Stars: 4/5
“Summertime” shows life in a lively coastal Italian tourist town through the lives of young adults. It introduces the main character, Summer, a black Italian girl, skating alongside the beach on a penny board.  
Ironically, Summer (Rebecca Coco Edogamhe) does not like summer. She refuses to wear a swimsuit to a swimsuit-only-party. Yet somehow she manages to get in and falls into a pool. Then, she meets her love interest, Ale, a famous motorcyclist. Ale (Ludovico Tersigni) hails from Rome and recently recovered from a near-fatal motorcycle accident that put his career on hold.
To say the least, Ale is lovestruck for Summer. Summer is more ambitious with the goal of moving out of her hometown and traveling. However, it takes several cute romantic gesture to win her over. 
But their love story is not the only one. Several of the other characters embark on finding summer love, including the incredibly awkward crush that Summer’s younger sister, Blue, has on Summer’s best friend, Edo. 
The show’s cinematography and music assists the show to capture the mundanity of adolescency. The soundtrack is near perfection, even if you do not speak a bit of Italian. You get a mix of jazz, Italian rap and pop, and a dash of American’s ‘80s hits.
Between the friend-zoning, love triangles, dramatic music montages, and family drama, you will be entertained. However, Summertime falls flat at adding anything new to the classic jealous ex-girlfriend trope and other cliché plot lines. The acting also is stiff at moments. Midway, the hints that it is summer become reductant along with Summer’s angst against the season. The romance is a bit of a slow burn.
The simplicity of “Summertime” is both its peak and fault. The show is not a deep show with a message for viewers. Instead, it is an escape.
Aside from the occasional awkward melodrama, Summertime whisks you away with picturesque scenes of the Adriatic coast. It also brings diversity into Italian shows that you usually will not see. If you are truly missing the beach and traveling, this show will cure your wanderlust.