When do you use the present continuous in Italian?

The presend continuous in Italian is used for an action that is taking place at the time of speaking. For example: "sto mangiando una mela": I am eating an apple, this means that you are eating the apple right now as you are speaking. This is different from the present continuous in English as in English we use the present continuous also for planned future actions. For example: "Next week, I am going to the beach", in Italian you can't say "La prossima settimanda sto andando al mare" but you need to use the future tense: "La prossima settimana andrò al mare". Therefore, the present continuous in Italian is used for actions that are taking place at the time of speaking and not for future actions.