When people ask me how Italians survive summer, I always smile. Because the truth is… we don’t. We simply stop trying to beat the heat.
In Italy it’s caldissimo right now. And instead of pretending nothing has changed, we let summer change us. We slow down. Rallentiamo un po’…
Lunch becomes lighter. A beautiful panzanella, prosciutto e melone, mozzarella e pomodorini, good olive oil e pane croccante. Leggero e fresco.
And I think this way of adapting to the heat is something Italians have understood for generations.
I remember my bisnonna, even in the middle of summer, always completely dressed. Never too much skin showing, even when fuori faceva un caldo da morire. She wore these beautiful long, loose dresses, usually with a grembiule over them, almost like a little ”uniform” for the house.
But the fabrics were different. Everything was light. Linen, fresh cotton, sometimes those beautiful slightly embroidered fabrics that somehow let the air through. Nothing tight, nothing heavy. Tutto molto leggero e confortevole. They knew how to dress for the heat without really looking like they were dressing for the heat.
And then, during the hottest hours, there were all those little things that Nonne somehow knew would make everything better: Latte e menta or acqua e menta, freddissima, with a little straw. can still picture that pale green color in the glass. And somehow, it worked, faceva un po’ meno caldo.
In the hottest hours of the day you will find us al bar sotto casa, seduti all’ombra. And we’ll still drink an espresso. Maybe un caffè freddo shakerato instead. We know… it doesn’t make much sense. Neither do we, sometimes. In Puglia facciamo il caffè leccese, you should try it! Come farlo? A shot of espresso simply poured over ice cubes and a splash of latte di mandorla locale. I have to say though, that the flavor is different than the almond milk we have in the States. It does taste more like a sweet almond milk syrup if that makes sense.
And then comes my favorite part: il tramonto. The sun goes down and suddenly Italy wakes up again.
Bambini nelle piazze, un gelatino in mano. Neighbors pull out their chairs (rigorosamente di plastica bianche… if you know you know)
And somewhere, someone is already saying: Facciamo un aperitivo? Ed ovviamente, tu dici SI CERTO!
Because in Italy we don’t always solve the season. We learn to live with it. Maybe that’s our secret.
Ciao Laura