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LA BELLA VITA

La Bella Vita: Italian pastries and the best events to enjoy in June

From finding the best cultural events this month to enjoying the classic Italian breakfast, our weekly newsletter La Bella Vita offers you an essential starting point for eating, talking, drinking and living like an Italian.

La Bella Vita: Italian pastries and the best events to enjoy in June
Cornetti for sale in Naples. Photo by Nicole Arango Lang on Unsplash

As the days lengthen and the weather warms, life moves outdoors and Italy’s cultural calendar becomes filled with open-air events and festivities. 

In fact, there were so many interesting events listed this month that we had trouble choosing between them, but here are eight of the most unmissable shows, festivals, regattas and more happening up and down the country this June.

Eight events to look forward to in Italy this June

Italy is well known for being a great beach holiday destination, with something for every holidaymaker, though it pays to be aware that many areas get very crowded in peak season and, unfortunately, not all beaches are kept in pristine condition.

To help you plan a beach trip taking in the very best – and cleanest – beaches in the country this summer, here’s our map and guide based on the latest Blue Flag listings, which show that the number of high quality beaches in Italy has grown once again this year.

MAP: Which regions of Italy have the most Blue Flag beaches in 2023?

If you prefer to spend your summer soaking up Italy’s cultural heritage, now is the best time to visit the museums and galleries – not just because the seasonal crowds are yet to fully descend, but because this is the cheapest tickets are going to be. (In fact, if you go this weekend you may be able to get in completely for free.)

Florence’s Uffizi galleries, where the price of a single ticket went up from 20 to 25 euros in March. Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP

Ticket prices at all of Italy’s most famous cultural attractions have risen over the past year, and they’re only set to rise further – not just because of inflation making everything more expensive, but because of a temporary government measure plus a push by the culture ministry to get more of Italy’s attractions to raise their ticket prices.

Find out more in the below article:

REVEALED: How much more will Italian museums cost this summer?

This week on The Local we also looked at one of the daily food-related dilemmas you might run into if you often travel to different parts of Italy.

There are plenty of differences between Italy’s northern and southern regions, and one you might have noticed is that the daily breakfast pastry served (and quickly devoured) along with a frothy cappuccino at the local bar-pasticceria might have a different name depending on where you go.

In most parts of the country people will call this pastry a cornetto, but if you have friends from northern Italy they’re more likely to enjoy a brioche. Still others might order a croissant.

But why is that and are we always talking about the same thing?

Here’s what’s behind the different names and how you can tell these pastries apart:

Italian pastries: Is it a cornetto, croissant or brioche?

Remember if you’d like to have this weekly newsletter sent straight to your inbox you can sign up for it via Newsletter preferences in “My Account”.

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].

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LA BELLA VITA

La Bella Vita: Italy’s city tourist taxes and key Italian vocabulary for dining out

From knowing how much ‘tourist tax’ you’ll need to pay when visiting Italian destinations this summer to mastering essential Italian words and phrases for dining out, our weekly newsletter La Bella Vita offers you an essential starting point for eating, talking, drinking and living like an Italian.

La Bella Vita: Italy’s city tourist taxes and key Italian vocabulary for dining out

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, by going to newsletter preferences in ‘My Account’ or following the instructions in the newsletter box below.

The summer months are by far the busiest time of year in Italy as millions of visitors travel to the peninsula from all over the world to explore its so-called citta’ d’arte (‘art cities’, including Rome, Florence and Venice), beach resorts or natural parks. 

But whether you’re staying in a big city, a seaside holiday spot, or a mountain resort, if you’re one of the 216 million tourists expected in the country this summer, there’s a good chance you’ll have to pay a local ‘tourist tax’ on top of your accommodation bill. 

The fee, which is used by local authorities to offset the costs of public services, is a frequent source of confusion for tourists as not all cities apply it, and those that do tend to vary their rates by type and star rating of accommodation, time of year or location.

As some cities plan to raise their tourist taxes this summer, we’ve looked at the rates (and exemptions) you can expect in Italy’s most popular destinations.

Tourist tax: How much is it increasing in Italy’s cities this year?

Besides an Italian nonna’s homemade cooking and the sagre food festivals cropping up in the warm months, dining out is arguably the best way to explore Italy’s famous cuisine. 

Generally speaking, waiting staff at most restaurants in big cities and holiday hotspots tend to have at least some basic knowledge of English, meaning you should be able to order your meal in inglese without a hitch.

But that’s not the case everywhere in the country.

Whether you’re dealing with staff with a cosi’ cosi’ command of English, or are simply eager to test out your Italian speaking skills, there is some essential vocabulary that’s well worth getting familiar with.

From prenotare un tavolo (booking a table) to pagare il conto (paying the bill), here are some key words and phrases to memorise before your next restaurant meal in Italy.

The essential vocabulary you’ll need to dine out in Italy

People eat in a restaurant in the Murazzi by the Po River, on May 8, 2024 in Turin.

Diners at a restaurant along the Po River in Turin. Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP

Speaking of paying the bill, Italian restaurants have some peculiar norms around squaring the books which can occasionally catch foreign visitors off guard – or even cause them offence in some cases. 

From where and how to pay to the controversial coperto charge and the tip/no tip dilemma, here’s an overview of what to do (and what not to do) for a stress-free experience next time you’re paying the bill in Italy.

What to do (and avoid) when paying a restaurant bill in Italy

If you’d like to have this weekly newsletter sent straight to your inbox you can sign up for it via Newsletter preferences in “My Account”.

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

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