Beating Italy's Summertime Heat

How to stay cool when vacationing in Italy + a summertime playlist + summer party appetizers

Che caldo! Summers in Italy are hot and getting hotter.

The Italian health ministry issued a bollino arancione (amber alert) this weekend for extreme heat in 17 cities, including Rome and Florence. Temperatures are expected to reach 35°C / 95°F in Rome and 40°C/104°F or warmer in southern Italy and Sicily.

The best way to beat the summertime heat in Italy is to not go at all. Instead, schedule your travel for shoulder season or even the off-season, when flights and hotels are cheaper and there are fewer crowds.

We know that doesn’t work for everyone, though. If summer travel is your only option, here are a few tips to stay cool and enjoy your trip:

Wake up early & stay up late

Italian cities are beautifully cool and quiet in the early morning and come to life again after dusk during the summer months. Retreat to your hotel room or vacation rental during the hottest hours of the day to rest and relax.

Explore indoors

Schedule your indoor museum tours for the hottest time of the day. Just be sure to take advantage of “skip the line” offers so that you are not standing in long lines under the beating sun.

Go underground

Rome, Florence, Naples, Milan, Turin, and many other Italian cities offer tours of catacombs, crypts, and secret underground passageways. It’s a fascinating way to learn a city’s hidden history while avoiding the sun and staying cool.

Take night tours

Enjoy Italian cities and their monuments at night. We took a Colosseum at Night tour when we were in Rome recently, after regular admission was closed, and had the entire underground and arena floor to ourselves. It was simply stunning.

Pop into a church

Italian cities are bursting with churches, cathedrals and basilicas. Most of them are free, and they are wonderfully dark and cool. In some you can even admire amazing paintings, such as Rome’s Basilica of Sant’Agostino, the Church of San Luigi dei Francesi and the Basilica of Santa Maria Di Popolo, all of which have Caravaggio’s inside.

Stop at a fountain

Italian cities are also known for their beautiful public fountains, and in Rome, nasoni, small fountains with a spout, are located throughout the city. Bring a water bottle with you and fill it up whenever you come across one. Use it to stay hydrated and splash some water on your face and neck. Please do not get into the fountains, though, not even to dangle your feet. You will be fined and possibly arrested. It is culturally offensive and also illegal to bathe in Italian fountains.

Rome's nasoni. To drink from them correctly, don't put your mouth by the spout. Rather, use your finger to plug the end of the spout. The water will shoot out of a hole on the spout so that you can drink as you would from a drinking fountain.

We won’t be in Italy this summer. We’re content to stay here in Minneapolis, enjoying our relatively cool summer. We will travel to Italy in the fall. That doesn't stop us from putting on our favorite Italian summertime tunes from the 60s, 70s, and 80s, though, especially when we are driving around in Stefano’s ‘89 Alfa Romeo Spider.

The Spider, affectionately called duetto because it is a two-seater, has one of those old-school stereos with a face that pops out so that no one will steal it. We found a fun little Bluetooth gadget that plugs into the cigarette lighter, connects to our phones, and transmits a signal to the car stereo, so we ride around town listening to classic Italian hits.

Here’s a playlist of some of our favorite Italian summer hits. Check it out the next time you need a new playlist to groove to. If you are an Italian music fan, drop a comment and let us know if we we missed any!

Do you need appetizer ideas? Perhaps you’re invited to a 4th of July party. Maybe you are entertaining friends, or just need a few snacks to put out for the family on weekends. Here are a few ideas for quick, easy and delicious summertime appetizers.

Prosciutto e melone

Prosciutto e melone is one of the easiest, tastiest and prettiest summertime snacks ever. Just slice a ripe melon, drape some prosciutto cotto over it, and voila, an elegant appetizer. If you want, you can wrap individual portions of prosciutto around each spear of melon or cube the melon and skewer it with a bite of prosciutto. We like to keep it simple and just arrange melon and prosciutto on a serving plate.

Pomodorini con tonno

These little cherry tomatoes stuffed with tuna salad are as delicious as they are adorable. Just core the cherry tomatoes and fill them with canned tuna (in olive oil, please!), mayo, capers, salt, and pepper. Coring and filling the tomatoes takes some patience, but the end result is lovely.

Canapé con caviale

If you need something fancier, these caviar canapés are elegant and delectable but as simple as can be to prepare. Just cut thin-sliced white bread into triangles or use a round cookie cutter to make small circles, spread a dollop of crème fraîche on top, and top with a teaspoon of your preferred caviar. If you like, you can add a paper-thin slice of lemon as garnish.

Bruschette al pomodoro

Simple and delicious, bruschette al pomorodo are a classic Italian appetizer, perfect in the summer months when tomatoes are ripe and fresh basil is growing in your garden. If you are bringing them to a party, consider bringing toasted bread and the tomato mixture separately to keep them from getting soggy. People can make their own and nothing will go to waste. Check out this Due Spaghetti newsletter for tips on how to make (and pronounce) bruschette.

---

The Montalcino House

Stay tuned next week for an update on our Montalcino house renovation project - we are finally learning how much this is all going to cost!