Italy's
climate is one of
the most hospitable in the world,
with a general pattern of warm,
dry summers and mild winters.
There are, however, marked
regional variations, ranging from
the more temperate northern part
of the country to the firmly
Mediterranean south.
Summers
are hot and dry along the coastal
areas, especially as you move
south, cool in the major mountain
areas - the Alps and Apennines.
Winters
are mild in the south of the
country, Rome and below, but in
the north they can be at least as
cold as anywhere in the northern
hemisphere, sometimes worse,
especially across the plains of
Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna, which
can be very inhospitable indeed in
January.
As for when to go , if
you're planning to visit fairly
touristed areas, especially beach
resorts, avoid July and August,
when the weather can be too hot
and the crowds at their most
congested. August is when the
Italians go on holiday so expect
the crush to be especially bad in
the resorts and the scene in the
major historic cities - Rome,
Florence, Venice - to be slightly
artificial as the only people
around are fellow tourists. The
nicest time to visit, in terms of
the weather and lack of crowds, is
April to late June, or September
and October. If you're planning to
swim, however, bear in mind that
only the south of the country may
be warm enough outside the May to
September period.
