Weather in Italy

Italy stretches about 1,200 kilometers from the Alps to Sicily, so "the weather in Italy" is really four or five different climates. In January you can ski in the Dolomites in the morning and, a short flight later, eat lunch outdoors in Palermo. Milan in winter is gray, damp and often foggy. Rome in August is a furnace. Plan by region and by month, not by country.

>> For more trip-planning help, don't miss my Italy first-time visitor guide.

Italy weather month by month

Each season and month has its own guide, with what's on, what to pack and what the crowds are like:

Italy in Winter

Italy in December
Italy in January
Italy in February

Italy in Spring

Italy in March
Italy in April
Italy in May

Italy in Summer

Italy in June
Italy in July
Italy in August

Italy in Fall

Italy in September
Italy in October
Italy in November

The short version: when to go

Late April to early June, and September to mid-October, are the sweet spots for most of the country. Days are warm, evenings are cool enough for a jacket, and the sea in the south is swimmable from June well into October. They're also the busiest times for museums, so book the big sights ahead.

July and August are hot, and getting hotter. Average highs in Rome and Florence are around 90°F (32°C), and heatwaves now regularly push inland cities past 100°F (38°C) for days at a time. If you travel in summer, sightsee early, take the long lunch Italians take, and save the afternoon for a church, a museum or the beach. Around the Ferragosto holiday on 15 August, many locals leave the cities for the coast and some family-run restaurants and shops close for a week or two.

November is one of the wettest months almost everywhere. It's also cheap and quiet. In Venice, late autumn and early winter are the season for acqua alta, the high tides that flood low parts of the city. Since 2020 the MOSE flood barriers have been raised to hold back the worst of them, so the big floods are much rarer now, but St. Mark's Square can still get wet feet on a smaller tide. Pack shoes you don't mind soaking.

Winter splits the country. The north gets cold, gray and foggy on the plains and snowy in the Alps and Dolomites, which is great if you ski. Rome and Naples are mild but rainy, with highs in the mid-50s°F (about 13°C). Sicily is the warmest place in Italy in winter, with daytime highs around 60°F (15°C). Short days and fewer crowds make it a good time for museum-heavy city trips.

Mountains and lakes run cooler. The Alps, the Dolomites and the lakes are the classic escape from summer heat, and mountain weather changes fast: afternoon thunderstorms are common in July and August.

Average temperatures in Italy, city by city

These are long-term averages (mostly 1991 to 2020) from Italy's national environmental agency ISPRA, NOAA and the Italian weather service, as compiled on Wikipedia. "Rainy days" means days with at least 1 mm of rain. Averages hide the extremes, and recent summers have run well above them.

Milan: northern Italy

Continental climate on the Po plain: cold, often foggy winters and hot, humid summers. Spring and late autumn bring the most rain.

Venice: the northeast

Similar to Milan but moderated by the lagoon, with damp winters and muggy summers.

Florence: central Italy

Florence sits in a bowl of hills that traps heat, which makes it one of the hottest big cities in Italy in July and August. Autumn is the wettest season.

Rome: central Italy

Mediterranean: mild, wet winters and long, hot, dry summers. July and August see barely two rainy days a month.

Palermo: Sicily and the south

The mildest winters in the country and warm nights all summer. Almost no rain from June to August.

Checking the forecast

For the week you're actually there, I like meteo.it. It's in Italian, but the icons are easy to read. The official forecast from the Italian Air Force's weather service is at meteoam.it. In summer, watch for heat alerts in the cities, and plan the long walk for the morning.

Whatever the season, pack layers. Churches are cool inside even in August, and they expect covered shoulders and knees, so a light scarf or shirt does double duty. There's more in our Italy packing list.

satellite image by Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC