Italy in August
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 03/23/2008 - 03:25In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Yes as Mammamia says, August can be very hot, last year it was in the 40s and some restuarants and shops are closed as many Italians take their holidays then. So if you can I would opt for September.
A
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
I can't believe it! Two replies within an hour of my original posting.
Thanks to you both.
Not a good time August it seems. Well I guess I have to 'phone my Brother and give him the news you gave me, and see if I can talk him into September.
Grazie mille, Phil.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[quote=Chaib;85873]
Golly gosh! what are we in for? Should I change the dates to September?
Thanks Phil (Chaib)[/quote]
Why are you visiting? Like the others have mentioned some things will be closed. OTOH the beach and hill towns will have more going on then right now.
Guided tour also implies that the tour company will be making sure you'll be going to open things. I can't imagine the tour guide taking you to a closed site and saying "This is a really nice place when open" :laughs:
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
As the others have said, August is extremely hot. Best time to go, possibly second fortnight in September or even October is beautiful. The days are a bit shorter but the colours of the trees at the start of autumn give a golden glow to the cities and towns. Although we have a house in Tuscany, we never go there in the middle of summer. Take it from another Aussie... would you go to Canberra in January? Or to Cairns???
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Good point NickZ. I'm booking the tour for the convenience of not having to worry about details. It's not my first tour of Italy I won't be taking many of the optional side trips, Instead I want to explore on my own.
Do I really want to visit a chocolate factory? No. I worked at Cadbury's for three weeks, that was enough for a lifetime.
Glass blowing demonstrations also get the thumbs down.
And a visit to one of Florence's bargain leather shops is a no no, Last time I was there I bought a leather belt for €30 which I have never used.
However I did enjoy passing the mile long queue encircling the Vatican City with someone else doing the fretting, while our tour walked in following a little red flag waved by our guide.
September sound good. Phil.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Unless you do want to be fighting for space on the beaches or sweltering in the cities I agree with everyone else. June or September would do it for me. I've just advised a cousin with 2 young teenage daughers that I would not want to be doing Rome in August.
I am told down her in Puglia was last year was exceptionally hot. Our pool thermometer, which we had placed on a window ledge out of the sun, and which was calibrated to 50 degrees, actually burst,:yes:
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Hi
The main Italian holidays are about the 20th of July to the 20 th of August . June and early July are fine as is late August and September .
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Strangely no one advocates going in August ! although,july actually is the hotter month,if one was to check the record books.
We have been in june,july august and september, It was indeed pretty warm,even a little too hot at times,and with the climate playing tricks these days [whether its global change or not]
I think you should go when it suits you best,and not worry too much about the 2 or 3 degree difference in temp,you may or may not have....
Italy in August can be extremely hot, but also very frustrating. One of the reasons for the towns and cities being empty is that most people have gone on holiday, and to the seaside or the mountains! This means that many shops, restaurants etc are closed. Beware!