Shopping/museums

Charmaine, museums and tourists sites do not close in August ,, ( just their normal days to close) .. there are almost no closures that would affect a tourist. Some small family run shops may close down for holidays, but seriously this is not likely to affect most people.. there are plenty still open, same with some small family run restaurants. Going in August you really should not worry about shopping and museums closing, but about crushing heat. Make sure your hotels have a/c

We have traveled to Italy 25 times but never in August.

Every museum website I've browsed in advance of my own August trip to Europe indicates that the only time they'll be closed is on the normal weekly closed day, usually either Monday or Tuesday, or if there's some major renovation going on. I do expect some smaller stores, shops and restaurants to be closed as well. Just plan on it; especially in France, it's a tradition.

Pay extra attention around the August 15th holiday. Many family owned businesses will close for several days around that time (in the cities, not tourist areas like Lake Como). Some sites might close on that actual day, but not for the whole weekend. The Italian tourists need to go someplace, too!

"Europe goes on holiday" pretty much means that there will be lots of French, German and other European tourists wherever you are and the resort destinations (beaches, lakes, etc.) will be filled with Italian tourists as well.

I was in Milan during the last week of August 2012 for a conference. I rented an apartment in a very residential neighbourhood. Most of the shops and restaurants in the neighbourhood were closed until after the first weekend in September. The chain grocery store was open as was the corner store and a couple of the restaurants. The fishmonger was closed for the month. I think if you are in a tourist attraction area you will be fine, but if you go off the beaten path or are in a non tourist residential area, things may be closed up.