Dolce far niente

Delightfully weird Literary self culture psychology

Etymology

Italian, literally "sweet doing nothing," from "dolce" (sweet), "far" (to do), and "niente" (nothing). Long tied to an Italian ideal of unhurried living, it entered English as a ready-made phrase for savored laziness.

noun phrase · /DOHL-cheh far nee-EN-teh/
The sweet, guilt-free pleasure of doing absolutely nothing.
What it names
It elevates idleness into a positive art, naming leisure enjoyed for its own sake rather than as recovery between tasks.
Example
They spent the whole afternoon on the terrace in pure dolce far niente, watching the boats and finishing the wine.
Related idea
Unlike the numb emptiness of ennui, dolce far niente is idleness that feels delicious, not idleness that curdles into boredom.