Summer (mostly) in the City

It’s been a while since I’ve spent the better part of the summer in Italy and for most of it I’ll be in Florence. This year is quite unusual and dictated primarily by my daughter’s eighteenth birthday which falls smack in the middle of the summer. Turning eighteen is a huge deal in Italy and she was adamant about celebrating this milestone birthday in her hometown and so I planned our summer around it.

I’ll soon have an “adult” in the house. I’m not even going to get into my feelings about that right now, and that a little over a year from now I’ll be an empty nester, because I’m still in denial. In just one month my baby will be able to drink alcohol legally, vote, and drive (well, once she enrolls in driver’s ed and passes the written and road tests). For those parents of rising high school seniors like me, or those who’ve been through the process recently, this is also the summer of her college applications, so you hear me. Because she’s in an Italian school, not only does she have an extra year compared to her American peers, she has a huge exam, the dreaded maturità, next June. So many rites of passage, a summer of big changes.

Usually we spend enough time in the U.S. for me to have some much-needed beach and down time. This year I am bracing myself for the final leg of our U.S. college tour, fortunately this one will only take us to D.C. and Philly and should be less intense than last year’s tour de force through New England and Upstate New York from which I am still recovering.

Now that summer is here, I have been thinking of how I’ll be able to stay cool and sane in the midst of all these huge changes in my personal sphere while also working hard on the evolution of my business and podcast and somehow making time for all the extra projects I’ve taken on. I also have a long reading and writing list but I’ll be saving my thoughts on that for next month’s blog.

Short, inexpensive breaks

As a solo entrepreneur I worry incessantly about finances and one of the biggest challenges I faced when taking a look at the summer ahead is how I’ll beat the heat without breaking the bank. I began to think about the summers I spent in Florence when I was younger and didn’t have much of a budget at all. They were hot for sure, and I didn’t have air conditioning or a garden back then, but there was always a lot of free or really inexpensive and fun stuff to do. And so I began from there and came up with a little survival guide which I hope will be useful no matter where you find yourself.

I always say that the best thing about living in Florence is that you’re really close to the beach, the countryside or the mountains. You can catch a really cheap local train or bus and take a day trip to the closest beaches (look for the public ones, private beach clubs are the norm and they are pricey!) in Versilia and around Pisa, or find some relief from the heat in the hillier Mugello, the cooler Vallombrosa, or the lovely mountains above Pistoia.

I am also a big fan of Florence’s many pools, public and private. While I don’t love swimming, I do like to tan, read, lounge and nap poolside. Since I gave birth to a mermaid, I spent many torrid summer days in town at the pool with her and consider myself something of an expert. You can find everything from city pools (be sure to get there early because there are usually long lines) to really chic and expensive ones at hotels if you can and want to indulge. At the city pools there is a reasonable daily entrance fee and you can bring your own food since things can get expensive if you buy drinks, snacks and gelato (all of which are inevitable if with children) and also rent out chairs. Still, there’s no travel time and the costs are relatively contained. There is also definitely something for everyone and you can find a nice list, put together by our friends at The Florentine, here. If you are looking for specific or more recommendations, dm me or put your question in the comments section.

Free events, culture and community

Florence has always come alive in the summer but in the past few years the city has really outdone itself. According to this recent article, the 2025 Edition of the Estate Fiorentina will feature more than 1,000 live performances, festivals, talks and exhibitions. I’ve only just perused the complete calendar and already have a long list of things I hope to do, including attending as many outdoor movies as I can, it’s one of my summer in Italy favorites.

While it can be difficult to deal with Florence’s heat and crowds on endless summer days, something magical happens in the evening when those seeking a little breeze and some fun get together for a drink, a bite, some music, or to watch a sports event at one of the many great locales that open up on the banks of the river for the season.

I also want to give a little shout-out to two of my favorite neighborhood haunts that are my go-to’s all year long but especially in the summer. Serre Torrigiani is a garden oasis in the heart of the city that never fails to disappoint and Il Conventino Caffé Letterario is the gift that keeps on giving and epitomizes culture and community in the heart of the Oltrarno. There is always something incredible going on there and it’s my home away from home.

Tips & Tricks

I have been living in Florence long enough to know that there are some tried and true methods to survive the summer. Here are but a few:

Museums. You are in the city of museums and they are usually pretty cool and you’re surrounded by beauty. What more could you ask for?

Churches. They are typically a far more comfortable temperature than the outside world, they give us silence, peace, and time to reflect, and in Florence you’ll usually also be able to catch a glimpse of a masterpiece or two.

Supermarkets. How I love Italian supermarkets, especially this time of year. In the U.S. I need to wear a sweatshirt for my summertime trips to Trader Joe’s, and while you won’t find those arctic temperatures in Italy, you will find some pretty sweet air conditioning. I like to spend much more time than necessary at my local supermarket in the summer months.

Movies, again. I love the movies, my grandfather owned movie theaters so it’s in my blood, and going to the cinema, especially alone, is one of my great passions and I adore going to the movies by myself on a hot summer day. It almost doesn’t matter what I’m seeing.

Coca Cola and (junky) Iced Tea. Two of my summer guilty pleasures. I don’t have a sweet tooth, I’m pretty careful about what I eat, and usually prefer wine and the occasional margarita or mojito when summer hits, but there is little I enjoy more than an Italian Coke, it really does taste different, poured from a glass bottle, on ice and with a lemon wedge. And even though at home I make unsweetened sun tea all summer long (thanks, Mom!), when I’m out and about, moving from appointments to meetings in the city heat, I do indulge in lemon and lemongrass Fuze Tea. If it’s an emergency and it’s all I can find, I’ll drink Estathé. I am also partial to caffé shakerato because I love iced coffee and when Italian and English merge in the form of a refreshing, caffeinated beverage I rejoice.

More to come

In this post I chose to focus on some basic survival tips for finding a little respite and relief this summer, especially if you are in Florence or Italy, but I’m fairly sure that they are applicable in most cities around the world.

In my next entry I’ll be sharing my summer reading list along with some thoughts on getting through the summer with creativity and some much-deserved me time.

Until then, take a break, find some shade, and indulge, guilt-free, in your favorite summer pleasures.