When they told me you could play football in the streets of Milan during the month of August, they weren’t joking! I had been asked the standard question, “where are you going for August?” Fortunately, I had already made plans for Ischia and Ireland during the month.

The Italians are serious about their month-long vacations at the peak of summer heat. Those I know have left for France, Spain, Poland, Tunisia… anywhere but here! Around town, the only faces are of immigrants, tourists and, I guess, those rare Italians that have no other place to go. I’ve never seen so much parking available on the street, and probably won’t again for another year.

This month of August, I’ve got to assume that a business is closed. Most are sealed tight with their graffitied, roll-down doors posted with the sign “Chiuso per Ferie” – Closed for Vacation – and the date they’ll return. Closure is a given. Those that remain open advertise loudly that they are, but they retain a skeleton staff and few patrons. Hardly a soul to talk to, except the Kenyan woman behind the meat counter at the grocery store, and the little old lady in the produce department that I had a nice conversation with.

I had been buying my bottled water a half block away at the corner carry-out. Well, they’re spending a nice vacation somewhere, so now I carry my bottled water 4 blocks and buy it two liters at a time instead of 6. It gets heavy, but I can walk down the middle of the street while I do it.

The country’s big newspaper, Corriere della Serra, ran a “photo of the day” showing the wide-open, empty streets of Milan.