By Francesca Lungarotti
Every tourist who visits Italy in the summer wants a slice of it!
Like a refreshing watermelon, pizza, or a delicious cake, people from all over the world come here to enthusiastically consume and explore that combination of monumentality and lightheartedness, fun and relaxation.
Italy offers not only holidays rich in culture, history, excellent cuisine, and wonderful corners of paradise amidst mountains, coasts, extraordinary cities, treasure troves of unique masterpieces, and small villages that are lesser-known gems, but also, and above all, the unique opportunity to still feel the atmosphere of times gone by, of the 1930s, 1940’s, 1950s, and so on.
Every corner of Italy is imbued with that soul that famed filmmaker Federico Fellini once wisely called “amarcord” which is a Rimini dialect expression that translates to “I remember”. The very air is pervaded by it, and in summer this emotion becomes even more palpable, perhaps because the intense heat enhances the flavor of the fruit, the saltiness of the sea, the scent of the arid, sun-drenched countryside, the fresh mountain flowers—the sun amplifies everything! Or perhaps it’s the desire to stop working, close schools, and put everything on hold to fully enjoy this rare fruit, this cactus flower that is Italy, which blooms and is enjoyed by its people too only during the summer months.
Women At Sea. Marina Piccola. Capri Island. Campania. Italy 1930. 
Italy. Trentino. Brenta Dolomites. Camping. 1930. 
1960 Summer Olympics. Rome. 1960. 
Girls At The Lake. Motorboat. Italy 1960. 
Italy. Heliotherapy. Little Girls. 1920’s – 30’s. 
On the deck of the liner Biancamano. 1920-30. 
Tent on the beach. Italy. 1955. 
Italy, trentino alto adige, lago di tovel, wall of monte corno, 1920. 
Rimini. Playing with a boat on the beach. 1956. 
Italy. Seaside summer camp. Feet. 1930. 
Ice cream vendor, 1948. 
Two young women “dressed in sailor style” wave goodbye at the moment of departure. Saluto al conte verde 1915-1940
Italy remains a coveted destination from every corner of the world. Everyone is searching for that sense of wonder, excitement, and pleasure they’ve heard about or dreamed of through films like Il Sorpasso, La Dolce Vita, and Roman Holiday. That desire to see it all, to experience it all, and to indulge in pasta and other delicacies that represent a truly religious way of savoring and enjoying this incredible country.
Italy, Tuscany, Viareggio, Ritorno dalla pesca, 1940 
Beach of Cavi di Lavagna, Liguria, Italy 1920-1930. 
Tourism, Viareggio, Tuscany, Italy 1930-40. 
Holiday in Viareggio, Tuscany, Italy 1940-50. 
Tre cime di lavaredo, border veneo-trentino alto adige, Italy 1960-70. 
Tuscany, Forte dei Marmi, a girl dives into the sea from the ponte caricatore, 1920.
We are pleased to offer you this selection of splendid summer images from years ago that express this unique emotion, taken from one of our most precious archives, the Touring Club Italiano collection.
All images in this post are credited to Touring Club Italiano. Every image featured in this post and on all of Kaleidoscope are available for licensing. Please contact us at info@universalimagesgroup.com