Learning the Meaning of “Fare il Ponte”

| Sat, 04/26/2014 - 03:00
Ponte Vecchio

Fare il ponte is an Italian expression which literally means 'to make a bridge'. However, it has nothing to do with builders and engineers! It is used to express time off which you take in relation to a public holiday when this holiday is close to a weekend or another public holiday.

For example, May 1 is a public holiday in Italy, la Festa dei lavoratori (Workers' Day or Labor Day). In 2014, it falls on a Thursday, so people could decide to use their annual leave and take Friday and Saturday (for many Italians, Saturday is a workday) off — a prime example of il ponte.

Italians often use a ponte to go out with friends and family or to travel for the weekend.