Late at night in Policastro in Campania
From our editorial team
Italy is more than just a place. Especially in summer, it becomes a way of life - with its own rhythm, its own rules and quite a lot of ice cream.
If you fit in a little, you won't just experience a holiday, but a real Italian summer. Here's a little guide to everything that goes with it:
1. the siesta is sacred - anything else would be too hot
Between 1 and 4 pm, the pace slows down: shops close, conversations fall silent, the streets doze in the heat. If you're working then, you're doing something wrong. Anyone jogging then is usually German or American. Especially on the classic family beaches and in the south, Italians retreat from the beach at lunchtime - perhaps for a small lunch, then a siesta.
2. nothing works without Caffè freddo
The summer coffee par excellence: strong, cold, sweet - served in tiny glasses or artfully frothed. No iced coffee with cream, no syrup drama. Just Espressoice and chilled caffeine.
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3. the passeggiata is not a walk - it is a social ritual
At eight in the evening, the whole Village off. You show yourself. You show that you are showing yourself. You walk slowly, speak loudly and please don't wear flip-flops. At the end of the evening, you know what the talk of the town is.
4. gelato as a bedtime snack
When other countries are asleep, Italians queue outside the ice cream parlour. Towards midnight, it gets really crowded here: toddlers, teenagers, couples and senior citizens all indulge in the cool treat late at night. Gelato belongs to the summer evening like the heat belongs to the day - light, sweet, loud and lively.
5. swimsuits are part of everyday life - but never at the aperitivo
You can go shopping in flip-flops during the day, yes. But as soon as it gets dark, casualness comes to an end: Now comes the shirt, dress, lipstick, perfume. Even if it's still 32 degrees.
6. fan instead of air conditioning
Air conditioning is loud, quite expensive given the current electricity prices in Italy and also dangerous, at least as far as the "colpo d'aria", the dreaded draught, is concerned. The fan, on the other hand, is a faithful companion. It sits next to your bed, spins wearily - and saves you the night.
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7. beach is tradition
You sit in the same row, next to the same people, with the same cool box as last year. Strangers are tolerated, but not stared at - unless they come with a towel and no umbrella. (And if you want to know what Italians do on the beach, you should read on here.)
8. tomato heaven
In oil, on bread, with Mozzarellaraw from the market. If you're in Italy in summer, you're in tomato heaven. The full fruit experience when you bite into them. Juicy, sweet, warm from the sun - as if August itself had taken on a flavour.
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9. the heat is accepted - not commented on
Nobody talks about the weather all the time. It's hot, yes. But that doesn't mean you do less - you just do it more slowly. And with more ice cubes.
10 Life happens outside - even at night
Piazza, balcony, bar - as long as it's not indoors. Children are still cycling at 11 pm, Nonni tell stories, the Aperol goes into its third round. Sleep is caught up on during the day at siesta time.
