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Best time to visit Italy

The best time to visit Italy is either the early summer months of June and July or September and October in the autumn. During these months, the weather is ideal for active vacations such as walking or cycling. Our guide to the best time to visit Italy gives you advice on when to go for wine tasting, winter activities and avoiding the crowds.

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Best time to visit Italy

Every month offers something beautiful or exciting somewhere in Italy.

The best time to visit Italy is early summer (June and July) and autumn (September and October), when the weather is comfortably sunny and dry. This weather is perfect for cycling and hiking everywhere from Tuscany to Sicily to the Amalfi Coast in southern Italy. July and August are the hottest months and popular cities and parts of the coast get very busy. Avoid the crowds in Italy in summer by making for less-known trails and towns. Winter is fantastic for snow activities in the Alps and Dolomites, while colder months such as November and February also tend to be the cheapest time to visit Italy.

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When to go to Italy, month by month guide

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.

Tuscany Weather Chart

MIN °C

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RAIN (mm)

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OCT

NOV

114

DEC

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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

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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)!