Q & A

Q: What is Italy's weather like all through the year?

A: Italy has a varied climate, befitting a country that measures more than 600 miles from its northernmost point in the Alps to Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea in the south. However, as is the case throughout most of Europe, Italy's weather tends to be moderate.

Robert Henson, in his useful travel book The Rough Guide to Weather, says that in the Po Valley, in northern Italy (which includes the cities of Milan, Turin and Venice) summers are warm and muggy, with frequent thunderstorms, while autumn is damp and chilly. In the winter, dense fog and cold, clammy air frequent the valley. In Milan, July's average high and low temperatures are 83 and 59; January's are 43 and 24. On average, May and April are the wettest months in Milan, while November and July are the driest.

Henson says that the Mediterranean climate of central and southern Italy, which includes Rome and Naples, is milder and sunnier than that of the north. Autumn and winter can be thundery in southern Italy; extreme southern Italy and Sicily can be quite hot in the summer, but mild and damp in the winter. In Naples, the average high in July is 85 and the low 64. In January, the high is 54 and the low is 38. Naples is quite dry in the summer, but wet in late fall and early winter.

Q: What is the history of high and low temperatures in Milan, Venice, Vienna? I will be travelling the first two weeks in June. Thank you.

A: Most people who travel to Italy for the first time in the summer are pleasantly surprised by the generally comfortable summer temperatures and humidity. By European standards, Italy is warm, but really hot, humid weather is quite rare.

In general, you'll find highs averaging the mid-70s (Milan and Venice) in June. Average lows is 61 (Venice.) Of the three cities, the highest ever recorded in June, was 91 in Venice. Such high records are very rare; in other words, you are not likely to run into 90-degree temperatures.

You should expect to run into rain showers, and you might even encounter a few days that are mostly wet, but the odds of this aren't really high.

Q: We are planning to travel to Bari, Italy, and Sicily at the beginning of October. Will you please tell me the average temperatures at that time?

A: You should find generally mild temperatures on your trip with Bari ranging from afternoon highs in the low 70s to early morning lows in the high 50s. As you head south to Sicily you'll find slightly warmer temperatures as you would expect. For instance Palermo on Sicily's northern coast average in the mid 70s in the afternoons and sees lows in the high 60s. Catania, on Sicily's eastern coast is warmer with highs in the upper 70s and lows in the upper 50s.

Q: What is the weather in Italy like in the middle of May?

A: Western Europe is generally comfortable in May. Even Naples in southern Italy has average highs and lows of 72 and 55. Northern Italy is cooler, but not really cold. Rain showers are likely, but heavy or prolonged rain is unlikely. Snow would be possible on the very highest mountains, maybe including in some of the passes that take major roads across the Alps.