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.
