The summer may be the hottest time of year in Italy, but it’s also the most popular time of year for tourists to visit. Italy in the summer months can be hot, often reaching over 100 degrees for days on end, but there are plenty of things to do in the summer months to cool off, and more than a few reasons to make your visit to Italy during the summer months that you can’t enjoy the rest of the year.
Summer Festivals
There are endless summer festivals and events in Italy during these months. The biggest festival of the summer months is the Palio horse race in Siena, but even if you don’t make it to that big race and accompanying festival, you can find countless others in every large city or village throughout the country. Be prepared for the heat though, at these outdoor festivals.
You’ll want summer clothing to wear to these outdoor events, although you still need to plan to wear long pants and cover your shoulders if you’re planning to visit any of the churches or the Vatican in the same trip. In addition to the outdoor festivals, there are outdoor concerts and special events that are a bit more formal in the evening as well.
Italy’s Beaches
When the weather starts to warm up, the Italians all head to the beach or the mountains to cool off. The mountains are a great place to visit during the summer months, but you can head to the beaches and be a lot like the other Italians over these hot months. The most crowded days at the beach are Sundays and any day in August when many of the Italians go on holiday. This shouldn’t stop you from visiting the beach during these months as well.
There are many private beaches along the coastline. In these beaches, you pay a daily fee to use the dressing rooms and then you’re able to enjoy a clean beach that is carefully maintained and likely not as crowded as a public beach would be. Spending the day at an Italian beach is an opportunity you shouldn’t pass up, and you’ll find that spending time in the surf and breezes is far more relaxing and cool than bustling around the crowded major cities of Italy in the heat.
