Italy›Month by month

When to go

Italy, month by month

Where in Italy is at its best each month, and where to skip. Each verdict comes from the place's stated best season and the closures, weather warnings and festivals Tourisma has for it: in the middle of the season is a great month, its first or last month a good one; a weather warning (monsoon seas, smoke) moves a month down, a closure (a park shut, the boats stopped) moves it down to mixed at most, and a shut place is better avoided.

Italy in January

Plan January

At their best

No place is in the middle of its season this month.

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Agrigento (Valley of the Temples), Amalfi Coast (Positano & Amalfi), Assisi, Bologna, Cagliari, Capri, Cinque Terre, Florence, Lake Como (Bellagio & Varenna), Lake Garda (Sirmione), Lake Maggiore (Stresa & the Borromean Islands), Matera, Milan, Naples, Palermo, Pisa, Portofino (Santa Margherita Ligure), Puglia (Polignano a Mare & Alberobello), Rome, Siena, Sorrento, Syracuse (Ortigia), Taormina, Turin, Val d'Orcia (Tuscan Countryside), Verona.

Better avoided

Can fall this month

  • Venice Carnival (dates shift yearly)
  • Christmas markets in the Dolomites
  • Christmas cribs on Via San Gregorio Armeno

Italy in February

Plan February

At their best

No place is in the middle of its season this month.

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Agrigento (Valley of the Temples), Amalfi Coast (Positano & Amalfi), Assisi, Bologna, Cagliari, Capri, Cinque Terre, Florence, Lake Como (Bellagio & Varenna), Lake Garda (Sirmione), Lake Maggiore (Stresa & the Borromean Islands), Matera, Milan, Naples, Palermo, Pisa, Portofino (Santa Margherita Ligure), Puglia (Polignano a Mare & Alberobello), Rome, Siena, Sorrento, Syracuse (Ortigia), Taormina, Turin, Val d'Orcia (Tuscan Countryside), Venice, Verona.

Better avoided

Can fall this month

  • Venice Carnival (dates shift yearly)

Italy in March

Plan March

At their best

No place is in the middle of its season this month.

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Agrigento (Valley of the Temples), Amalfi Coast (Positano & Amalfi), Assisi, Bologna, Cagliari, Capri, Cinque Terre, Florence, Lake Como (Bellagio & Varenna), Lake Garda (Sirmione), Lake Maggiore (Stresa & the Borromean Islands), Matera, Milan, Naples, Palermo, Pisa, Portofino (Santa Margherita Ligure), Puglia (Polignano a Mare & Alberobello), Siena, Sorrento, Syracuse (Ortigia), Taormina, Turin, Val d'Orcia (Tuscan Countryside), Verona.

Better avoided

Can fall this month

  • Venice Carnival (dates shift yearly)
  • Holy Week and Easter in Rome (dates shift yearly)

Italy in April

Plan April

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Cagliari, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Costa Smeralda, Dolomites (Ortisei, Val Gardena), Puglia (Polignano a Mare & Alberobello).

Can fall this month

  • Holy Week and Easter in Rome (dates shift yearly)

Italy in May

Plan May

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Cortina d'Ampezzo, Dolomites (Ortisei, Val Gardena).

Italy in June

Plan June

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Venice.

Can fall this month

  • Arena di Verona Opera Festival

Italy in July

Plan July

At their best

Mixed: Agrigento (Valley of the Temples), Amalfi Coast (Positano & Amalfi), Assisi, Bologna, Capri, Cinque Terre, Costa Smeralda, Florence, Lake Maggiore (Stresa & the Borromean Islands), Matera, Milan, Naples, Palermo, Pisa, Portofino (Santa Margherita Ligure), Puglia (Polignano a Mare & Alberobello), Rome, Siena, Syracuse (Ortigia), Taormina, Turin, Val d'Orcia (Tuscan Countryside), Venice.

Can fall this month

  • Palio di Siena
  • Festa della Bruna
  • Festino di Santa Rosalia
  • Festa del Redentore
  • Arena di Verona Opera Festival

Italy in August

Plan August

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Agrigento (Valley of the Temples), Amalfi Coast (Positano & Amalfi), Assisi, Bologna, Capri, Cinque Terre, Costa Smeralda, Florence, Lake Maggiore (Stresa & the Borromean Islands), Matera, Milan, Naples, Palermo, Pisa, Portofino (Santa Margherita Ligure), Puglia (Polignano a Mare & Alberobello), Rome, Siena, Syracuse (Ortigia), Taormina, Turin, Val d'Orcia (Tuscan Countryside), Venice.

Can fall this month

  • Palio di Siena
  • Arena di Verona Opera Festival
  • Ferragosto
  • Venice Film Festival

Italy in September

Plan September

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Can fall this month

  • Arena di Verona Opera Festival
  • Venice Film Festival
  • Regata Storica

Italy in October

Plan October

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Cortina d'Ampezzo, Costa Smeralda, Dolomites (Ortisei, Val Gardena).

Italy in November

Plan November

At their best

No place is in the middle of its season this month.

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Venice, Agrigento (Valley of the Temples), Amalfi Coast (Positano & Amalfi), Assisi, Cagliari, Capri, Cinque Terre, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Dolomites (Ortisei, Val Gardena), Florence, Lake Como (Bellagio & Varenna), Lake Garda (Sirmione), Lake Maggiore (Stresa & the Borromean Islands), Matera, Milan, Naples, Palermo, Pisa, Portofino (Santa Margherita Ligure), Puglia (Polignano a Mare & Alberobello), Siena, Sorrento, Syracuse (Ortigia), Taormina, Turin, Val d'Orcia (Tuscan Countryside), Verona.

Better avoided

Can fall this month

  • Christmas markets in the Dolomites
  • Christmas cribs on Via San Gregorio Armeno

Italy in December

Plan December

At their best

No place is in the middle of its season this month.

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Agrigento (Valley of the Temples), Amalfi Coast (Positano & Amalfi), Assisi, Bologna, Cagliari, Capri, Cinque Terre, Florence, Lake Como (Bellagio & Varenna), Lake Garda (Sirmione), Lake Maggiore (Stresa & the Borromean Islands), Matera, Milan, Naples, Palermo, Pisa, Portofino (Santa Margherita Ligure), Puglia (Polignano a Mare & Alberobello), Rome, Siena, Sorrento, Syracuse (Ortigia), Taormina, Turin, Val d'Orcia (Tuscan Countryside), Verona.

Better avoided

Can fall this month

  • Christmas markets in the Dolomites
  • Christmas cribs on Via San Gregorio Armeno
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