it. I figured that working while my marito was lying on the beach would not bother me too much. I would meet up with him on the weekends and sometimes take off either Friday or Monday. I'm from Chicago, the "city that works" so I did what I knew best: I worked. But only after seven years, I finally realized what many Italian friends and family members have always said: tutti hanno bisogno delle ferie, specialmente insieme; everyone needs time off together. Zucconi mentions how not taking time off from work can lead to all sorts of physical and psychological problems. Ironically, I was starting to manifest these in Rome! I was a living contradiction: working in August while everyone else was on vacation. Of course, over these ten years I have seen some micro-improvements in attempts at keeping the city open for business: even my local DixDi supermarket is open during August (except for Ferragosto). And there are many shops, cafes and restaurants in the centro storico that don't close.
But let me tell you, the American hard work ethic lives on in me, even though I may be living 6,000 miles away across the ocean. I guess you can take the girl out of Chicago, but you can't take the Chicago out of the girl!

L'Isolotto

This is my little corner of paradise. L'isolotto off the coast of Monte Argentario...This is where I'll be for the next week or so...There is no where else like it. Buon Ferragosto!