A beach without stifling heat, set among forests and peaks, really does exist. In many cases, it’s just a few hours by car, with clear water to dive into and meadows where you can stretch out in the shade. The new “cool” summer destinations aren’t by the sea but at altitude: Alpine lakes and valleys with proper lidos, equipped or completely natural, suited to swimming, picnics and sport.

If you're buying or owning property in Italy, it's important to understand the taxes that come with ownership.

Can a small cup of coffee change the fate of a borgo, a historic village? In Sardinia, three young women have turned an everyday gesture into a collective invitation to put down roots again in places many had stopped believing in.

There’s a stretch of Sardinian coastline where the sea laps at a very long beach and, even in high season, it never feels cramped.

Temperatures soar, the tarmac shimmers and the buildings glare in the sun.

Only 2.7% of people in employment in Italy worked mainly from home in 2025.

Rising prices are affecting almost every area of daily life, yet summer holidays 2026 are not being cancelled. They are being recalculated. People are still travelling, but trips are shorter, and spending is more deliberate.

One Italian beach opens up between the rocks, sheltered by a natural arch around 50 metres long, and protects a lagoon barely 25 metres across that feels almost unreal. Located in San Nicola Arcella, it's one of the emblematic spots along the Riviera dei Cedri. Every year, thousands of people seek out this stretch of coastline shaped by marine erosion, yet few realise that access is regulated, paid, and time-limited.

In the hills of Fraginesi, this beautifully restored Sicilian masseria sits within 2,500 m² of private Mediterranean gardens, just a kilometre from the sea.

An archipelago town where sunsets set the Adriatic glowing, yet without the pressure of mass tourism.