Where 6 Cool People Are Going in Italy This Summer

If it seems like every time you scroll through Instagram photos and videos of sunny Italian beaches are constantly popping up in your feed, you’re not alone. According to an estimate by Allianz Partners, demand for travel to Europe is surging 600% over last summer, and it certainly seems like everyone is going to Italy. We did our own informal survey of six tastemakers who have recently gone or are going everywhere from Venice and the Dolomites to Sicily before summer ends. Their itineraries include plenty of impeccably designed spots to add to your list.

Andy Baraghani

Former Bon Appétit editor and cookbook author Andy Baraghani has been to Italy eight times, but this will be his first trip to Sicily. He and his partner will rent a car and drive around the island for 12 days, stopping in Palermo, Agrigento, and Noto.

Name a couple of highlights
Baraghani is looking forward to visiting Palermo’s Mercato del Capo. “No matter where in the world I go, I am always on the lookout for an outdoor market. While this may not be the biggest market in Palermo, I have heard from others this is a must, and I plan to throw myself in the bustling chaos and eat all the foods I can,” he says. And he plans to spend some time hanging out at the beaches around the Scala dei Turchi near Agrigento. “Overtime, the sun has turned the limestone and marl to a blindingly white cliff that people jump off or lay on.”

What he’s planning to bring home in his suitcase
Baraghani plans on having a dedicated suitcase to fill with plenty of ceramics, big jars of capers and anchovies, embroidered lace, and possibly some Sicilian wine.

Adam Charlap Hyman

Half of the AD100 firm Charlap Hyman & Herrero, Adam Charlap Hyman recently went to the Aeolian island of Lipari, off the coast of Sicily, for a wedding, and then he spent some time in Noto. He’s planning to go back to Sicily to revisit Palermo and Ortigia.

Name a couple of highlights
In Noto, a Baroque jewel on Sicily’s eastern coast, one of the highlights was Palazzo Castelluccio, which he describes as “an incredibly restored palace in the center of town with the most compelling and unusual color combinations.” He also loved Caffè Sicilia, explaining that it’s known for the almond granita, “but I died for their marzipan pea pods and lemons and their cassata.”

What he brought back in his suitcase
“Soaps from Ortigia and pumice stones from the beach.”