{"id":45634,"date":"2026-06-25T03:36:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T03:36:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/45634\/"},"modified":"2026-06-25T03:36:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T03:36:16","slug":"the-social-ritual-of-evening-walks-in-spain-greece-and-italy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/45634\/","title":{"rendered":"The social ritual of evening walks in Spain, Greece and Italy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Quality<\/a><\/p>\n

The Italian tradition of la passeggiata is so much more than the mere act of walking. It is a custom so deeply ingrained in the nation\u2019s psyche that, wherever you might find yourself in Italy, you will see smartly dressed residents strolling and mingling in the late afternoon or after dinner to grab a cooling gelato. People promenade \u2013 and there really is no rush. They\u2019re there to see and be seen, swap news and gossip. It\u2019s the journey, not the destination, that matters. <\/p>\n

The tradition has found a foothold among the Spanish too, who partake in el paseo, while the Greeks have the peratzada. Monocle mingles with the crowds on three leisurely meanders as the day winds to an end but before the evening\u2019s revelries begin.<\/p>\n

1.
\u2018El paseo\u2019
San Sebasti\u00e1n, Spain <\/p>\n

When Monocle asks those ambling along San Sebasti\u00e1n\u2019s Ondarreta esplanade where they\u2019re heading, the answer, more often than not, is \u201cnowhere in particular\u201d. They aren\u2019t being evasive. They\u2019re simply doing what Spaniards do best. \u201cDando el paseo\u201d \u2013 taking a stroll \u2013 is a national pastime during which the destination doesn\u2019t matter. Instead, the focus is entirely on the journey. <\/p>\n

This city, known as Donostia in Basque, has more than one paseo a day. The first is in the morning, before the rising sun warms the pavements. This stroll is about kicking both body and mind into gear. With 26.6 per cent of residents over the age of 65, the city has one of Spain\u2019s biggest senior populations. It joined the World Health Organization\u2019s Age-Friendly Cities framework in 2010 but an active and inclusive lifestyle comes naturally here. <\/p>\n

\t\t\tMaite Diazdalda in a cool corner\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\/<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMaite Diazdalda in a cool corner\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\/<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGoiatz, Carla and sunny smiles\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\/<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFather Fernando Prado pauses his \u2018paseo\u2019\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\/<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBego\u00f1a and Natalia\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\/<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSara from Pamplona\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\/<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLauren Livinggood\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\/<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAmaia Bordas in enviable sunglasses\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

As well as the morning stroll, there\u2019s its after-dinner cousin. Partly intended to aid digestion, this paseo can be a touch romantic too. But Spain\u2019s main stroll happens between 19.00 and 21.00, before dinner. It\u2019s healthy, social and, most importantly, cultural \u2013 an aimless meander that keeps the country connected and moving. In San Sebasti\u00e1n, there\u2019s an unspoken consensus that you should look your best: think sophisticated se\u00f1oras and smartly dressed se\u00f1ores with no Lycra or leisurewear in sight.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a warm evening so we find walkers sticking to the cooler streets of the old town. Elegantly dressed, Karmele Kaperotxippi tells us that she\u2019s \u201cjust passing through\u201d. In head-to-toe pink, Maite Recalde says she\u2019s on her way to buy a bikini but has taken the long route \u201cto soak in the energy\u201d. Jonathan Oloniluyi-Abel Rodrigo is likewise in no hurry, apart from when it comes to eating his ice cream before it melts. <\/p>\n

Back on the ornate and curved esplanade of La Concha beach, we meet a mix of young couples, chatty amigas and dog walkers. Ana, Jorge and Gizmo have stepped out to \u201cdar una vuelta\u201d (take a walk). <\/p>\n

\"\"Ander and Cristina at golden hour<\/p>\n

\"\"Jonathan Oloniluyi-Abel Rodrigo <\/p>\n

\"\"Vinod visiting from Cologne<\/p>\n

\"\"Maria Elenat has bags of style <\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a spirited side to walking along this beach, one of the busiest stretches of the Camino de Santiago: among the aimless amblers are those on pilgrimages. San Sebasti\u00e1n is one of the most beautiful stretches of the religious route. We meet Vivek Bhasin from Himachal Pradesh in India; he tells us that he regularly takes long walks across the globe. His last pilgrimage was 1,200km long. \u201cIt\u2019s a reflective path and a way to savour time,\u201d he says. Thankfully for him, this section of the Camino de Norte (Northern Way) is a little shorter at 803km. <\/p>\n

Back in mid-20th century Paris, situationist thinkers such as Guy Debord romanticised the unplanned stroll as the d\u00e9rive \u2013 the act of drifting. They created an art movement around observational walks \u2013 an early and sociopolitical take on mindfulness. In Spain, however, strolls aren\u2019t so intellectually freighted. The paseo is a simple, universal pleasure in which one steps onto the street to reconnect with the world, strut a little, chat a lot and see and be seen.<\/p>\n

As the sun sets and the evening rolls on, the footfall along San Sebasti\u00e1n\u2019s streets begins to decrease. But the city\u2019s wayfarers will no doubt be back tomorrow, ready for another day of wandering nowhere in particular. <\/p>\n

2.
\u2018La passeggiata\u2019
Pietrasanta, Tuscany <\/p>\n

Once the summer sun softens to a golden haze, the pedestrianised streets of tiny Pietrasanta become the stage for the urban choreography of la passeggiata \u2013 a pleasure stroll that requires no destination. Instead, it\u2019s a leisurely civic ritual and a refreshingly analogue social network that continues to connect local life. <\/p>\n

La passeggiata has deep roots across Italy, with promenaders in couples and small groups traversing the main piazzas and shop-filled streets of towns and cities \u2013 most commonly in the evening hours before dinner, when the day\u2019s work or beach visit is over and bars begin serving aperitivi. The point is not to seek solitude but rather to participate in public life among fellow denizens. The ritual remains especially entrenched in small towns where the sense of community is still palpable. <\/p>\n

\"\"Dogs enjoy a walk too<\/p>\n

\"\"A tie-waist shirt is a favourite this summer <\/p>\n

\"\"The odd local will take two wheels occasionally<\/p>\n

\"\"Nothing says summer like stripes <\/p>\n

In Pietrasanta, as in many seaside spots, the summer meander is an essential part of the day\u2019s rhythm, elevated by the town\u2019s singular character. Located by the mountains that yield the world-famous Carrara marble, the district has a long history of stone carving and the bronze casting of sculptures. These credentials have rendered Pietrasanta a magnet for artists \u2013 Isamu Noguchi, Fernando Botero and Igor Mitoraj all maintained studios here. The town\u2019s public spaces are rich in art, from the train station\u2019s Kan Yasuda sculpture and Botero\u2019s church frescoes to the monumental works installed annually in the main piazza.<\/p>\n

Alongside museums, such as the Igor Mitoraj foundation and the Museo dei Bozzetti, Pietrasanta\u2019s compact criss-cross of streets is home to dozens of art galleries. \u201cEven people from neighbouring towns like to come to Pietrasanta for a passeggiata because there\u2019s so much art to look at as you walk,\u201d says Sara Ferron Cima, c0-founder of Bloc Studios, which works with marble from nearby quarries. \u201cStrolling through town is a chance to marvel at all the beauty around you,\u201d says her husband, artist Paolo Ciregia, who points to the art but also to the proximity of the mountains, sea and forested hills. <\/p>\n

The central area is lined with distinctive independent shops: La Stramberia\u2019s Tuscan-made hats; Santa Riva\u2019s dapper men\u2019s selection; Thanks Dad, with its in-house clothing line. But it\u2019s the enduring presence of artists and artisans that preserves the town\u2019s rare authenticity. \u201cThis is a small working community of skilled craftspeople and artists,\u201d says designer Marco Guazzini, who moved to the area after holidaying here for years. He is enjoying a beachside aperitivo. \u201cYou see faces you know when you walk around and that keeps the town human.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\tJewellery designer Valeriya Guzema\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\/<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJewellery designer Valeriya Guzema\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\/<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe height of fashion\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\/<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCool in culottes\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\/<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA lesson in great tourist style\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\/<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBeachy vibes reach the city streets\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\u201cA passeggiata and an aperitivo \u2013 that\u2019s how we end the day whenever we can,\u201d says his tablemate, architect Andrea Leonardi, who usually has his son in tow, kicking a football through the town with the other kids. <\/p>\n

Head down to Marina di Pietrasanta, the town\u2019s seaside quarter, and you\u2019ll find roads edged with marble yards and stone depots before reaching the row of vintage beach clubs that front the sand. Along the car-free promenade, locals on bicycles drift by while others are on foot \u2013 freshly changed from the beach and ready to take part in the languid spectacle.<\/p>\n

3.
\u2018Peratzada\u2019
Chania, Crete <\/p>\n

As Chania\u2019s heat dissipates, its old harbour starts to fill up. Families, hotel guests, students and elderly couples emerge to begin their peratzada. Taken from the Greek word pernao, meaning \u201cto pass by\u201d, the peratzada is an amble that includes a few key stops along the way \u2013 for a coffee, beer, meze or, when the temperature starts to rise, vyssinada, a soft drink made with sour cherries, sugar and water, served ice-cold. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere are many different stretches that I pick for my walk, depending on my mood,\u201d says 33-year-old architect and photographer Nikos Kouklakis, who returned to the Cretan city from Vienna nine years ago to renovate his grandmother\u2019s apartment in the old town, where he now lives. \u201cBut there\u2019s something special about starting here [in the harbour], in the openness of the waterfront.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"\"Vianni and Max in Chania on a trip from Chicago<\/p>\n

\"\"Residents Chelsea and Daniel Cabo<\/p>\n

\"\"Architecture student Alkida Metai<\/p>\n

\"\"Stefania on a stroll with her granddaughter<\/p>\n

This evening, the city\u2019s layered past, which includes Venetian, Ottoman and Byzantine periods, appears briefly unified in the shimmering glow. Few Mediterranean promenades pack so much history into such a short distance: within 10 minutes, the walk passes the Ottoman mosque of Yali Tzami, with its distinctive domes, Venetian warehouses and shipyards, and small Byzantine churches. But far from being an open-air museum gazing wistfully at the past, it feels more like a lively urban stage. Caf\u00e9s occupy old customs houses; Venetian mansions are now boutique hotels; and tavernas spill on to former dockyards. In Neoria, the long, arched shipyards where Venetian boats were once built and repaired, fishermen now moor their vessels beneath the stone arches. <\/p>\n

Chania\u2019s most beloved peratzada often begins on the waterfront. But for locals in the know, it disperses into a series of routes. \u201cWe enjoy meeting visitors and getting to know them,\u201d says entrepreneur Nikos Tsepetis, owner of Ammos Hotel and Red Jane bakery. \u201cBut that doesn\u2019t mean our volta [walkaround] doesn\u2019t have a few twists and turns that only we know.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"\"Dimitris and Rafaela with their daughter\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Zaira Apostolaki Liokoura in the old knifemaking district<\/p>\n

One of the best-known detours climbs up to Rosa Nera, a 19th-century neoclassical mansion on Kasteli Hill. Now controversially occupied by squatters, it remains one of the city\u2019s most accessible viewpoints. \u201cMy favourite walk after a ramble on the waterfront is climbing up the steps here,\u201d says 35-year-old hotelier Zaira Apostolaki, the owner of Aisha Hotel, which opened in 2024 on the hill. \u201cI love sitting at the makeshift caf\u00e9 at sunset.\u201d From Kasteli Hill, the walk often continues through the lanes behind the harbour. Around Mhairadika, a corner of the city named after the old knifemaking workshops that still line the street, people are sipping early evening drinks with a view of the towering Venetian walls. The city\u2019s various routes then converge on Splantzia Square, in the old Turkish neighbourhood. <\/p>\n

At the square\u2019s centre stands the Church of Agios Nikolaos, a building dating back to the 14th century that features a slender Ottoman minaret rising beside the church\u2019s bell tower. It\u2019s a testament to the many influences that the city has absorbed. \u201cMy favourite time here is at dusk, when tables spill across the square beneath the plane trees,\u201d says Alkida Metai, a fourth-year architecture student. The perfect end to an unhurried promenade.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Italian tradition of la passeggiata is so much more than the mere act of walking. It is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":45635,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[20598,20599,3005,17,20600,15105],"class_list":["post-45634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-spain","tag-chania","tag-crete","tag-san-sebastian","tag-spain","tag-tuscany","tag-walking"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45634\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}