Italians are shameless romantics, unapologetically cheesy, and delightfully cheeky—and we demand that our summer soundtrack reflects exactly that. We don’t just have “summer hits”—we have tormentoni. Literally translating to “big torments,” they’re those catchy earworms that take the country hostage from June to September. It’s the type of music you hear drifting from the bar del bagno where everyone is vibing with sandy feet and sweating gelati confezionati, or blaring from the radio to keep you distracted from the endless holiday traffic jam while it’s 40 degrees on the A1.
Here, the 10 songs from Spotify Italy’s official summer playlist that best encapsulate the local spirit of estate italiana this year.
“LA TESTA GIRA” by Fred De Palma, Anitta, Emis Killa
You can’t have an estate italiana without a reggaeton-infused hit that tests the suspension of your car speakers, and this trans-Atlantic collaboration delivers, getting our heads spinning (as the title promises). Co-composed by Latin Grammy nominee Anitta alongside Italian pop-smith Federica Abbate, and produced by Cino, the track brings Rio de Janeiro heat with its merengue cadence—perfect vibes for those sweaty 2 AM nights on the beach when the sea breeze does nothing to cool you down. Anitta sings, “I’ve been to Puerto Rico, Miami, Saint-Tropez / But my absolute favorite is the Italian bad boy.” Same, girl.
“Sciallà” by Nu Genea
True to their signature groove, Neapolitan duo Nu Genea gifts us this hypnotic track for summer 2026. Sung entirely in dialect, “Sciallà”—a nod to Italian slang for chilling out (which stems from the Arabic phrase Inshallah, meaning “if God wills”)—draws inspiration from 1970s disco and soul. While it has fast become an aperitivo favorite, audiophiles have been buying the ultra-limited 7″ vinyl release on their NG Records imprint, which features an exclusive, percussion-heavy “Ritmo” version that’s become a secret weapon for club DJs across Europe.
“AL MIO PAESE” by Serena Brancale, Levante, DELIA
An anthem for every fuorisede (those who study or work away from their hometowns) heading back down south for August, this track from Serena Brancale has all the markings of a classic summer hit. Working with Levante and DELIA, the Sicilian breakout star from X Factor Italy, Brancale wanted to explore Southern folklore beyond her native Puglia, with lyrics like “But my grandmother laughed with her eyes / And said: ‘Life is just a passing through’ / In my hometown, the earth is made of clay / And the sun eats away at your face.” Fun fact, the music video was filmed entirely on the island of Ortigia in Siracusa.
“Sorry Scusa Lo Siento” by Pinguini Tattici Nucleari
Stepping away from the traditional sunny pop formula, one of Italy’s favorite indie-rock bands delivers what frontman Riccardo Zanotti describes as a “gothic summer fairytale.” Preceded by mysterious billboards featuring the band’s signature penguin popping up across London, Milan, and Madrid, the track explores the incommunicability of modern relationships. The narrative draws philosophical inspiration from David Foster Wallace’s famous quote, “Every love story is a ghost story,” painting a picture of lovers drifting apart like phantoms. “Conosco mille lingue ma non la tua” (“I know a thousand languages but not yours”). We see this one as a great choice for an introspective, late-night coastal drive.
“Bossa Nostra” by Gaia
Italian-Brazilian artist Gaia channels her dual heritage into this sophisticated pop track, co-written with Pinguini Tattici Nucleari’s frontman, Riccardo Zanotti, and produced by Marco Paganelli. Gaia gave fans a surprise preview of the track during her Il Baile continua concert at Milan’s Fabrique—an event that went viral on TikTok after she shared an impromptu on-stage kiss with fellow pop star Levante. The song perfectly captures that specific, melancholic Italian summer feeling of being lonely even in a crowd, or as Gaia sings, “lontani nello stesso letto” (“distant in the same bed”). She shot the music video at Milan’s Circolo Arci Grossoni and Il Giardino degli Aromi, featuring an eclectic cast of characters ranging from neighborhood maranza and drag queens to elderly regulars.
“ROMANTICA” by Ultimo
Because Italian summer requires at least one tear-jerking power ballad to belt with the windows down, Ultimo brings us “ROMANTICA”. Co-produced by the Roman artist alongside longtime collaborator Yoshi (Matteo Nesi), the arrangement deliberately ditches any over-engineered studio tricks to let the piano and strings carry the weight of his words. It’s a fitting approach for the artist whose stadium concerts are among the largest in Italy; he even managed to dethrone the legendary Vasco Rossi, shattering the record for the largest single-ticketed concert in Italian history by selling 250,000 tickets in just three hours for his upcoming Rome show. “ROMANTICA” may be cheesy, but who can’t relate to, “Sono dentro ai tuoi sogni, c’è una luce laggiù / corro per arrivarci fino a che non c’è più” (“I am inside your dreams, there’s a light down there / I run to reach it until it’s no longer there”)?
“Buon Vento” by Jovanotti, Alfa
There’s no estate italiana without Jovanotti, who’s been rolling out hits every summer since the ’90s. Bridging two generations of Italian pop, “Buon Vento” sees the singer act as the seasoned mentor guiding the chart-topping younger artist, Alfa, through the metaphorical waves of life. Co-written with producer Federico Nardelli, the track draws inspiration from the Genovese songwriting school to create an optimistic, acoustic-driven road trip anthem. Alfa charmingly described their studio dynamic as a maritime hierarchy where Jovanotti is the wise old captain who has weathered a thousand ocean storms, while he is the wide-eyed young sailor sitting on the deck with a notebook full of questions.
“Canto d’amore” by Angelina Mango, Marco Mengoni
Released two years after Angelina Mango and Marco Mengoni’s first studio duet, this powerhouse vocal pairing is this year’s “anti-tormentone“, says Claudio Cabona of Rockol. Written alongside Jacopo Ettorre and produced by Cripo and Giovanni Pallotti, the track leans into traditional Mediterranean popular chants with dense, overlapping choral hooks. The song’s rollout became an internet mystery when a viral TikTok profile called “canto.damore” surfaced, showing three older women singing the chorus in random locations across Milan—part of the artists’ desire to capture the spirit of an Italian piazza.
“OSSESSIONE” by Samurai Jay, Vito Salamanca
Originally released at the 76th Festival di Sanremo, this track has lingered long into the hot months to become an obsession (see what we did there?) of the season. Blending hip-hop elements with a reggaeton rhythm, rapper Samurai Jay and producer Vito Salamanca capture the toxic but magnetic pull of a summer fling: “I only love you on Fridays / Dancing with you like this / For an hour I feel you’re mine / It’s not love, it’s an illness.” The cinematic music video brings you to a Tarantino-inspired universe, playing out a From Dusk Till Dawn parody where Belén Rodríguez channels a modern Salma Hayek alongside unexpected cameos from Rkomi and Brunori Sas.
“AYAYAY” by Sfera Ebbasta, DYSTINCT
Bringing Afro-urban vibes to the Italian peninsula, this collab between trap king Sfera Ebbasta and Moroccan-Belgian singer DYSTINCT (one of the biggest emerging stars in Europe right now, thanks to his mix of Arabic, French, and pop influences) is an infectious one. Blending the former’s signature auto-tuned flow with the latter’s global rhythms, the track contrasts the grit of Sfera’s origins with the glamorous reality of his current summer escapades—sailing on yachts, popping premium bottles, and chasing a love that feels just as fast and fleeting as the season itself. “Mami, you’re driving me out of my mind / This night is ours, forget the rest / Tell me where you are and I’ll come pick you up soon.” Ayayay.