When is the best time to visit Italy?
I have had the good fortune of visiting the country twice in the past twelve months—once in August, and again this past March. While in Rome on both occasions, I stayed near the Trevi Fountain and so I was often made to walk past it in order to get to any given destination. In the dead of summer, the steps leading down to the water looked like bleachers at SeaWorld on a full-capacity day, such was the size and density of the crowd. To my surprise, the same could be said of the off-season visit. Is there a good time to visit the Eternal City? And what of the rest of the country?
Unfortunately, there may never be an empty moment at such landmarks again. But the case as we made it in our recent ode to Italy in the Off Season (where you'll find reasons to hit everywhere from the Italian capital to Florence, Puglia, and Portofino between the months of October and April): Late fall, winter, and early spring are the best times to visit Italy, when you'll get the most Dolce for your Vita.
To bolster our argument, we turned to our vast team of travel specialists and got in touch with a couple of intrepid Italy experts. Answering our call was Emily Fitzroy of Bellini Travel, the wizard who brought Succession to Tuscany and The White Lotus to Sicily (she even cameos in an episode of the latter!), and Georgia Yuill, an experience designer for travel company Butterfield & Robinson. Find their tips below.
When is the best time to visit Italy?
The seasons immediately pre- and post-high season (spring just before, and fall immediately after, summer) yield the highest dividends. “Spring is the most magical time across most of Italy,” says Yuill, whose work focuses on the country’s northern regions—think Milan and the Dolomites–but extends south. It is from April to June that you can expect mild weather across the country and fewer crowds than in later months—making it ideal for both the city, where congestion and heat can be deterrents, and the coast, though warmer weather may have you considering a later visit.
Yuill adds that life begins anew in springtime across the country, “from the vibrant floral boom on the meadows of the Dolomites to the warming seas in Sardinia and Sicily. It is also a period of renewed social energy—evening temperatures encourage gatherings over aperitivo and time outdoors is maximized before the heat cranks up.” There’s also the matter of the food: artichokes and asparagus are in season by May, and tomatoes are on their way, too. Yuill waxes poetic about the north of Italy in October onward as well; after a busy summer season, the region takes on a quieter vibrancy with crisp, crisp air and changing colors. “It's a visual therapy,” she says.
Fitzroy prefers fall, when the countryside has enjoyed a robust season and is gratefully winding down its tourism trappings, while making the most of the season's best produce. She says: “It has to be autumn, especially early October, when it’s still warm enough to have a final dip in the sea, to eat lunch al fresco, and feast on the first of the season’s white truffles and the new olive oil. The colors of the landscape are at their best, with scorched fields returning to their vivid green.” By this time, the summer crowds have dispersed, she says, and one will have an easier time navigating the cities as well—she notes queues for the Vatican and other heavily-trafficked sites are reduced. Fitzroy adds, “Visiting in late April and May is glorious, but be prepared for a much colder swim!”
What is Italy’s winter like?
Speaking of the cold, coastal destinations are best avoided during the dead of winter. From October until April, these places largely shut down—you may feel like a genius for booking a cheaper trip during the shoulder season only to arrive and find nothing to do but aimlessly wander from shuttered shop to deserted beach and back again. Yuill notes that she doesn’t encourage clients to hit the coast during colder months, despite fewer crowds (and expenses), because it’s generally true that you get what you pay for—so be ready for trickier weather and less liveliness.
Fitzroy does sing the praises of the Italian fishing village in winter, however, noting that towns with robust industry tend not to clear out in colder months as the resort-based ones do. “Towns that spring to mind are Sciacca in Sicily, Cetara on the Amalfi Coast, and Porto Santo Stefano on the Tuscan Coast. I’ve always adored being in a seaside town out of season,” she says. If your heart is set on hitting the coast during a winter trip to Italy, an active fishing village is one of your best bets to experience some bustle and life. There's also the Feast of Sant Agata, in Sicily's Catania, which you can only enjoy during early February.
It follows Fitzroy’s note on autumn in the city that winter should be an excellent time to hit spots like Rome, Florence, and Venice–an added bonus being the beauty of holiday preparations in early December. By March (so long as you don't go during Easter, when everything is closed) carciofi and puntarelle will start popping on Roman menus. The cold (almost always mild in Italy) is often an asset in urban areas. Yuill flags that Verona, Ferrara, Parma, and Milan make worthy visits during the winter. There’s also the Northern mountains for winter sports—the Dolomites get bountiful snow for skiing, and Trentino is home to the United States Olympic ski team.
