Mid-August, 54% decided not to stay at home

Along the peninsula the tradition of the picnic returns with about 4.5 million Italians who among family or friends have chosen to spend the day of August in the open air with grills or dishes brought from home to avoid the risk of gatherings in compliance with the measures imposed by the coronavirus emergency: this is what emerges from the Coldiretti / Ixè survey which shows that more than one in two Italians (54%) chose to move and did not stay home for August 15th and decided to travel to reach relatives and friends to go on holiday to the sea, in the countryside and in the mountains or to take a simple trip out of town.
    For 20% of citizens, August 15th - explains Coldiretti - is instead a day like any other, perhaps to go to work to make up for the time lost with the lockdown, and another 26% stayed home to rest. Due to the measures on social distancing, attendance at public events such as concerts or festivals that have been canceled almost everywhere has been practically eliminated.
    For the summer New Year the beach - adds Coldiretti - remains the favorite destination, but the mountains and tourism in the vicinity are growing with the rediscovery of small villages and minor centers in the Italian countryside, as an alternative to the most popular tourist destinations, while they collapse presences in cities also due to the absence of foreigners. On the contrary, the leap in cases of contagion in the most popular foreign destinations and the measures announced by the Government and Regions for return checks have changed the programs of many Italians ready to cross the borders for the holidays with a decisive autarchic turn and the boom of last minute requests in restaurants, pizzerias, trattorias or farmhouses on the national territory. In fact, there are about 400 thousand vacationers who have chosen to spend the 15th August 2020 on a farm in the name of good food and relaxation in the open air but also of safety, given that the countryside are the places where it is easier to ensure compliance with the measures security to defend against contagion outside the home. This is according to Coldiretti's elaborations on the data of Terranostra and Campagna Amica, from which it is highlighted, however, that the absence of foreigners, starting with the Americans, weighs heavily, especially in those regions where the presence of foreign guests can weigh up to 60% of the total. What makes the choice of farm holidays over other forms of catering is certainly - finally underlines the organization of agricultural entrepreneurs - the fact that in the countryside it is easier to ensure compliance with safety measures to defend against contagion outside the home.