Introduction. Chickenpox is a varicella zoster virus (VZV) induced disease characterized by many following crops of vescico-pustules on the skin surface. In a very few cases chickenpox starts with tense, clear, bullous lesions evolving into pustules after some days. Case report. A 28-year old young lady, suffering from atopy, returned from holiday at the seaside to our Department because of the onset, a week before, of many erythematous-bullous clear, tense lesions, 5-6 mm in diameter localized on the face and the trunk. The lesions affected only photoexposed skin and spared areas previously photoprotected by the swim suit. A few days after our first examination, bullae evolved into pustules. The clinical diagnosis of chickenpox was confirmed with a biopsy, the positive results of the viral culture and with seroconversion. The patient was successfully treated with acyclovir 4 gr daily for 10 days. Discussion. Bullous onset of chickenpox is very rare and it may be due to a more virulent strain of virus or to an impaired immunologic reactivity of the patient. In our case the condition of atopy might have played a significant role; the localization of the lesions to photoexposed areas is probably related to an UV induced skin immunosuppression (the patient was sunbathing all day long) that influenced the clinical picture.