Lifestyle in Italy

Across Italy, there are dozens of places suited to naturism, with settings that range across sandy dunes and dramatic cliffs above the sea.

Italy in summer has its own rhythm. Cities empty out, beaches fill up, dinners stretch late into the evening and daily life shifts around the heat. Many of the common mistakes tourists make in Italy during peak season aren’t about rudeness.

Planning a trip to Tropea in 2026? This clifftop town on Calabria’s Costa degli Dei blends a characterful old town with some of the clearest water in southern Italy.

Caorle immediately stands out for its historic center of pastel-colored houses overlooking the sea, a unique cylindrical bell tower in Italy, and a waterfront transformed into an open-air art gallery. For summer, this Veneto town also boasts two golden beaches, while its seafood cuisine is also worth considering.

Northern Italy in summer is all glistening lakes, pastel fishing villages, Alpine backdrops and long aperitivo evenings by the water.

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.

Sea, mountains, nature or art cities: Italy remains one of the most varied and rewarding places in Europe for a family holiday.

July sits at the heart of the Italian summer and is traditionally the month packed with open-air events: fireworks over the lagoon, opera under the stars, jazz concerts in medieval alleyways, and a horse race that lasts less than ninety seconds but carries a year’s worth of passion. The journey stretches across the country, taking in Venice, Rome, Naples, Siena, Perugia and Genoa. Here’s what to do in Italy in July 2026.

Just outside Venice, hidden behind a grand villa and formal gardens, lies one of the most intricate historic mazes in Europe. At first glance, it looks orderly and symmetrical.

Planning a short break in Milan in 2026? Italy’s financial and fashion capital is far more layered than its glossy image suggests.

Tibetan bridges might sound like something you would only find in far‑off mountain ranges, yet there are dozens scattered across Italy. These suspended footbridges have become a real draw for anyone who enjoys a dose of adrenaline alongside sweeping views. Walking across one of the most beautiful Tibetan bridges in Italy is more than a simple hike. It is a chance to see dramatic gorges, alpine valleys and forested slopes from a completely different angle.

The world-famous Palio di Siena 2026 will take place on Thursday, 2 July 2026 (Palio della Madonna di Provenzano) and Sunday, 16 August 2026 (Palio dell’Assunta). As always, both races are held in the shell-shaped Piazza del Campo in the heart of Siena, Tuscany.

Italy's white cities are much more than postcards: they are the living story of how entire communities have transformed a practical need into a globally recognizable identity. From Ostuni to the three villages of the Itria Valley, to Sperlonga in Lazio, each destination offers a different balance of history, landscape, and flavor.

An Italian beach has introduced a strict umbrella ban for most adults and capped access at just 150 people at a time. There’s also a €10 entry fee and compulsory booking.

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

Step into this tiny village that feels as though it has slipped out of a fairy tale.

If you’re after a slice of Italy that feels genuinely removed from the usual Rome–Florence–Venice circuit, an island in Sardinia has a certain quiet drama about it. This limestone and granite island rises sharply out of the sea, with a unique flat summit.

Imagine a whole week without notifications, without out-of-hours work messages and without that automatic reflex of reaching for your phone whenever there’s a spare second.

With the arrival of July, many people start packing their suitcases. The beaches begin to fill up and the tourist season gets into full swing.

Grammichele, in the heart of the province of Catania, is well known for its mesmerizing geometric grid from above. The surprise is heightened when you discover it's not a contemporary whim, but the result of a 17th-century reconstruction guided by a rigorous urban planning vision. With just over twelve thousand inhabitants, the town center boasts baroque squares, scenic churches, and a museum that recounts the origins of this urban enterprise. Here, then, are what to see in Grammichele, the hexagonal city.

Between Burano and Sant’Erasmo sits a tiny island almost entirely occupied by a working Franciscan monastery.

The four 2026 Blue Flags—Gozzano, Cannobio, Verbania, and Cannero Riviera—confirm the Piedmont lakes' position among Northern Italy's top-quality seaside destinations. The recognition is not limited to water cleanliness, but also to a complex system of environmental management, services, and sustainability.

The warm season is just around the corner, and the countdown to Italy’s most popular destinations has already begun. Yet there is another side to the country: small villages that still preserve their scents, views and atmosphere, capable of surprising even in high season, if you arrive just a little earlier than everyone else. Here are ten villages chosen for summer, set between the sea, lakes and mountains, linked by a common thread: authenticity, striking scenery and a welcoming spirit that encourages you to slow down.

Sicily remains one of Italy’s favourite summer destinations, thanks to its sweeping beaches, hilltop villages and dramatic scenery, but also because of its climate. Rising temperatures linked to climate change are reshaping Mediterranean summers, and each month now brings slightly different conditions.