The peak of Italian summer arrives in mid-August surrounding the national summer holiday of Ferragosto on August 15th. Ferragosto has ancient Roman and Catholic roots, but today it's mostly known as the practically sacred time to be on vacation.

In the days leading up to the holiday, when trying to do anything that's not urgent, whether at work or the post office, you'll probably get the response: "Ne riparliamo a settembre" ('We'll talk about it in September').

Italian cities become ghost towns as everyone flocks to the beach – especially to escape the weekend's expected temperatures of 40°C – or gathers with friends and family for barbecues (grigliate) and picnics.

Most of the country is chiuso per ferie (closed for the holidays) on Ferragosto, shutting down to the most minimal level of operations. 

Here's what services you can expect to be impacted by the Ferragosto holiday this year.

Closed: Doctors' offices, banks, post offices, most shops

As is the norm for national public holidays, offices in both the public and private sectors (including banks, post offices, town hall desks and tax assistance centres) will be closed for Ferragosto.

The fact that the holiday falls on a Saturday this year means you can expect less disruption than usual, as most public administration services are already closed on weekends.

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That's the case for doctors' offices, which will be closed as usual. Emergency healthcare of course continues through the summer: ambulances are available, and hospital emergency departments (pronto soccorso) are open to walk-ins.

The majority of shops and boutiques will be closed on Ferragosto (and the following days), with a chiuso per ferie sign that indicates their reopening date.

Limited openings: Regional and local transport, pharmacies, supermarkets, restaurants and bars

Most local and regional public transport companies in the country will operate on a reduced timetable (orari festivi) on Ferragosto, with services likely to vary significantly by region and city.

If you’re planning on travelling on Ferragosto you should check the timetable of the transport operator wherever you are. These schedules can usually be found on the transport company's website or app.

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You'll also need to plan ahead to stock up on groceries. Many supermarket chains around the country will have limited opening hours on Saturday, such as closing in the early afternoon. Most mini-markets will remain completely closed.

As for dining out or having a coffee at the bar, whether a restaurant or cafe is open on Ferragosto can be hit-or-miss.

Most but not all establishments in tourist centres and holiday towns will remain open, or open at least for lunch, sometimes with special Ferragosto menus. However many places in the suburbs or smaller towns will remain closed.

You generally can't rely on restaurants' Google Maps listings to be updated with holiday hours or closures – you'll need to check whether there's a 'chuiso per ferie' sign posted on the door.

Should you need to buy medicines or pick up a prescription, pharmacies in Italy operate a rota system during national holidays to ensure that at least one is open in each area. To find the nearest one, Google farmacia di turno plus the name of the municipality (comune) you're in.

Open: Most tourist attractions, long-distance and interregional trains, air travel

State-run museums, galleries, archaeological sites and villas will be open to the public on August 15th. Privately run museums and galleries may be closed on the day – notably this includes the Vatican Museums, which are closed on both Friday and Saturday.

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Unlike local public transport, most interregional and long-distance high-speed trains will run as normal on Ferragosto. However it's worth noting that there are frequent rail disruptions in the summer months due to planned infrastructure works.

You should also expect that trains to popular holiday destinations will likely be more crowded than usual, which is why it's best to book tickets in advance.

As for air travel, flights shouldn’t be directly affected, but minor delays in ground operations, such as check-in and baggage collection services, are not unheard of on public holidays in Italy due to staff shortages.

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Besides closed shops and reduced public transport services, you can expect heavy traffic in the days around the holiday as thousands of people travel to and from their destinations.