I’m ready to be warm again.

And I’m ready not to be calculating and donning layers. I love living in shorts and tee shirts, and when I’m properly in shape, I can live in a pair of board shorts.

So, here I sit smack dab in mid-winter, dreaming of the return of summer in Italy. So, for this week’s blog post, I share with you a short photo essay of some of my favorite photo captures of life by the sea here.

The featured image, and the only color photo in this mini-exhibition, always make me smile. Taken in beautiful Polignano a Mare, Puglia, this image captures five Italian “buds” lined up and on their stomachs in the shallows. And I’m considering making this into a painting since I’m currently obsessed with painting water-themed subjects.

Summer in Italy

Impatience.

My sense when capturing this moment was that of a perturbed wife waiting for her husband to get off the damn phone. Sound familiar? Yes, it happens worldwide and even on the beautiful beaches of Cefalú, Sicily. Body language speaks volumes.

Summer in Italy

Exhausted.

Taken in the Port of Oneglia, Imperia, summer in Italy has taken the starch out of these two tourists. They’ve plopped down, covered their faces from the sun’s heat, and passed out. I’d love to know if overconsumption of wine was part of the equation.

Summer in Italy

Taking the Leap.

This photo was captured in early September 2022 in Polignano a Mare (can you tell I adore this place?). I remember sitting in a clifftop bar with my camera fitted with my long lens in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. I’d parked myself there for a solid two hours watching life in the Mediterranean far below. Of special interest were the fearless young men scaling the cliff faces and then leaping off.

Summer in Italy

Summer Served on the Rocks.

This image also was taken in Polignano a Mare in Puglia. It captures different moments and moods of the people camped out (or about to camp out) on this rock in the sea. I can’t help but draw a comparison between the woman in the wisp of a swimsuit and the woman in the photo called “Impatience.” Different moods entirely, wouldn’t you say?

Summer in Italy

Sacked Out.

I’m guessing these are worn-out tourists again, possibly even Italians from other parts. The Sicilian sun can be brutal. Bring sunscreen.

And that, my friends, is a taste of summer in Italy. If you’re enduring frigid and snow or ice-laden weather where you are, maybe this will lift your spirits. Yes, the sun eventually does come out!

All photos © Jed Smith.