The word Ferragosto derives from the “ feriae Augusti ”, The rest of August , a pagan holiday decided by the Roman emperor Octavian Augustus in 18 BC and which was partly based on Consualia , the ancient festivals of the Roman religion dedicated to Conso , the god of granaries and fertility. These festivities were celebrated during the harvest period and the end of agricultural work.
The August 15th therefore had the purpose of putting together a certain number of days of rest to allow those who had worked in the fields to recover their energy. These days of rest were accompanied by feasts and celebrations.
These celebrations were originally celebrated in September at the end of the summer cycle, but it was precisely Emperor Augustus who moved them to the 1st of the month which bears his name. But the days of rest and celebration lasted a long time, even the whole month, with day 13 in particular dedicated to the goddess Diana .
These festivities were now so deeply rooted that the Church decided to Christianize them rather than trying to eradicate them. Thus, in the 6th century, the Feriae Augusti they were absorbed and transformed into the celebration of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into heaven who, at the end of her earthly life, was raised to celestial glory with her soul and body (on November 1, 1950, Pius XII proclaimed the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into Heaven as a dogma of faith). In this regard, impressive religious processions take place in various Italian locations.
The Fascism in the twenties it established the so-called Popular Trains of Ferragosto , a sort of last minute with blocked dates: the offer was valid only from 13 to 15 in August and in two formulas, the day trip (50-100 km) and that of three days (200 km maximum) . Organized together with after-work associations, given the low prices for the less well-off classes it was the first opportunity to go to the beach, to the mountains or to a nearby town.