My hot Italian summer

Day at the beach in Grosseto. The smile tells it all.

My summer in Italy was my hottest summer ever. It was a perfect mix of hot city life and playtime in the clear turquoise waters.

Here are some highlights of my first Italian summer.

Steaming hot summer nights in Rome

Roman summer is literally dripping hot. On the hottest days the temperature can climb up to + 40 celsius. As a blonde woman from the cold north, I was totally in trouble. To be honest, I had to stay inside for most of the day. I woke up early in the morning, went out for a jog and had a cappuccino. Then I headed back home, took a cold shower and turned the air conditioner to the max... I usually went out after 6 when the day started to cool off a little.

If I was travelling to Italy for a holiday, I would consider travelling off-season or in march, april, the beginning of June, September or October, when the weather is warm but bearable. But if you really like hot, I mean steaming hot weather, go for it! For beach lovers there are plenty of nice beaches near Rome where to cool off.

And ahh, those roman summer nights! Aperitivos, Vespa rides, walks in the beautiful parks of Rome – and the possibility to wear a summer dress 24/7. Amazing!!

Botanical Garden of Rome (Orto Botanico di Roma), is one of my favourite places in Rome.

SPF 50 and a big summer hat are a must.

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Rome is full of beautiful flowers and palm trees.

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Me and my gelato are both melting under the Italian sun.

Perfect beach day in Grosseto

One of my best summer days was a beach day in Grosseto, Tuscany. Grosseto is located 180 km north from Rome and you can reach it by car or by train.

My friend loves kitesurfing and on that day the wind was best at Grosseto, so we headed to the Kite´s Angels Beach (www.kitesangels.it) to kite surf and enjoy the day. Mamma mia, a kitesurfer or just a regular beach bum – this beach is a dream! Kilometers long white sandy beach and shallow, crystal clear waters. No more words needed, just look at these pictures.

Kite ´s Angels Beach in Grosseto.

Kitesurfers seem to have fun. Maybe I should try too!

<3

Perfect day, perfect sunset.

Santa Severa

There are many beaches near Rome you can reach easily by train or by car, for example, Ostia and Fregene. My favourite beaches near Rome are Santa Severa and Santa Marinella.

Train from Rome takes less than an hour to both destinations, and the tickets costs few euros. You can catch the train from Termini, Ostiense, Trastevere or San Pietro station (timetables and tickets www.trenitalia.com). The stop for Santa Severa beach is Santa Severa and the stop for Santa Marinella is S. Marinella. From both stations you have about 10–15 minutes walk to the beach.

Santa Severa is a beautiful little beach next to 11th-century castle, Castello di Santa Severa, where you can visit and also book a room to stay overnight.

The beach is crowded with locals and it is free. So if you desire to stay in the shade, you should bring your own umbrella.

Santa Severa beach.

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Dip into the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Santa Marinella

Another nice beach is Santa Marinella. The beach is long, white sandy beach and the water is clear and shallow. The beach is very big and it might be a bit busy during main season, but it is still clean and quite calm.

You can rent a sun bed and sun umbrella for about 10–15 euros / each.

It was a summer to remember… <3

Text & photos by Hertta Hiltunen.