Italians enjoy the traditional Ferragosto holiday

Italy celebrates "Ferragosto" this Friday (15), the main holiday of the country's high summer season. While many seek the coast, where thousands flock to the beaches, others prefer the milder climate of the mountains, which attract visitors by offering cultural programming.

In the southern Belpaese, where temperatures range from 28°C to 37°C in Sicily, crowds took over the beaches of Mondello, Capo d'Orlando, San Vito Lo Capo, Menfi, Marina di Modica and Catania, leaving other Sicilian cities empty.

Those who couldn't travel sought refreshment in local bars.

On the famous islands of Ischia and Procida, in the Campania region, police have been trying to maintain local security since yesterday by reinforcing controls on their beaches, bars and restaurants.

In Naples, the capital of Campania, the city's tourism secretary, Teresa Armato, greeted tourists at one of the city's most iconic spots, the Gran Caffè Gambrinus.

In central Lazio, despite the overcast sky, Romans insisted on repeating their traditional Ferragosto holiday on the beaches of Ostia, Fiumicino, Fregene, and Maccarese. Many families arrived early to secure a beach umbrella at these spots, which are usually packed on this day.

In the north of the country, around 15,000 people gathered today in the Piedmontese mountains, in Alpet Balma, to attend the traditional Ferragosto symphony concert, a symbolic event of the Piedmontese summer. The Bartolomeo Bruni Orchestra from Cuneo, conducted by maestro Andrea Oddone, presented a program entirely dedicated to the scores of American composer John Williams, famous for his musical creations in films such as "Superman," "Harry Potter," and "Schindler's List," as well as the "Star Wars" saga.