Summer is on its way, or so we all hope here in Italy. The weather remains unstable, albeit temperatures are pleasant and I happily enjoyed my first seasonal swim in the sea over a week ago. In any case, with the coming of June, and especially with the end of the school year, thoughts immediately run to a world made of colors, sun cream and ice lollies: whether we like it or not, summertime in the Bel Paese is synonym with heat, bathing suits and the beach.

Italy’s 7500 km of coastal development offer a wide variety of environments and landscapes: let’s think about how different, yet equally beautiful, the coastline of Sardinia and Emilia Romagna are, for instance, and that’s only to name two regions  known for their beaches. Indeed, even if “coast” does not necessarily mean “beach,” the association is automatic this time of the year because, we’ve just come clean about it, June brings about our yearly obsession with sun, sea and sand.