When is the best time to visit Italy?

When to visit Italy month by month 

From the crumbling grandeur of Sicilian temples to boat rides on Lake Como, you’ll have plenty to see and do year-round in Italy. Let’s break down each season in the country and see what you can expect month by month.

Spring (March to May)

A warm wind ripples the sparkling blue bay of Syracuse. White gulls wheel in a cloudless sky, their cries mingling with the bustle of the fishmarket below. You’ve made it to Italy. The adventure is about to begin.

A region like Sicily — home to the sun-washed cities of Syracuse, Palermo, Catania, Ragusa, and Trapani — is exactly where you want to be in spring. With temperatures between 15 and 22°C, the narrow streets of larger towns are still comfortably cool. You’ll need your sunscreen, but you won’t be panting in the shade.

Cities in Italy are always more comfortable in the milder months, making shoulder season (the period between March and May) the perfect time to visit. They’re a little quieter, too — the bulk of the tourists are yet to arrive for their summer holidays. That means calmer beaches, shorter lines at your favorite espresso bar, and money saved on flights and hotels.

It’s not all about the cities, though. Contending only with a mild, dry heat, you can enjoy the breathtaking beauty of the Italian countryside. Hike to the Valley of Temples, a UNESCO World Heritage site where millennia-old stonework has been immaculately preserved amid quiet cypress groves. Explore the slopes of smoldering Mount Etna and treat yourself to a wine tasting on the way home — walking’s thirsty work.

We’ll highlight a different region and the attractions it offers for each season, but remember, these are just fleeting insights into what Italy has to offer. Let’s start with a Sicilian spring!

• Island-wide: Carnival comes to an end on Shrove Tuesday, which in some years falls in the early days of March rather than in February. Across Sicily, street parties and parades last late into the night. Find your seat in a roadside bar and watch the streets fill with colorful costumed figures, live music, and enormous painted floats. The whole of Carnival (which starts in February) is worth seeing, but you should prioritize its grand finale if you can.

• Palermo: Small crowds and pleasant weather make spring the best time to visit Palermo, Sicily’s largest city. Of course, there’s culture and history — you’ll want to see the uniquely Arabic architecture of Palermo Cathedral and the Palatine Chapel’s Byzantine splendor. But first and foremost, Palermo is a city for food lovers, so give yourself time to enjoy its many bakeries (serving the world’s finest cannoli and arancini), sprawling street markets, and hole-in-the-wall seafood restaurants.

• Mount Etna: The sleeping giant, Mount Etna, looms against the Sicilian skyline. This is more than just a volcano, though. Etna’s fertile lower slopes produce some of the best wine in the world and you can book tours and tastings at most vineyards. While wine connoisseurs relax below, thrillseekers head for the mountain’s snowy heights for skiing. Just steer clear of the lava!

• Noto: Nestled between the Hyblaean Mountains and the tranquil Ionian Sea is Noto, a city often overlooked by first-time visitors to Italy. If you’re in Sicily, however, it’s well worth a trip during spring. Beyond the baroque architecture that earned the city’s nickname (“The Stone Garden”), Noto is home to Infiorata di Noto, a yearly flower festival. If you’re there on the third Sunday of May, you’ll see streets and buildings festooned with blooms and floral artwork, the air thick with the scents of roses, chrysanthemums, and white nerium oleander. 

Summer (June to August)

Italy bakes under a relentless summer sun. On the crowded streets of Rome the heat borders on the unbearable. Sweat-drenched tourists queue for hours, waiting for a glimpse of the city’s most photographed landmarks. And you? You’re on a boat on Lake Como. The air over the deep blue water is cool and calm. Snow glints on Alpine peaks to the north.

That’s the secret to a good Italian summer. Water and mountains are your friends — keep them close. Across Italy, mid-year temperatures can hit around 35°C or higher. Staying comfortable means staying in the northerly regions (think Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, and Tuscany).

It’s not just Italy’s lakes that are a joy in summer. If you’re close to the coast, get out in the water and enjoy some of the best swimming experiences the Mediterranean has to offer. In Italy, you can hire small motorboats for surprisingly low prices. You don’t need to have previous training or certification. Just get your boat out on the water, cut the engine, and take a plunge!

Of course, June to August is peak tourist season, so you won’t be the only one exploring the peninsula. The upside of this is that attractions, tours, and experiences, which might be shut during winter and spring, will definitely be available (if you don’t mind waiting in line).

Summer is a busy time across all of Italy but let’s stay in the north. We’ll highlight a few of the places and events that make regions like Lombardy and Tuscany so special.

• Lake Como: Movie stars (and James Bond villains) like to buy houses here for a reason — the beauty of Lake Como has a luxurious, almost otherworldly quality. The waters of the fifth-deepest lake in Europe are surrounded by steep, tree-clad mountains, just waiting to be explored. Picturesque towns like Bellagio (“The Pearl of Lake Como”), Griante, and Dervio perch on its shores, with plenty of upmarket tourist accommodation available. 

• Florence: The 15th-century Renaissance saw an explosion of art, architecture, and technological advancement transform Europe. The focal point of this cultural revolution? Florence, Tuscany’s regional capital. If you have any interest in history, put time aside to experience Florence’s ancient city center, its vast domed cathedral, and the unique Vasari Corridor bridge. From June to July, Florence also hosts a massive dance and performing arts festival, continuing the city’s reputation as a cultural hub.

• Lake Garda: Giving Como a serious run for its money, Garda is one of Italy’s most beautiful inland lakes. It’s known for its clean, crystal-clear waters and historical lakeside villages, within sight of the visually striking Dolomites. Overlooked at its southern end by the imposing towers of Rocca Scaligera, a 14th-century castle, it’s impossible to look at Lake Garda and not feel transported into a sumptuous Renaissance painting. 

• Milan: When the days are too hot in Italy, the nights are just right, and there’s nowhere better to spend an evening than Milan. The regional capital of Lombardy is also the fashion capital of the world, where timeless sartorial classics mix with bold new styles, fresh off the catwalks. When the sun is up, keep cool in the city’s churches and galleries. After dark, enjoy modern Milanese restaurants, meet fellow travelers in clubs and bars, and dance with locals outside the Gothic Duomo di Milano cathedral. 

Fall (September to November)

You bite down. Mozzarella, soft and yielding, mingles with the richness of a thick tomato sauce. Fresh basil cuts the deep flavors below. Beneath it all, you taste the well-fired dough, a comforting rush of salt and smoke. This isn’t just a pizza. This is a warm Neapolitan pizza, served by an old Italian woman in the early October gloom. 

The temperature in Italy starts to drop from late September onwards so it’s the perfect time to venture south again. Campania, where you’ll find the city of Naples, is the ideal vacation spot for the fall season. Sure, the landscape is beautiful, but the food is even better. It doesn’t matter if the night is cold when you’re in a candlelit restaurant, eating spaghetti al pomodoro and drinking Irpinian wine. 

With summer receding, Italy’s major cities grow calmer. The beaches empty out, the tour guides wind down for the season, and hotel prices start to drop. If you can visit the peninsula during these months, you’ll be in for a gastronomical treat. Farmers’ markets overflow with the best seasonal produce (including Italy’s coveted black and white truffles) and grapes are gathered in the vineyards. Fall winery tours usually involve a harvesting component so you can work for your wine (if you really want to!).

Tourist season might be over, but if you’re one of the shrewd few who visit Campania in the fall, you won’t be short of things to do and see. 

• Pompeii: Until you stand amid the ruins of Pompeii, the Roman city simultaneously devastated and preserved by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, it’s hard to understand how incredible this location is. Walking the same paved roads as the unfortunate locals did almost two thousand years ago is a profound and at times emotional experience. You can visit in summer, but so can everybody else! Avoid the crowds and the heat and take time to wander this vast archeological site in the fall. 

• Naples: Campania’s regional capital, Naples is one of the oldest continually inhabited urban areas in the world, being founded by the Greeks more than two millennia ago. Infinitely more important — it’s the birthplace of pizza! If food isn’t your main focus (weird, but okay) you can enjoy the city’s many unique museums, including the National Archeological Museum and the Sansevero Chapel. The latter is both a beautiful church and the location of numerous veiled statues, depicting eerily lifelike figures covered in shrouds, all carved from stone. 

• The Amalfi Coast: Visiting Campania and not taking in the Amalfi Coast should probably be considered a crime under Italian law. It’s certainly a missed opportunity because this 50km stretch of coastline is often cited as one of the most beautiful regions in the country. Threaded precariously between rugged cliffs and azure waves, clusters of white houses form numerous towns and villages along the shore. Positano is probably the most popular of these, but wherever you go on the Amalfi Coast, you’re unlikely to be disappointed. 

• Partenio Regional Park: Just like in spring, early fall is a terrific time to go on long hikes and hill walks through rural Italy. If you’re in Campania, the perfect spot to do this is the Partenio Regional Park (Parco Regionale del Partenio if you’re looking it up online). Picnic in sun-dappled forests of chestnut and beech, take in panoramic views of the Bay of Naples, and climb winding trails to the medieval Abbey of Montevergine. The park is easy to get to from Naples, either by car or on public transport. 

Winter (December to February)

Snow spills silently from a darkening December sky. All around you are the lights and sounds of a picture-perfect winter market. The cold wind carries the scent of spiced sausages from hot sizzling pans, mixed with woodsmoke and mulled wine. Are you in Berlin? Warsaw, perhaps? No — you’re in Verona and this is an Italian Christmas market! 

Italy is one of the best places in Europe to spend Christmas. It’s a devoutly Catholic country, so the festive season is marked across the nation with elaborate decorations, religious events, and seasonal open-air markets. Whether you’re personally interested in the religious aspect of this period or not, it’s a great time to visit Italy.

Once again, we’re returning to the country’s northerly regions, where snow is common throughout winter. The Veneto area is always popular with tourists (in large part due to the world-renowned city of Venice), but it’s particularly worth visiting at the end of the year. Dreaming of a white Christmas? Veneto’s got you covered — covered in snow, that is. 

Winter in Italy isn’t just about markets and midnight mass, though. From December to February, you’ll be able to enjoy some of the best skiing conditions on the European continent. Skiing’s not your thing? Try snowboarding, ice skating, or any other winter sport. For a few months, at least, Veneto is a land of snowy mountains, ice-choked rivers, and quiet, frozen lakes.

Sure, there might be a little less to do in Italy during the winter — a lot of tours will be off until spring, at the earliest — but you won’t be bored.

• Venice: Let’s face it, if you’ve not been to Venice yet, you probably want to go. The city of canals is one of the most visited tourist locations in the world — and with good reason. Exploring Venice’s waterways is a singular experience, whether you’re getting lost with friends or taking a romantic trip on a gondola. If you’re there in winter, you’ll be jostling with fewer tourists, and those who visit in February can enjoy the spectacle of the Venice Carnival — expect candlelit canal parades, street performers, and beautiful Venetian masks. 

• Asiago: What do fans of skiing and good cheese have in common? They’d both love a trip to Asiago this winter! The northern Italian township is the source of aged Asiago cheese but it also makes a great basecamp for winter sports excursions. The town and its wider area are worth visiting year-round, but in winter the skiing and snowboarding opportunities are a massive draw for many.

• Verona: While Verona, like many Italian cities, hosts a great Christmas market, there’s more to the city than seasonal festivities. Verona is the setting for “Romeo and Juliet" and, perhaps as a result, the town seems to be suffused with an air of romance and mystery. From the Verona Arena, a 2000-year-old Roman amphitheater, to the fashionable coffee shops of the beautiful Piazza Bra district, Verona shows off the very best of Italian city life.

• Bassano del Grappa: On a cold winter’s night in northern Italy, there are few pleasures greater than a warming glass of grappa. But if you’re going to enjoy the famed Italian spirit, why not do so in its birthplace, the commune city of Bassano del Grappa? This bustling, historical town is famed for its covered bridge, known as Ponte Vecchio (or Old Bridge, in Italian). When the Brenta River, over which the bridge is built, freezes in winter, you can venture out on the ice. Just make sure it’s completely frozen before you put your skates on, and stay close to the bank!

Things not to forget for your trip to Italy

Ready to pack for your trip to Italy? Make sure to pack and prepare all the essentials!

• A European power adapter. Italy uses Type L plugs (sometimes Type C or F), and the voltage is 230V. Bring an adapter to charge your devices. You can usually buy adapters at airports as well, but why not order in advance and save yourself the trouble later? 

• Loose, light clothing. From spring until fall, Italy’s warmer weather is best enjoyed in light, breathable clothing. Avoid dark colors that soak up the sunshine. The paler a fabric is, the more heat it reflects, which is always a good thing.

• Comfortable walking shoes. Cobblestone streets, steep hills, and lots of sightseeing mean you’ll want sturdy, comfy shoes. Outside of winter, you probably don’t need to worry too much about thick mud and wetter terrain, but consider how comfortable any footwear is on a longer hike.

• Insect repellent. Mosquitoes have become a more prominent problem in Italy during the summer months, so bring some bug spray to be on the safe side. If you’re traveling in winter, though, this isn’t something you’ll need to worry about.

• A credit card with no foreign transaction fees. Many stores and restaurants accept card payments in Italy, but make sure that yours allows you to spend overseas without additional charges. It might be worth bringing some cash as well, just in case your card is lost or stolen.

• An eSIM app. An eSIM lets you stay connected to the internet when traveling in Italy. It’s probably the simplest way to access cellular data during a trip abroad. 

Stay connected abroad 

If you plan ahead, your trip to Italy can be a memorable adventure, filled with great food, stunning architecture, and breathtaking landscapes. To make sure you’re getting the most out of that experience, set up your eSIM app in advance.

With an eSIM for Italy, you’ll be connected to local mobile providers wherever you go, whether your phone works in Italy or not with its usual provider. Whatever season you travel in, the easiest way to stay connected is with an eSIM.

Apps like Saily provide eSIM data plans for Europe, covering Italy and a range of other destinations. With flexible, affordable plans available, getting mobile data abroad has never been easier.