Weather in Italy

Check out these specific posts I’ve written about visiting Italy at different times of year - and look for more to come:
Italy in January
Italy in February
Italy in March
Italy in April
Italy in May
Italy in June
Italy in November
Italy in December

weather

Italy is not a huge country, but the weather from the top to the toe of this boot will vary pretty dramatically throughout the year. Plus, with the long coastlines and mountain ranges, the temperature can change in a matter of minutes as you go from town to town. Here is some information about the average temperature in Italy for a few cities, as well as tips about the best time to go to Italy. First up are some charts listing high and low average temperatures - in both Fahrenheit and Celsius - as well as the average number of wet days in each city below.

Milan - Northern Italy

Month	High (F)	Low (F)	High (C)	Low (C)	Wet Days
January	44	25	7	-4	8
February	47	27	8	-3	9
March	56	34	13	1	8
April	62	40	17	4	6
May	70	49	21	9	5
June	77	55	25	13	4
July	83	60	28	16	1
August	82	60	28	16	2
September	75	54	24	12	5
October	64	44	18	7	8
November	52	33	11	1	11
December	45	26	7	-3	10

Rome - Central Italy

Month	High (F)	Low (F)	High (C)	Low (C)	Wet Days
January	55	39	13	4	6
February	56	40	13	4	7
March	59	43	15	6	7
April	63	47	17	8	8
May	71	54	22	12	8
June	77	61	25	16	9
July	83	66	28	19	6
August	83	67	28	19	7
September	79	62	26	17	5
October	71	56	22	13	8
November	62	46	17	8	10
December	57	42	14	6	7

Palermo - Southern Italy

Month	High (F)	Low (F)	High (C)	Low (C)	Wet Days
January	59	51	15	11	12
February	59	51	15	11	8
March	61	52	16	11	8
April	64	55	18	13	6
May	70	61	21	16	3
June	77	68	25	20	2
July	83	74	28	23	0
August	84	75	29	24	2
September	80	72	27	22	4
October	74	66	23	19	8
November	66	58	19	14	8
December	61	54	16	12	10

When to Go

The question of when to go to Italy is a tough one to answer, as it depends largely on what kind of trip you want to take, what on your list are “must-see” sights, what your budget is, etc. But generally speaking, Spring and Autumn are most pleasant. While the traditional high season is creeping on both ends to include much of Spring and Autumn these days, the crowds still are not as bad in May as they can be in July, and prices sometimes are a bit less as well. If budget is your main concern, a trip to Italy between November and April will be cheap (relatively speaking) and, as a bonus, you will not have to wait in the frighteningly long lines at the major sights like July’s visitors are forced to do.

August is holiday month in Italy (and throughout much of Europe), and while most tourist sights are open there will be plenty of “closed for the holidays” signs in shop and restaurant windows. And if you thought you might head to the beach in August on a whim, forget it - that is where all the Italians have disappeared to, and everything is booked up well in advance.

Around each holiday, the prices will go up as well, even in the dead of winter. Celebrating Christmas or Easter in Italy - especially at the Vatican - is, as you can imagine, a popular thing to do. Spending a holiday in Italy is indeed a memorable occasion, just be sure to book ahead for a place to stay or you will be out in the cold.

So, the bottom line is this - generally speaking:

Early Spring - Temperate weather, moderate airfare and hotel prices, moderate crowds
Late Spring through Early Autumn - Highest heat, airfare, hotel and other prices, as well as biggest crowds
Late Autumn - Temperate weather, moderate airfare and hotel prices, moderate crowds
November through March - Most unpredictable/cold weather, lowest prices on basically everything, smallest crowds