Best time to visit Italy

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Best time to visit Italy

Every month offers something beautiful or exciting somewhere in Italy.

Soaring temperatures in July and August mean this isn't the best time to visit Italy for cycling or hiking, particularly in the south, Sicily and Sardinia. Summer also sees crowds in popular cities and some coastal destinations. But often you can avoid the melee simply by heading off well-worn trails. April-June and Sep-Oct are good for active vacations, with comfortable temperatures and reasonably dry weather. Sardinia, Sicily and southern Italy are warm from May-October, and also get more intense summer heat. Winter is excellent for snow-activities in the Alps, Dolomites and Apennines.

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Tuscany Weather Chart

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DEC

Our Italy Vacations

Italy, month by month

Italy in January can be all about making the most of the early snow in the Dolomites and Apennines or revelling in a darker, moodier side to the country’s tourist bereft cities such as Venice, Bologna and Florence. The further south you go and the warmer you’ll find it with several sites in Sicily and Sardinia certainly worth visiting in the ‘off peak’ months of February and March. Easter is a major calendar event in Italy with everywhere from Rome to Milan recognising religious ceremonies and cultural traditions in some form of procession or another. April and May are certainly the best time to go to Italy if you’re looking for ideal temperatures for hillside hiking and steep cycling although there’s still every chance of rain, especially in the north. June, July and August are heating up no matter where you are in Italy and it’s probably too hot for cyclists and hikers hoping for lengthy treks and too crowded for couples looking for secluded romance. September and October are also considered the best time to go to Italy as the harvest brings the freshest market produce imaginable as well as a flourish of colour from the forests and characterful images of farmers and pickers working the undulating agricultural landscapes. November can be bleak and regions such as Tuscany take on a much more sombre mood ahead of the religious festivities and brazier warmed Christmas markets that help to make December a dark horse but well worth a punt on a city break.

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What happens when in Italy

Etien Veeman from our walking supplier 46 Degrees explains why she believes spring and autumn are the best time to visit Italy: “In spring and autumn nature offers different faces every day! Skies can be deep blue and it’s not too warm for a good hike. Spring mountain hikes are like walking through the seasons: in lower areas, especially lakeside, summer seems to have arrived with flowering camellia and bougainvillea next to palms. Heading upwards, primula colours the path yellow, while on shady mountain ridges crocuses still peek through snow - all on the same day! In autumn, mushrooms pop out, leaves colour and migrating birds can be spotted. Plus there's much more chance of encountering wild animals like deer, wild boar or chamois.”

Festivals & events in Italy

Did you know about...?

Ferragosto (August 15)

Now the Feast of the Assumption, this sprang from the pre-Christian Roman festival Feriae Augusti, offering a fun break after harvest exertions – hence the continuing decoration and parade of work animals like ox and mule. Each region parties differently: outdoor dancing (Rome), effigies and fireworks (Liguria and Abruzzo), historic pageants (Tuscany), climbing poles (Campania) and giant candles (Sardinia)!

More about Italy

Italy travel guide

Explore our Italy travel guide like a wild boar snuffling for truffles in a sun dappled oak orchard deep within the eternally undulating Etruscan countryside.

Where to go in Italy

If you’re searching for where to go in Italy and how to make the most of your time then why not check out our interactive highlights map that will take you all the way from the Dolomites and the Italian Alps in the north down to the islands of Sardinia and Sicily, further south.

Things to do in Italy

Our top activities in Italy tend to revolve around the cultural history, the cycling routes, the walking trails and the fabulous hillsides that surround some of Europe’s most iconic cities however, if you’re after things to do in Italy, look no further than the food as the locals truly live to eat and do so extremely well.

Things to see & do on Sicily

Sicily is a Russian doll of an island. The closer you look, the more you’ll realise that everything from the food to the architecture is a puzzle of Greek, Roman, North African and Anglo influences. Sky-high Mount Etna is just the smoking cherry on top. Read our Sicily travel guide to find out more.

Things to see & do on the Amalfi Coast, Italy

The Amalfi Coast jags along the underside of the Sorrentine Peninsula, dealing out cliffside villages and tiny polished pebble beaches along the way.

Things to see & do in Puglia

Travel to Puglia, and you’re diving into Italy’s deep south. Here, rural ways rule the roost. You can stay in masseria agriturismo and conical trulli farmhouses, and spend your days driving (or walking or cycling) from farm to vineyard to whitewashed city in search of some the best food and wine Italy has to offer.

Things to see & do in the Dolomites

The sheer mountains of the Dolomites aren’t just for winter. Cross country skiing and snow shoeing are the themes when the snow falls, but come spring you’ve got a region creased with impossibly scenic alpine walking routes and WWI-era cycle paths – plus a good serving of vineyards. Read our Dolomites travel guide to find out more.

Things to see & do in Tuscany

Most feel feel like they’ve got the measure of Tuscany before they’ve seen it. Florence, Chianti, medieval citadels and poppy fields, right? Well…yes. But there’s also everything in between, from the mountainous Apennines to hiking paths between vines that haven’t made it out of Italy yet. Read our Tuscany travel guide to find out more.

Traveling in Italy with kids

Find out what Responsible Travel recommends if you’re hell bent on traveling in Italy with kids.

Italy travel advice

Our Italy travel advice page is just perfect for those who love to learn from the local experts with Marta Marinelli, Marina Caldera and Andrea Monti all imparting their pearls of wisdom in addition to our thoroughly worthwhile health & safety in Italy section.

Responsible tourism in Italy

From slow food and sealife centers to preserving rural communities and ancient traditions read our responsible tourism in Italy page if you’ve got plans to find out what you can do to travel right in Italy.

All our Italy guides

Find all of our Italy guides in one place, for Italy vacations in particular places such as the Tuscany or Sicily, or perhaps you would like to know more about the different types of Italy vacations such as walking or cycling.