Posted by Swim Shady
on August 17, 2025
Words by Sprezzatura World.
When we packed up the car for our 5,000-mile road trip across Europe this summer - from French lavender fields to Puglian beaches, Amalfi cliffs to hilltop villages in the Italian interior - we didn’t realise how many times we’d be asked, “Where did you get that shade?”
The answer? Swim Shady.
As founders of Sprezzatura World, a boutique travel consultancy helping adventurous travellers experience Europe beyond the obvious, we pride ourselves on finding the hidden gems - whether that’s an unlisted cove, a farm-to-table dinner in the Apulian countryside, or a family-run boutique hotel at the foot of the Dolomites. We spend months each year on the road, researching, testing, and living what we recommend.
This year, Swim Shady became part of our essential kit - and not just for us. Locals were intrigued, and other travellers stopped us constantly to ask what it was and where they could get one.
Here’s why it worked so well:
• It’s incredibly lightweight and compact, meaning it took up almost no room in the boot (precious space when you’re living out of a Fiat 500).
• It was quick to set up after just a couple of tries, perfect for moving between beaches and lunch stops.
• It stood out visually - not just shade, but a showstopper. The silhouette, the shape, the colourways… it turned heads from France to Puglia.
• Even our dog loved it - it became his go-to nap spot on the sand.
From the moment we popped it up on a cliffside ledge on the Tremiti Islands, we knew this was going to turn heads - and it did. Locals came up to us out of curiosity, wanting to know what it was, how it worked, and where to get one. We ended up handing out the Swim Shady Instagram handle more than once. The visual impact alone makes it feel like a travel essential - sleek, lightweight, eye-catching, beautifully designed.We used it on sun-drenched beaches along the Adriatic, tucked it into rocky coves in Liguria - it became a staple in our set-up, right up there with olive oil and our favourite espresso cups.
The matching towel and reversible beach bag brought the whole set together. There’s something incredibly satisfying about a kit that feels this intentional and aesthetically on-point. We especially loved the smart zip pockets in the bag, ideal for stashing keys, phones, and even those lunch receipts we’d never claim.
Overall? Swim Shady made our summer easier, cooler, and a whole lot better looking. And for our clients - many of whom are Australian travellers heading to Europe for the first time - it’s exactly the kind of product we’d recommend. Smart, functional, stylish, and built for the kind of slow, off-grid travel we believe in.
We think of it like this: Swim Shady is what you’d bring if you were travelling with a dog, a bottle of rosé, and room for just one piece of beach kit.
We’ll be taking it with us next year too.