Why are Italians Always on Vacation?

It's not a joke. Really, why do we always seem to be taking extended breaks and vacations? In Italy, in addition to weekends, stores are closed at least one other arbitrary weekday and most even close up after lunch on Thursdays. And the whole country usually takes the entire month of August off. I mean if it wasn't for the French, we might seem  p r e t t y  lazy. 

Anyway, needless to say, I'm going on vacation tomorrow. Be back next week. In the meantime, order some nifty shirts from my unofficial store. Ci vediamo presto.