We're locked into Italy the last two weeks of August--meaningful date and all that. I read that all of Italy takes vacation after Annuciation Day. What does that mean? We'll be in Florence, Chianti farmhouse and then Rome. Will we experience larger or smaller crowds in the cities? In the country? Any special tip? Thanks.

The Italian vacation period tends to center around Ferragosto (August 15). Some businesses are closed during the entire month of August, other are closed during some part of August (August 1 to August 20 or August 5 to August 30), and some are not closed at all. Italians head for the beach or the mountains, not to the cities; hence, the cities are more sedate during that period and there are fewer Italians and more foreign tourists (less so during the last week of August). Don't panic, there will still be a good variety of stores, restaurants, etc. open and virtually all sites and attractions will be open. Obviously, it will be hot.