Best Time To Travel To: Italy
Italy is known as a country with high temperatures. At least in summer it is warm almost all over the country. In the fall, some parts of the country are still under the influence of the scirocco, a very warm desert wind that comes from North Africa. At the end of the scirocco there is usually a very rainy period.
Nevertheless, it is necessary to take a closer look at the country, because Italy does not only consist of warm coastal areas. For example, Italy has a share of the Alps. After that, the Po Valley is another important climatic region. And then there is the Appenine Peninsula in central Italy and the south with the islands of Sardinia and Sicily.
The Italian Alps
The mountain ranges of the Alps reach well above 3,000 meters in Italy, with a peak elevation of 4,748 meters. Climatically, the area is similar to that of the other bordering countries. However, it can be noted that the Italian Alps tend to be somewhat rainier than the Swiss or Austrian side. On the other hand, the lower foothills and the valleys of the Italian Alps are somewhat warmer both in winter and in summer.
In the Alps, summer is the wettest season of the year. From spring to autumn, one must always expect heavy storms. The mildest weather is around the famous lakes of Lake Garda, Lake Como and Lake Maggiore.
The Po Valley and the Plain in the North
Both plains are, nomen est omen, relatively flat. These areas are considered very fertile and are well populated. If you will, you can speak of the line Turin - Venice up to Trieste.
Here the rain is well distributed throughout the year. The summers are warm to hot. The winter can be very cold. One must always expect frost or snow in winter. Around Trieste, one must also always expect the very cold wind Bora in winter. Rain falls in summer and autumn on a few days, but then relatively heavy. In recent years, however, the north of Italy in particular has been a certain guarantor of heavy storms, with the main focus on the fall and the spring from January to March. In addition, one must always expect relatively cool phases in the region, with the exception of the Alpine foothills and Lombardy, which have Mediterranean conditions in places.
Representative for the region would be, for example, the climate tables of Milan and Venice.
The Appenine Peninsula and the South with Sardinia and Sicily
The rest of the country can be thought of from the Genoa - Rimini line in the north to Calabria and Brindisi in the south. In the middle of this region lies with the Appenin again a mountain range, which rises however as a rule hardly over 1,800 meters. Over the so-called heel spur of Italy lies with the Abruzzi a mountainous area, which comes again on heights around 3,000 meters.
In the coastal areas, the climate is different than in the interior. Especially in winter, there are striking differences here. The high altitude areas are naturally cooler and rainier. Basically, it snows quite reliably on the Appenine highlands or the Abruzzo in winter, the Abruzzo is now considered more snow-sure than the classic winter resorts in northern Italy. The coastal areas, on the other hand, attract visitors with their Mediterranean climate. The summers are warm to hot and dry, the winters mild. The further you get towards the mountain ranges, the cooler it gets in winter. Rome's climate is characterized by the city's Mediterranean location. The average annual temperature is 15.5 °C and the average annual precipitation is 880 millimeters. The warmest and driest months in Rome are July and August with an average of 24.5°C to 24.7°C and 14 to 22 millimeters of precipitation on average. The highest precipitation in Rome is usually from October to December, with an average of 106 to 128 millimeters. The coldest month is January with an average of 6.9°C. In Rome, one must always expect sub-zero temperatures in winter.
Along the coast from north to south there are no great climatic differences. The east coast, on the other hand, is not quite as rainy as the west coast. In addition, the east coast around Pescara is sometimes under the influence of the bora, which can cause colder winds especially in winter and spring. However, it does not blow as hard as for example around Trieste.
Overall, the Appenin Peninsula has to be described as very changeable in terms of climate. While the summers are consistently hot and dry, autumn, winter and spring tend to have extremely changeable weather. The winter is still relatively reliable, with days with high precipitation alternating relatively continuously with very mild sunny days. In autumn and spring, however, you have to reckon with some capers. In any case, it is sunniest and driest in the extreme south as well as in Sicily and Sardinia. In summer you can easily get 11 hours of sunshine a day here. The great heat is made more bearable in places by pleasant sea breezes. The nights can be very oppressive, however. (Detailed information on: ? Sicily)
Typical would be the climate tables of Rome and Naples for the peninsula as well as Palermo for Sicily and Cagliari for Sardinia.
When is the best time to travel to Italy
The best time to travel to Italy can best be determined by your interests. For someone who is active or who wants to see a lot of the culture, the ideal travel time for Italy for most parts of the country is more in spring or autumn. The north or northeast of Italy, which unfortunately was plagued by storms again and again in autumn and especially in spring, has been a bit problematic for the phase in recent years. Basically, for most parts of the country and especially for the majority of typical visitors, summer is the best time to travel to Italy, especially for those who are primarily planning a beach holiday. For winter sports enthusiasts, on the other hand, the optimal travel time for Italy could be set between December and March.
