Summer is just around the corner, and no one does it quite like the Italians. From sunset strolls and unhurried lunches to linen that moves with the breeze and cocktails that stretch into the evening, they’ve mastered the art of living well in the heat.
It’s less about where you are, and more about how you move through the season. A slower pace, a sharper eye for beauty, a willingness to linger just a little longer.
In this guide, you’ll find effortless ways to channel that Italian summer state of mind, wherever you are. Think: sipping wine along the cliffs of Positano, wandering sun-warmed streets in Milan, or ending the day
Living the Italian Summer: Everyday Rituals to Steal
La Pausa Pranzo
In the height of summer, lunch is less a meal and more a ritual. Italians linger over simple, seasonal dishes, stretching the midday break into something unhurried and restorative. In smaller towns especially, this often gives way to a short rest, riposo, a gentle pause that mirrors the Spanish siesta and honors the rhythm of the heat.
Late Summer Evenings
With the Mediterranean sun lingering well into the evening, the day shifts later. It’s not unusual for people to head out around 8:30 or even 10pm, once the air cools and the streets begin to hum again. Dinner, drinks, and social life unfold slowly, well into the night.
The Passeggiata
Perhaps the most iconic Italian ritual, the passeggiata is an evening stroll taken at golden hour. It’s equal parts social and sensory—an excuse to dress up just enough, step outside, and move through your surroundings with intention. No destination, no rush, just conversation, people-watching, and the quiet art of being present.
Windows Open, Life Outside
In summer, the boundary between indoors and out softens. Windows are left open, letting in the evening air along with the sounds of conversation, clinking dishes, and music drifting through the streets. It’s a subtle but powerful shift, one that invites a sense of community and connection, even from inside your own home.
Aperitivo, Always
Early evening belongs to aperitivo, a pre-dinner ritual of light drinks and small bites, typically enjoyed between 7 and 9pm. It’s less about the drink itself and more about the pause it creates: a moment to gather, unwind, and ease into the night ahead.
The Alterre Styles That Define an Italian Summer
Cognac Bell Sandal + Jackie Strap
This is the pair that feels like it belongs to summer in Italy. The kind you slip on in the morning before heading out for a cappuccino, knowing you’ll still be wearing them hours later as the sun starts to set. They carry you through quiet streets, down to the water, into little cafés you didn’t plan to find. Effortless, unfussy, and perfectly suited to a day that unfolds slowly.
Black Point Sandal + Marilyn Strap
Evenings in Italy have their own rhythm, unhurried, a little dressed up, but never overdone. This is what I imagine wearing to dinner when the sky turns that soft golden color and you’re not quite sure how long the night will last. Something that feels polished enough for a long table and a glass of wine, but comfortable enough for the walk there and back along cobblestone streets.
White V Mule + Marilyn Strap
There’s a certain kind of summer day in Italy where you leave in the morning and don’t come back until much later, wandering through markets, stopping into shops, lingering in museums just to cool off, then continuing on without a real plan. This is the shoe for that kind of day. The kind where comfort matters, but you still want to feel put together in a quiet, effortless way.
Brown Snake Point Slide + Twiggy Strap
These feel like the slower, softer moments, walking through a sunlit piazza, stopping for a gelato, or heading down to the water with no real agenda. They’re easy in the best way, the kind of shoe you barely notice you’re wearing. In Italy, where so much of summer is about simplicity, this kind of ease feels exactly right.
Gold Lo Platform + Marilyn Strap
And then there are the nights that feel a little cinematic. Getting ready with the windows open, music playing somewhere in the background, the air still warm. This is the pair for those moments, when you’re heading out without a strict plan, maybe for dinner, maybe for dancing, maybe just to see where the night takes you. A little more playful, a little more bold, made for the kind of summer nights you wish you could bottle up.
What to Watch: Italian Summer on Screen
Call Me By Your Name
There’s something about this film that lingers long after it ends. The light, the stillness, the quiet intensity of a summer that changes everything. Set in Northern Italy in the 1980s, it follows a coming-of-age love story that feels both deeply personal and universally nostalgic. It’s slow, sensual, and sun-drenched in a way that makes you want to open the windows, let the air in, and stay there for a while.
The Talented Mr. Ripley
This one carries a different kind of summer energy, glamorous, intoxicating, and just slightly unsettling. Set along the southern Italian coast, it captures that feeling of long, endless days by the water, where everything looks beautiful on the surface. There’s tension beneath it all, but the setting—the villas, the sea, the effortless style—makes it impossible not to get pulled in.
Under the Tuscan Sun
If you’re craving pure escapism, this is the one. It’s warm, romantic, and full of that idea that a place can change you. Set in the Tuscan countryside, it follows a woman rebuilding her life in a crumbling villa, surrounded by golden light, fresh food, and unexpected connection. It’s less about plot and more about feeling, an invitation to start again, somewhere beautiful.
La Dolce Vita
An iconic portrait of Rome that feels as indulgent as a summer night that never quite ends. The film follows a journalist drifting through the city’s social scene, parties, encounters, and fleeting moments, capturing both the glamour and the emptiness beneath it. It’s decadent, a little chaotic, and entirely transportive.
Summertime
A more modern take on Italian summer, set along the Adriatic coast. It follows a young romance unfolding against sunlit beaches and small seaside towns, capturing that specific kind of intensity that only exists in summer, when everything feels heightened, fleeting, and just a little bit uncertain.
Soundtrack to an Italian Summer
Andrea Bocelli: Con Te Partirò, Besame Mucho & Vivo Per Lei
Mina: Parole Parole, Se Telefonando & Grande Grande Grande
Lucio Dalla: Caruso, Luna Matana & Attenti al Lupo
Zucchero: Baila, Senza una Donna & Diamante
Paolo Conte: Via con Me, Sotto le Stelle del Jazz & Max
Craving a little more European summer inspiration? Our European Summer Pinterest board is packed with sun-soaked vibes, effortless style, and the Alterre looks you’ll want for every golden-hour moment this season.
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