How do Italians cope when temperatures hit 35°C, 40°C and beyond?
After nearly 25 years living in Italy, I’ve noticed that Italians don’t just endure the heat—they adapt their entire lifestyle around it. From changing what they eat, to avoiding the hottest hours of the day, to their love-hate relationship with air conditioning, there are some fascinating cultural differences compared to the UK.
In this video I explore five ways Italians deal with intense summer heat and why, once again, the answer often comes back to something deeper: community, social life, and spending time together.
Your 5 Points (for the video)
1. Water Becomes a Way of Life
Beaches, lakes, rivers, swimming pools.
Entire weekends revolve around being near water.
The sea isn’t a luxury; it’s a survival strategy.
2. The Summer Diet
Watermelon, melon, cherries, peaches.
More salads and cold dishes.
Less heavy comfort food.
Food adapts to the season naturally.
3. The Clock Changes
People avoid peak afternoon heat.
Evening becomes the main part of the day.
Dinner gets later.
The famous evening passeggiata comes alive after sunset.
4. Air Conditioning Isn’t the Hero
Many Italians still distrust excessive AC.
Fear of colpo d’aria.
Shutters, shade, ventilation and common sense come first.
AC is often seen as a last resort rather than the first solution.
5. Heat Is Shared
Summer in Italy is incredibly social.
Outdoor festivals, village fairs, concerts, food events.
Families gather in the evenings.
People sit outside talking until midnight.
Italians don’t just escape the heat—they experience it together.
What strikes me most isn’t how Italians fight the heat. It’s how they adapt to it collectively. In Italy, people seem to come together. Once again, the answer isn’t really about the weather—it’s about the social fabric of Italian life.
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23 Comments
There is nothing that reminds me more of summer in Italy than the deafening roar of cicadas. That's when you know it is hot! 🥵
Perfect decription….the festivals outside are especially in the hill or in the natural area where you can find a fresher air 😊, somtime even some "chiostro" in the city Is very fresh (and we do a lot of.. "close the windows-open the windows" in the right time: it's important have windows on the est and ovest side of the house to fill wind come trough them 😊)
Noo it lowers blood pressure!
Spot on…..😂. Good Lord, I couldn't exist here in the summer without AC and admit to being on 'house arrest' most of the day…. However, I've never suffered from any of the "ailments" that many Italians say it causes, ie sore throat/neck sore tummy…..😅 I think I'd have worst symptoms without it… Same goes for the car. I must be a sturdy Scot….😊
This morning we went to the beach (by motorcycle).
Started home 7am, turned back 10am, just to start the day.
Too hot for us, and we hate mess.
Then, we come back home and turned on the AC at 26°C.
I work in a metalworking factory, standing in front of the CNC lathe 40 hours per week at 30-38+ °C is enough heat to manage being 45 years old..
Talk about the Beaches in italy most of tem youhave to pay for and they are not cheap !! There are hardly any free beaches now and all of them are over crowded !! Literally only standing places
Are there any mosquitos in Scotland? I remember I saw a few in Chester but only one in Ireland. They are slow and easy to catch while those in the Po Valley are fast and elusive.
Up here in the Alps, I may freeze in winter, living in a 14th century palazzo as I do, so thick walls made of river stone stuccoed over and whitewashed, but in the summer these old historic buildings are perfect. I also don't live in the mansarda, which helps. Also, where I live, you can go to our brand new public library when it is too hot, or even when it is too cold if you want to save on heat.
Cicale= mediterraneo
Summer quiz: according to the ISGlobal (Barcelona) about how many Italians die from heat-related causes during a severe summer season? A. 19k, B. 14k, C. "a few but let's not spoil the good vibes with stats"
"Sharing helps the bearing", that's a classic. Gotta remember that one!
On the subject of AC , worked for a British construction company doing a project on the East African coast, and there it wasn't so much the heat as the humidity. And EVERYTHING was airconditioned: shops, offices, hotels, cars, supermarkets etc and I can tell you I developed the worst colds going from just a few minutes in the torrid heat to ice cold rooms.
And there's also another phoenomenon: night storms.
Really violent and fast.
A couple of hours and they're gone, but meanwhile it flashes like a discoteque.
Go to texas😂
In Italy we draw the curtains to keep the sun out during the day and leave the windows just slightly open to encourage the air to circulate
I live in the northeast between Rovigo and Ferrara, so still in the Po Valley, below the Po River that we just saw, it's a reclaimed area, once it was all swamp, humid, tropical heat, mosquitoes with license plates, I have air conditioning everywhere and I must say that everyone here has it, I sleep at 23 degrees, the only thing that stops me is the bill, I'm also in menopause and I'm on fire, if it were up to me I'd sleep in the freezer! Anyway, could you tell the Americans that we have water? And if we wanted ice too?
Italian Canadian here. When I visit Italy I always find it amusing how many Italians, especially in the south have a deeply rooted aversion to air conditioning. Granted, many of the older homes with thick walls tend to be relatively cool during hot days, but if you live in an apartment the interior temperature can reach over 30 degrees without A/C. However many Italians still believe that A/C causes colds, bronchitis, sinusitis, they think that stepping into an air conditioned room is like signing your death warrant. The truth is the A/C, properly used creates a comfortable, healthy environment where the air is also dehumidified and filtered. In my home in Toronto, where summer temps can reach mid 30s, I keep the A/C at a reasonable 25 degrees which prevents your body from feeling shocked from the contrast between outside and inside temperature. This setting allows you to sleep comfortably with a light blanket. I do the ‘ear’ test when determining temperature, if you touch your ears and they don’t feel cold then the temperature setting is reasonable. We have insect screens on all our windows so we don’t have to deal with buzzing mosquitoes during the night.
I have to say that living without A/C in a hot country like Italy is insane in 2026. I have lived in Italy in the past and lying awake at night in a 30 degree bedroom with 90% humidity with mosquitos buzzing in my ears is no way to live.
My message to many Italians is please educate yourself on the benefits of a properly calibrated A/C system for home and put to bed the many old wives tales and superstitions that are preventing you from enjoying a comfortable living environment.
Life is too short to be drenched in sweat in a sweltering house.
Love this channel and how it deals with the many nuances of Italian life.
❤🇮🇹🇨🇦
Just another day for most Australians. You wouldn't like Adelaide.
My other halfs nonna mops the floor with icey water every morning and then closes the curtains and windows. I'm convinced that the mopping only has some sort of psychological effect but they are all adament that it makes a big difference
Asiago is much cooler, been up to 26° in the shade, and humidity just fine for enjoying our walks …. le me know when you will visit our family!
italians hate ac? lies!
Vado avanti di sustenium e 3 litri di acqua 🙃
solo i nuovi parvenue amano l'aria condizionata…………… i vecchi, (saggi) sanno che quando mancherà la corrente, loro resisteranno e gli altri, kaputt. la corrente prima o poi mancherà e allora so caxxi… bisogna resistere altro che tutte le comodità. un po' di caldo fa bene e guarisce i reumatismi. ciao for nau.
I saw the news about the heat dome. I am preparing for daily temps between 35 and 40 for the next three months….inland desert life. Stay cool.