Summer in Florence

I often answer questions from our students who are curious about what it is like to study Italian in summer in Italy: ‘Is it very hot in summer in Italy?’, ‘What is life like in Italy in summer?’, ‘Are Italian cities empty in summer?’, ‘What do Florentines do in summer?’

These are some of the most frequently asked questions. These and others, to be honest, are not always easy to answer. A little because mine is always the answer of a Florentine and therefore sometimes limited to our experience in Tuscany. Also, the answer may change depending on the month we are talking about: June, July and August in Italy are months with different characteristics, although all three are often very hot. The answer also changes according to the regions or cities we are talking about. In any case, we can still find summer living habits that perhaps distinguish Italians from other Europeans, certainly at least from northern Europeans.

Thus, I hope to help you get an idea of what your summer study trip to Italy might be like.

To begin with, I want to tell you how much the Italians’ summer has changed in recent years compared to the past.

The image of completely empty Italian cities in August is a bit old-fashioned. I remember that when I was a child, in the 1970s and 1980s, it was really like that: The cities, especially those in the centre north, depopulated and changed their appearance completely, at least for three weeks during the month of August. Italians would all set off for seaside, country or mountain resorts. This generally happened from the first weekend in August. The beaches filled up, from north to south, the seaside resorts bursting with people. Even the small villages in the central north, sometimes uninhabited during the winter months, saw life flourish again. By contrast, in the city districts, in some weeks of August, it was difficult to find even a supermarket or grocery shop open.

Then things changed, Italians started to take ‘smart’ holidays, deciding to take weeks off at different times. Many businesses and companies started to organise their work in shifts. So today, except perhaps for the week of Ferragosto (15 August) the cities are still populated, with Italians and foreigners alike. Cities, and so has Florence, have begun to invest in very interesting cultural programmes for the summer months: festivals, concerts, various outdoor events in the evening hours. In short, the city and its surroundings are alive with cultural and social initiatives and opportunities. I do not want to say that Florence in summer is full of Florentines, but if we compare the Florence of now to the Florence of twenty or thirty years ago, the change is evident.

So if you want to enjoy Italy in summer, planning a summer study trip to Florence might be a good idea. In this season, the days are longer, we like to live outdoors, meet friends in cafés and restaurants in the piazzas, spend evenings in country festivals (food and wine festivals where local products are eaten), and spend evenings in open-air cinemas and theatres. In short, just what one would expect when thinking about summer life in Italy.

There is one thing you must consider, however, if you don’t like hot weather. Due to rising temperatures, city life in summer has become less comfortable. While we wait, hopefully soon, for Italian cities to be filled with vegetation that can break down the high temperatures, we have to organise our lives and our days so that the heat is not an obstacle. This is the reason why all public places are now air-conditioned in Florence. Even at school, we simply could not accommodate our students without providing them with air-conditioned classrooms. The conditions would otherwise be too uncomfortable. So, do not worry. If you choose to come to study Italian in summer in Florence, you will find a comfortable, air-conditioned environment at the school.

But how will you spend your day in summer in Florence? In the morning you will attend Italian lessons, in the afternoon you can enjoy the activities you like best. You can practise the Italian language with private Italian lessons, explore subjects of interest to you such as wine and cooking, art history, literature, music and cinema, drawing and painting, photography. You will participate in our activities, which will be organised with the summer heat in mind: from an open-air cinema in the evening to an event at the theatre, from an evening at a pizzeria to a visit to a museum. There will also be the opportunity to visit the charming places in the Tuscan countryside and towns together with students from other schools.

Some of the events scheduled for summer 2025 in Florence, attended by both Florentines and foreigners in the city, are: Teatro del Maggio Fiorentino, Estate Fiesolana, Festa del Patrono San Giovanni and “Calcio storico fiorentino”.

The Maggio Fiorentino is a major event, characterised by concerts, operas, plays and ballets, which take place from May to June. The 2025 edition is number 87. If you are passionate about music and theatre, you cannot miss the opportunity to attend a performance in the new theatre in Florence. The Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, founded in 1928 and conducted over time by maestros such as Pietro Mascagni, Richard Strauss and Igor Stravinskij, will also be the protagonist.

The Fiesole Summer is a summer festival that has been held every year at the Roman Theatre in Fiesole since 1911. National and international artists perform on the ancient stage in concerts of classical, light and jazz music, prose and dance shows. The festival also offers a truly quality film review. In the open air, on summer evenings, in the setting of the ancient Roman theatre, on the hills overlooking Florence, it is possible to enjoy a unique experience.

Historical Florentine football is a sporting event with very ancient origins. The game was widespread in Florence in the late Middle Ages. The match that went down in history was the one on 17 February 1530, when the Florentines, besieged by the army of Emperor Charles V, took to the piazza and started playing football, to make fun of the enemy. There are four teams competing on the sandy ground set up in Piazza Santa Croce, corresponding to the city’s main basilicas: the Whites of Santo Spirito, the Blues of Santa Croce, the Greens of San Giovanni (Duomo) and the Reds of Santa Maria Novella. The final, traditionally played on 24 June, the day of the city’s patron saint, is preceded by two semi-finals that are always played during the month of June. All matches are preceded by spectacular historical processions of the Florentine Republic, which, after passing through the streets of the centre, reach Piazza Santa Croce. On the evening of 24 June, the Festival closes with the spectacular fireworks from Piazzale Michelangelo.

And to finish with the things that Florentines love to do in the city during the summer, there are many outdoor spaces, active only in summer, that we frequent even if only to enjoy a beer and a chat in the cool of the evening. Some of the most popular are: the Limonaia di Villa Strozzi, the Lungarno del tempio, Piazza delle Murate, Piazza Tasso, the Parco dell’Antonella, and the Anfiteatro delle Cascine.

If you would like to organise your stay in Florence and learn the Italian language with us, write to us at info@italianme.it