Best Time to Visit Italy

It’s usually warm all over Italy in summer. South of Florence, the weather in Italy is usually dry in summer. Inland and landlocked regions such as Tuscany and Veneto can be unpleasant to visit during a hot spell. The day temperatures in Italy begin to increase from May and lasting until mid-October. Italy in May is plenty busy with the tourist season just around the corner. It gets pretty crowded during June and July. So summer may not be the best time to visit Italy for holiday. August is the hottest month in the country, especially Naples and the Mediterranean coast. Not to mention, it is also very crowded as the locals are out on holidays throughout the month as well. Hotel prices and day temperatures also peak in the summer, especially July and August.

However, there is an upside to visit Italy in summer season, the days are longer so most of the attractions like museums and cathedrals remain open for longer hours than in winter. Also, the entire country seems to be celebrating holidays and so plenty of opportunities to mingle with the locals and get a taste of nightlife in Italy.

The rainiest months almost everywhere in Italy are usually October and November. While some areas in central Italy like Milan and Venice witness rainfall pretty much throughout the year, cities in southern Italy like Rome and Naples experience rainfall mostly during the winter season. Northern Italy, especially the higher Alps and Alpine foothills, witness snowfall from December to February. Winters in the north are cold with occasional rain and snow. In Rome, Tuscany, and Sicily the weather is warm almost all year.

Italy experiences fairly mild winters compared to other countries in Europe. All things considered, the ideal time to visit Italy is the winter season, from November through February. For those looking to come to Italy to celebrate Christmas or New Years’ Eve should make flights and hotel reservations as early as possible to avail discounts. The best time to visit Italy for honeymoon is winter as it is considered an off-season in Italy in terms of hotel prices and tourist crowds. The average temperatures in Central and Southern Italy in December hover between 10 to 15 degrees. A winter visit to Rome or Florence can tempt tourists to spend more time in a trattoria than in cafes and to top it all off, tourists in Florence may have the ‘David’ all to themselves.

November through March, many tourist attractions in Italy operate on shorter hours as the days are shorter too. Po and Adige valleys in Northern Italy and some lower regions in Central and Southern Italy witness moderately cold winters. Also, the precipitation is higher in winter months so is no specific dry season. The weather in peninsular coastal areas is different from upper and interior valleys, particularly in winter. When the higher altitudes witness snow and biting cold, coastal regions have milder temperatures and are generally dry. The average winter temperature in the Alps is around 0 degree Celsius whereas, the average temperature in Sicily hovers around 20 °C.