Hi, am new to the page, though have

10/15/2017 - 12:44

Hi, am new to the page, though have been following Italy magazine for some time. We visited Calabria this summer, and would like to purchase a small apartment or house there. However, as this is primarily for the winter months I would be very grateful for comments regarding the winter climate in that region. Online stats aren't very encouraging, yet it must be better than storm attacked uk?

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Living

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The winter can be pretty shitty in Italy, Sicily is not bad though. We moved away from Puglia because you need the woodburner on six months a year. Lots of other aspects are great though, but don't move there for the weather. We are currently in Mallorca. The weather is super nearly all year round. Life in Italy can be tough with the taxes and poor infra structure. Try renting before you buy.

Thank you for your comments and helpful suggestions, bunterboy. It seems that online data confirm that the weather can be rough at times. Southern Calabria is right next to Sicily so am hoping the weather might be comparable. Don't think I could feel content in Mallorca, somehow. We lived abroad for many years so I feel we could integrate quite readily. But the weather and daylight is important to me. Not the youngest any more so we don't feel we are in a position to travel, test and try. Suspect that Malta, Cyprus etc might be better bets, but my husband wouldn't go for that. :(

A couple of our Puglia pals moved to Cyprus - just renting as they try to sell in Martina Franca. Tropea in the 'toe' is lovely but what are you actually looking for? Sunshine? Easy living? Crime free? My advice still stands. Rent first. You will be glad you did. We are renting in Mallorca, very flexible.

My wife adds, dont move to Italy for the weather!

Ok thanks again, bunterboy, and to your wife. It's about escape from Atlantic gales and dark days and having a liking for the culture and lifestyle. Not a sun worshipper, as in stripping off on the beach.

OK. Happy hunting!

We had to leave our lovely antique cast iron bath behind in Puglia. Boo hoo hoo...

Haven't had a bath in decades LOL. But send you commiserations. :)

South east Sicily is only 40 miles from Malta, but is definitely ITalian. The weather round Noto/Siracusa is excellent, winter is short - a month at most. But it can get humid at sea level, so best to be inland a bit. Its further south than Tunis so good weather 300 sunny days a year. Cant fault the climate, the food or the people. Bureucracy is another matter.

Thank you for this helpful info, Modicasa. Am now following weather reports of Reggio Di Calabria and Sicily to see if they are always similar. At present this seems to be the case. I can deal with a month! :)

There are many sites out there that will give you historic weather data, but if it’s the number of hour daylight then either this or this site will give you exact data. Without looking, at a guess it will be similar to here in Abruzzo and you will get 1-2 hours more daylight in the winter here in Italy compared to the UK. In summer it is actually the other way around! One bit of great advice from BunterBoy is to rent first, likely in winter to see what how you feel about it. Since the real hot summer here ended (mid-September ish) we’ve had about 2 days where we had some rain (not all day) and currently the temperature is 24c, clear and sunny. To be honest it has been like that since the heat, which means we can actually now sit out and enjoy it! Saying that, we have had times here when it has been 5c, but felt more like -5c or worse. But then again we have been in 20-25c on the beach in December and January over the years we have been here.

That's really helpful, Steve. I can imagine that it varies and am sure heating is essential In winter. One to two hours more daylight in winter? Great. That is reassuring. Yes, we noticed the shorter summer days, but with warm evenings, who cares? I have a friend with property in Tuscany and Calabria. She very much prefers things in Calabria, but has never spent winter in Italy. We are at an age where we need to commit asap, so picking and choosing isn't an option. It's a case of now or never. We are holidaying there Dec/ Jan so will see what the heavens throw at us. Fingers crossed.

Ha! I doubt it would happen there, but ensure you don't have to be back on your set date. The morning we were due to travel back to Italy (15th Jan 17) we were told not to bother as there was near on 2M of snow. After buying new rail and air tickets we got back a week later and spent the 1st few days clearing snow in glorious hot sunshine... Enjoy!

Sounds like fun. Freak weather can happen anywhere, I guess. Presume you were further north? We are no longer committed to particular travel dates. Hope the insurance would pick up the tab for snow delays.

Yes we live in the Abruzzo region. Insurance is just one of our many English habits we have lost over time. We book flights well in advance and it therefore costs little, so when we do have to pay a lot more last minute we take the hit. You are right, it happens very infrequently and most of the time we do not have to be there at a particular time and can pick and choose.

A benefit of advancing years :)

well, every year is different, the weather is almost constant over 10°C even in winter, of course in January and February it's colder but only for short periods, it is important to specify even the place, because in Calabria you have mountains (La Sila) cold in the winter with skiing parks, instead the sea is usually warmer and windy. Some years you can also go to the sea and swim in December, now, for example, you can find people on the beach (only during the warmer hours). It is good the fact that you will never find the fog (at least in the Tirreno coasts), never seen it. In the end, if you can move to Calabria just do it, it's warm, beautiful and cheap