Italian food may not be the first thing you think of when you think of summer, but it should be, because, well, Italian food should be the first thing you think of, period. Luca, Frank Bonanno’s elegant Italian restaurant, is hosting a four-part summer pop-up series. Events include an Italian family-style feast on June 29; Luca by the Bite (where you’ll try a dozen-plus dishes off the regular menu) on Aug. 17; and a four-course burrata tasting menu — yes, burrata after burrata after burrata after burrata — on Sept. 14.

But, for me, real show-stopper is the five-course pasta tasting menu on July 20. You know how the saying goes: You miss 100 percent of the pastas you don’t eat. Or something like that. So eat these five hand-made pastas and live life without regrets. Luca Summer Pop-Up Series, $65 per person (includes tax and gratuity): 711 Grant St., Denver, 303-832-6600; lucadenver.com or bonannoconcepts.com/market for tickets.