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Long life

The word ‘holiday’ has become a political taboo

Call it a 'break'. A 'period of repose'. Anything but hint you're having fun

16 August 2014

9:00 AM

16 August 2014

9:00 AM

It’s August in Tuscany, and the market towns are eerily quiet, presumably because most of their inhabitants are off on their summer holidays by the sea, in the mountains, or wherever. But there also seem to be fewer foreigners about than usual. Maybe they are lurking somewhere — in Florence or Siena probably — but what I do know is that there are no foreign political leaders spending their holidays in Italy this year.

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