There have been songs written about “April in Paris,” but April in Italy is just as worthy of a musical tribute. Spring has pretty much sprung by this time throughout most of the country, and while that means that the weather in Italy won’t necessarily be 100% reliably wonderful, it is still a great time to travel in Italy.
April is when the tourist season starts ramping up in Italy, although it is still generally considered part of Italy’s “shoulder season.” Even though it is not the height of the high season yet, however, you are likely to find higher prices in Italy’s most popular tourist destinations. If you are prepared to perhaps pay a bit more for accommodation and airfare, Italy in April is still a real treat – it’s typically not very hot anywhere and the onslaught of tourists hasn’t hit yet.
As with any other month in Italy, there are festivals and celebrations taking place all over the country – and as I’ve mentioned repeatedly, seeing a town celebrate something near and dear to its heart is an excellent way to create unique travel memories. Learning a new dance, tasting a new food or participating in a procession through town are all the makings of some of the best travel experiences any of us can hope to have – so be sure to check out what’s going on in April in Italy!
The patron saint of Venice is St. Mark, and his special day is April 25th – a great day to be in Venice if you like the idea of lots of live music and a big feast in St. Mark’s Square. And in the town of Sezze outside Rome, the last weekend in April is the Sacre del Carciofo – the Artichoke Festival. Artichoke lovers will get to sample the thorny dish cooked several different ways and served with local breads. To learn about these festivals and the countless others going on throughout Italy in April, check out this festival finder – just choose a region and a month from the drop-down menu and click “Search” and you will get a sampling of the kinds of celebrations you can make a part of your vacation.
Also note that April 25 is a national public holiday in Italy – it’s the Festa della Liberazione, or Liberation Day. It recognizes the liberation of Italy after World War II by the allied forces in 1945. Many Italians take advantage of the proximity of Liberation Day and May Day (May 1), both Italian public holidays, to take an extended vacation. Many stores and attractions will be closed on April 25, so keep that in mind when you’re planning your holiday.
Oh, and if you thought that you could escape the pranks of April Fool’s Day by going to Italy, you were wrong. Italy has their own kind of April Fool’s Day.
{ 16 comments }
Very encouraging. I have to check my miles to see if it would cover the air fair in April.
I would like to know, how is the weather in the
places I’m going ro visit in the month of April/
Rome,13,Portofino14,Florence,15 Scicily(Messina)
16,Croatia 17, Venice 18,19 ,Naples/Capri 21,22
Thank you,
Miriam Kuntzmann
hi could you please let me know what part of italy to visit first( North or South). we are hoping to spend 4 months in italy. starting around april 2010. we would like to go south to sicily as well as north and into Austria and switzerland. We just wondering about what place to start at first depending on the climate
thank you giuliano
Wow, four months in Italy? Well, no matter what time of year you visit, it’s almost always going to be warmer the further south you go. So if you like the heat, start in the north and end up in the HOT south. If you prefer more temperate climates, start in the south and work your way north. You’ll find more general weather information for Italy on my weather page:
http://www.italylogue.com/weather/
please can you tell where in Italy is it the hottest from 2 April to 17 April?
Hi, Lorraine:
It’s really not possible to pinpoint exactly what the weather will be for that specific a date range, but you can always check the weather averages for April to get a good idea.
http://www.italylogue.com/weather/
Ciao,
Jessica
Jessica–
I am a journalism student and am doing a newspaper page layout about Italy in April. I was hoping you’d allow me to use your article as the feature story, with your permission. This is a class assignment only, so no profits/wide circulation will occur from its use (only 100ish journalism students will read/look at the page).
Thanks so much!
Kaitlin
Hi, Kaitlin:
Thanks for your question, and I appreciate you asking. I think it’s fine if you use the text of the article for your assignment, provided that you include my name on the byline (Jessica Spiegel) and the URL of the site it came from (http://www.italylogue.com/). I am curious, though – in a journalism class, they’re not requiring you to write your own article?
Ciao,
Jessica
Jessica–
Thanks so much for letting me use your article–it is a journalism design class, so I am just making an InDesign mock-up of a page. She doesn’t want us to write, only to lay out pages. Thanks again,
Kaitlin
Ah, I see. Again, thanks for asking in advance, and good luck with your project.
Hi Jessica,
I have been through all you articles on the weather in Italy. I am planning for a trip next April 2011 for about 3 weeks. I am a little confused, would i need to carry some warm clothes around that time of the year, or is it not at all required? Could you suggest a month which might not be cold, though i don’t mind it being on the warmer side and which might not be the peak time?
Thanks,
Poulami
Hi, Poulami:
Depending on where you go in Italy, April may have a few cooler days with some rain, but it also may be perfectly lovely. The worst case scenario is that you pack for warm weather and you need to buy an umbrella or a sweater when you’re there. But really, your best bet is to consult current weather forecasts the week before you leave, so you know exactly what the weather will be like when you’re there.
I hope that helps,
Jessica
Thanks Jessica- In that case i would have to avoid going in April as am quite allergic to cold. The next best bet happens to be May I guess then. I want to feel the sun. Before anything else, i need to thank you for the wonderful effort you had put in in creating this repository. I am from India and this is going to be my first trip to Europe. In all possibilty i might have one of my friends accompanying me, else i am going to be on my own. Just 2 weeks back i had no clue where to start from as i did not want to avail any of the Travel aegents service for this.
I want to go on a backpack trip, where i would explore the other side of Italy along with the typical tourist destinations. I do understand that as a first timer i cannot commit the sin of not seeing the vaticans, basillicas, colloseums, forums, st.peters
, but at the same time i want to explore the countryside as well. I want to spend tiem with the people out there and understand and appreciate thrie culture. With this regard your recommendation on ‘agritourism’ appeals to me a lot. I have read your article on 2 weeks itenerary for Italy, and that’s wonderful. Since i have no idea about anythign, i have decided to stick by your plan for the 2 weeks. But could you help me in sqeezing in my agritourism experience into this as well? Or i need a couple of more days in my itinerary?
Thanks a lot and once again kudos for your effort!!!!
-Poulami
Hi, Poulami:
I’m glad you’ve found this site helpful in your trip planning! Agriturismo opportunities are wonderful, and because they’re most often out in the country they require a car to reach them – if you want to do that, you can just rent a car for your time in Tuscany and still avoid it in the cities. You might choose to spend a couple nights in Florence and then 2-3 nights at an agriturismo (with a car), making day trips into other towns nearby, and skip the Cinque Terre. If experiencing the countryside is more important to you, that might be your best option – especially considering the Cinque Terre is so popular and crowded these days.
I hope that helps,
Jessica
Hi Jessica,
I have one problem here now. I don’t know driving
so would i have public transport taxis or buses dropping me in one of those agriturismo sites, especially beacuse i might be on my own?? Keeping your suggestions in mind i would like to prepare my itenerary and would be glad if you have a look at it. I want to understand the feasibility of my itinerary before i go for it and you would be the ultimate guide for this.
One more question. Just like you, i have come across many who have devoured their stay in Venice, hence it’s on my itinerary as well. But as you said spending atleast a night or two is worth being in Venice. But is it a lil too expensive for a budget travel? Won’t i get decent hostels there?
Hi, Poulami:
My thoughts:
1. No, buses usually don’t get you all the way to agriturismo sites, and taxis usually don’t operate out that far, either. Without a car, I’m afraid you’re going to need to stick to places you can get to easily – some agriturismo places are closer to towns where you can get a bus (although you’d still need to get from the bus stop to the agriturismo, which may mean walking), but most aren’t.
2. If you’re mostly sticking with the itinerary I laid out in my 2-week itinerary post, you shouldn’t need to have me look at it – you already know I like that itinerary.
3. Venice has some hostels and budget hotels – here are some articles to help you find them:
http://www.italylogue.com/accommodation/hostels-i... http://www.italylogue.com/accommodation/finding-h...
Hope that helps,
Jessica
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