La Bella Vita is our regular look at the real culture of Italy – from language to cuisine, manners to art. This newsletter is published weekly and you can receive it directly to your inbox: go to newsletter preferences in ‘My Account’ or follow the instructions in the newsletter box below.

As I write this, the temperature is nearing 40C down here in southern Italy – I don’t know about you, but I find that just a little bit too hot. Most of the country will be heading for the beaches or mountains to beat the heat in the coming weeks, but there are lots of other ways to cool down if you can’t.

If you haven’t already, now’s a good time to stock the freezer with plenty of gelato (ask your favourite local gelateria for a vaschetta to take home) and practise your Italian cocktail-making skills – apart from the classic spritz and negroni, there are a few more summer drinks you might not have thought of. We’ve listed a few of our favourites below:

From spritz to shakerato: Six things to drink in Italy this summer

High temperatures don’t always mean Italians switch off the hob, leave the pasta in the cupboards, and switch to eating salad. It’s probably an extreme example, but my mother-in-law’s only concession to scorching heat is to serve pasta al forno at room temperature rather than blistering hot. So rest assured there will be no shortage of pasta dishes on the menu if you’re spending your summer holidays in Italy, no matter how hot it gets. 

The only difficulty may be in figuring out which type of pasta to order. With countless regional variations to try, even those of us who have lived here for a while regularly come across pasta types we’re not familiar with. Waiters at restaurants in Italy are even known to sometimes draw the pasta shapes to help explain dishes to customers. 

Here’s our quick guide to some of the pasta shapes that you won’t encounter everywhere in the country, but which are very much worth ordering if you do:

How to decipher Italy’s mind-boggling pasta menus

And if you’re learning Italian, one of the first things you’ll want to do when it gets hot in Italy is to comment on the situation.

From describing (or complaining about) soaring temperatures and off-the-charts humidity to bagging a sun lounger at the local beach and deciphering the hand-scrawled signs on shop doors, here are some of the words and phrases you’ll no doubt encounter, and perhaps need to use yourself, in the coming months.

The essential vocabulary you’ll need for an Italian summer

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Is there an aspect of the Italian way of life you’d like to see us write more about? Please email me at [email protected].