Beach Mode: On
Sunscreen, stripes and the summer mood board of what's actually in my bag
Beach mode on.
It doesn’t matter that currently I am sitting in a shuttered apartment Rome, I am in full beach mode, which means I have an arsenal of sunscreen in my bag, along with a few other summertime essentials it’s time we talked about.
The Farmacia Edit
Everyone waxes poetic about French pharmacies, but here’s what they miss: Italian pharmacies don’t just stock the good stuff, they talk you through it. Tummy ache? Probiotics, explained. Hate greasy sunscreen? They have opinions. Strong ones.
Which brings me to my never-leave-home-without-it: Anthelios by La Roche-Posay. I am sun cream sensitive and picky. Darius is worse. But stand in front of an Anthelios display at any Italian pharmacy and you’ll be genuinely wowed by the variety — light milk, rich cream, tinted, untinted, and the hard-to-find hero: a pocket-sized transparent sun stick that has become my obsession for hands and on-the-go touch-ups.
My middle school friend Laura visited in June and I pushed it on her like a dealer. She’s now hunting for it back home. You’re welcome, Laura.
What’s Actually in the Bag
My favorite kind of summer bag is a netted fisherman or raffia market bag, the kind that expands to hold everything, and even looks better the more you stuff it. There are plenty of luxury versions now, including a very lovely Prada option that is decidedly not in my budget, so this summer I’m going with a find from the Testaccio market.
Pro tip: insert a colorful drawstring cloth bag inside — I often repurpose shoe bags — so nothing small slips through the net.
A few other things I’m living in:
I love anything striped, and Italian brand Gallo 1927 is the undisputed king of the stripe. This year’s pick is a stripey string bikini that reverses to a solid color — which solves the age-old “I need a different look for the afternoon” problem with having to buy or bring a second swimsuit. Just rinse, dry and reverse.
And a recent discovery: Kampos, a Made-in-Italy swimwear line. The Octopus trunks are exactly what Darius needs - sustainable, a little flair and they hit the thigh exactly right.
The Full Edit
For everything else - hair care, swimwear, slides, sunglasses, bags, lip balm- I’ve put together a Shop My Summer collection. Some especially Italian, some not, and everything I actually pack.