sentence1: Vacations were spent by the sea or in the mountains; people listened to soothing operas like Puccini's La Bohyme and Madame Butterfly; the first silent-movies of The Last Days of Pompeii and Quo Vadis were made; one could partake in intellectual conversations in open air caf??s at the hour of the passeggiata.
sentence2: People could take part in intellectual discussions in open air cafes.