Summertime captures a long infatuation with Italy

Back in the late 1700s, literary legend Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote an influential travelogue about his two years journeying through Italy that helped cement a long German romance with the southern European country. In the post-war years, well-travelled German citizens holidayed across Italy in the millions from Sicily to the Amalfi Coast, enjoying ocean, sun, regional cuisine — and, of course, gelato. Vespa scooters, sun and sand populate the myth of "la dolce vita," Italy's good life — and a popular Netflix series. In the novel, "Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre", Goethe famously referenced Italy when he asked: "Do you know the land where the lemons blossom?"