When summer arrives it often brings up the question, “Should we go to the beach or the mountains?” Mamma and nonna often reminisce about their time in Italy and told us most of the time they went to the beach when they weren’t working. Nonna prefers the mountains with cool lakes So what do Italians prefer?
We did a little research with mamma to find out which is the most chosen destination for Italians. Mamma ci ha detto (chee a deh-toe) told us that according to Touring Club Italiano, 42 percent of Italians will choose una vacanza balneare (oon-a va-canz-ah bal-nay-are-a) a seaside vacation and 19 percent will choose to head to le montagne (lay mon-tan-yay) the mountains.
We guess it is no surprise that many Italians love a seaside vacation. Italy’s coastline offers long stretches of beaches and it’s many isole (e-so lay) islands also attract residents and visitors to their stunning beaches. Mamma told us the most interesting beach she ever visited was on the island of Vulcano off the coast of Sicily. The island has sulfur springs people bathe in as a cure for aches and pains. She didn’t stay in very long because the water was hot and smelly. Zio Roberto went in and out even faster and ran over to the sea water to cool off. Unfortunately, he stepped into a “hot” spring under the blue water and had to swim farther out to cool off. Mamma says she still laughs about that.
People go to the beaches to relax and cool off in the water, but they are also popular for a game of soccer, catching up on reading and renting paddleboats.
So, what is there to do in the mountains of Italy? In the winter of course they go there to ski but come the warmer months there is much more to enjoy. Many go to enjoy le escursioni naturalistiche (lay ex-cur-zee-oh-nee na-tour-a-lees-tee-k) excursions through nature either with trekking or bicycling on their own or with tour groups. Italians also head to the mountains and the many smaller towns in the area to enjoy local foods and wines, to relax at a spa and to visit local markets and soak in a quieter environment.
So, what do we like best? We love taking walks through i boschi (e bow-ski) the woods when we go camping and splashing in some of the beautiful lakes near us. But best of all is running out in our back yard and playing in la nostra piscina (la no-stra pea-she-nah) our pool! Then we sit on the deck and enjoy la brezza (la bretz-ah) the breeze while we dry off.