Are You Having A Euro Summer?

If you’ve spent any time on social media recently, you’ll have noticed the rise of the Euro Summer – the romanticised version of European living.

It’s a travel trend and a cultural and style aesthetic all woven into one compelling package. It’s sun-baked piazzas with children running about until midnight; it’s long seafood lunches in a taverna by the beach and gentle strolls in wrinkle-free linen dresses.

Travelling to Europe on holiday is hardly news. There are decades of history that have glamorised destinations such as the French Riviera, the Amalfi Coast and the Greek islands. St. Tropez still riffs off its ties with Bridget Bardot, frolicking on Pampelonne beach in the 60s, and Positano has been popular with the Jetset since the 50s when Jackie Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn chose it as their vacation spot. What is new now is the labelling.

In addition to Euro Summer, we have nonnamaxxing, which embraces the relaxed, community-led habits of Italian grandmas and their way of dressing. There’s also Euromaxxing (yes, for better or worse, everything is ‘maxxed’ at the moment), which is about harnessing the slow lifestyle associated with Europeans. To date, there are 619,500 TikTok videos with a #EuroSummer hashtag. On Instagram, there are 2.7 million reels dedicated to it. Related search terms include Euro Summer aesthetic, Euro Summer songs and Euro Summer outfits. 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Lauren C Watson (@laurenxwatsonnn)

The fashion world has been quick to jump on the Euro Summer wagon – after all, this is much about an aesthetic as it is the destination. Numerous luxury brands have opened beach clubs at stylish European spots, from Gucci’s pop-up at La Rose des Vents to Burberry’s takeovers at the Belle Rives in Antibes and One&Only Aesthesis on the Athens Riviera. Jacquemus has created multiple viral moments with cinematic, open-air shows set in breathtaking backdrops, most recently at the Phare de la Pietra in Corsica, where models walked along a rugged path leading to the historic lighthouse.

Content creators have created a Euro Summer look that’s defined by basket bags and linen dresses. Silk scarves are tied round hair and high-waisted co-ords are worn with leather slides. Breezy balloon trousers are styled with tiny cami tops and flip-flops. You’ll also need a pair of personality sunglasses, a detail that brings immediate glamour. Dua Lipa is reigning queen of the Euro Summer, whose fans joke that she travels so often it looks as if she is perpetually on holiday. This year, following her Sicilian wedding at Villa Valguarnera outside Palermo, she honeymooned at various Italian beauty spots, a road trip that included Tropea, Matera, Naples, Rome, Ischia and Positano. Packing essentials included a triangle bikini, bandana, vest tops and white denim. 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by DUA LIPA (@dualipa)

You don’t have to look too far to untangle the Euro Summer appeal. It is a rejection of the currently pervasive optimisation culture, the idea that every hour of our day must be maximised for productivity. Overwork is fetishised in a way it never was before, in part thanks to the boom of the digital world where the boundaries between the personal and professional are increasingly sullied. Corporate companies often refer to themselves as a family – a way of distracting from the truth that if you work the hours expected, you’re unlikely to see your real one. Success and value, we are told, is about status and always being on – and, usually, that means stealing hours from the other aspects of our lives. This is, of course, the antithesis to European living, where the culture tends to be slower and less geared towards output. The Italian saying ‘dolce far niente’, which translates as the ‘sweetness of doing nothing’, is ever appealing when your day-to-day life is a grind. 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Italy Segreta (@italysegreta)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Italy Segreta (@italysegreta)

There is, in some Mediterranean countries, a keener appreciation of the small things – five minutes to drink an espresso at the bar on the way to work rather than grabbing it to go, or a languid dinner around the table with multiple generations. It is about creating a life with space to move. As someone who has spent a lot of time in Sicily, locals have a different relationship to time and also to each other. Even the Italian language itself talks about time in a less rigid way. The reality of this often takes a while to get used to – the shops will shut between 12.30 and 3.30 and yes you’re likely to have to wait longer than usual for a drink to arrive. We romanticise the leisurely pace, but then sometimes struggle to adapt to it. 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by sam youkilis (@samyoukilis)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by sam youkilis (@samyoukilis)

Our appetite for stillness and a more leisurely existence has now been bottled for an Instagram age in the form of beautiful clips that deliver an aesthetic summary of that European sensibility. Italophile editorial platform Italy Segreta has built its model on capturing its national identity beyond the cliches – and it translates very well on Instagram with enchanting short video clips. US filmmaker and documentary photographer Sam Youkilis has achieved huge success through highlighting the beauty and poetry in smaller moments from around the world, but often in Europe, be it the moon rising in Athens or a coffee on a Sicilian balcony.

Although the aforementioned deliver their portrayal with authenticity, the problem comes when we view Europe through a limited lens. The Euro Summer social media label often refers to a handful of destinations, namely Italy, France, Greece and Spain, leading to overcrowding and a very generalised view of what European culture really means. Visitors flock to create the same ‘content’ from the same perspective – a small wooden boat floating solo in clear waters, a fizzing Aperol Spritz on a hot day or a bowl of tomato-drenched pasta. It creates a narrow look at what is ultimately a vast continent rich in complexity and cultural differences. In this romantic look of Europe, we also miss the scorching climate change-related temperatures that are thought to have caused 1,300 European fatalities in the June heatwave. 

But look, can anyone blame us for wanting to escape into a world of European sunshine fantasy? Perhaps the real essence of what we’re seeking isn’t in the photogenic moments of stillness, or finding the perfect linen dress. It’s in the rebellious act of slowing down. 

HOW TO EURO SUMMER FROM LONDON:

For Italian coffee in an authentic setting… Bar Italia, Soho

For French wine with an alfresco terrace… La Compagnie, Covent Garden

For Greek mezze that the Greeks love… Nissi, Palmers Green

For mouthwatering Balkan burek… Doma, Crystal Palace

For Italian aperitivo with a secret courtyard… Il Maremmano, Tulse Hill

For Spanish tapas with a lively atmosphere… Meson Don Felipe, Waterloo

For Greek freddo cappuccinos… Chill House Coffee, Mayfair

For Portuguese white port tonics… Bar Duoro, London Bridge