When is the best time to go to Italy?

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conley39

Personally, I think late April - May - early June or September - early October is the best time to be here. Partly because the weather is more temperate, partly because there are fewer tourists, and partly because there are a lot of interesting festivals going on.

However, since you don't mind the heat, June and July would be okay too. Hotter and more crowded, but still a lot to see and do.

We're on vacation in August. There are a lot of businesses that close. Pretty much all the tourist attractions will be open, but there are big crowds and fewer trains since there aren't so many commuters. Many restaurants and hotels in small towns will close. In the town where I live several places just re-opened today after a three week closing.

I use the Venere site for booking hotels here: http://en.venere.com/italy/. You can narrow down a search to specific areas within the cities and then sort by price, rating or other criteria. Most of the places have several reviews by past guests. There are probably several other equivalent sites, but I stick with this one because it's been reliable for me over the past 9 years. Specific recommendations depend on exactly where you want to go.

As for places to go - what are you interested in? There are lots of choices. If you've never been to Italy before, the big cities offer a lot to see and do - Rome, Florence, Venice, and/or Naples. All of them have opportunities for easy day trips. For example, from Rome or Naples, you can get to Pompeii, or Capri. Orvieto and Tivoli are other good possibilities from Rome. From Florence, it's easy to get to Siena, Pisa & Lucca, or Arezzo. From Venice, you could easily visit Verona, Padova, or Treviso. There are lots of other possibilities.

If you're interested in natural beauty, consider the Amalfi coast, Cinque Terre, Sardegna, the lakes area, and the Alps.

There are a lot of interesting smaller cities/towns - Perugia, Siena, Lucca, Arezzo, Padova, Verona, Bergamo, Mantova, Ferrara, Treviso, ...

Italy has thousands of festivals that are worth participating in - both big events like Carnevale in various locations, Eurochocolate in Perugia, the Palio in Siena, Easter in Rome or Florence, various music festivals, and smaller events like the Marostica Chess spectacle, the Truffle festival or duck races in San Miniato, ...

If you're interested in beaches, Italy has a very long coastline with lots of varied types of beaches.

BellaBellaSignorina

You mentioned you love the heat...sooo, If you want to go when it's hot, go during June or July. I wouldn't go in August because everything shuts down then and the locals go on vacation.

As for reccomendations for a hotel...you need to tell us where in Italy you'll be....Italy is big!

Have fun. You'll love Italia. I certainly do.

mentaliptus

September-october
April-May
is not to hot and si not too cold.
Places to visit:
Venice
Florence
Bologna
Pisa
Cinque Terre
Roma
Asissi
Costiera Amalfitana
Napoli
Sassi di Matera
il Salento-puglia

braves squaw

Contact a reputable travel agent, who specializes in over-seas tour groups.
Perillo Tours have been doing this for over 40+ years and I'm sure there are others, just as dependable.
You will save money on the initial expense of the trip (air-fare, hotel and some meals).
Some stores/shops offer discounts to certain tour groups.
The agent will plan your itinerary, include places you want to see, some you didn't realize were there to see, as well as, shopping trips.
You won't have to worry about not having a room when you get there, getting lost in a bad part of town, having to rent a car, pay for gas, catch the right train/bus to your next point of interest, or walk around for hours, trying to read a map, while looking for whatever you want to see.
A tour guide will be with you to bridge the language barrier, explain the money ratio and answer any questions you may have.
Tour companies are very knowledgable as to what you are/are not allowed to pack, which will enable you to get thru airport security with little or no trouble.
Security in foriegn airports/countries is much stricter than in the US.
A few helpful hints:
Never pack your curling iron next to your alarm clock; it will look like a bomb and you/your luggage will be thoroughly searched.
Never take photos of security/military personel or security proceedures inside the airports. Security will confiscate your camera/film/memory card.
Keep all prescription/over-the-counter medication in their original containers.
Carry American Express Traveler Checks (of various denominations), and a small amount of cash, mostly one dollar bills.
No credit cards; by the time you discover someone stole your identity/card number, your credit is already ruined.
Tour guides also know what to do in case of an emergency.
And the security factor of traveling with a group will make the trip more enjoyable.

If you decide not to go with a tour group, check in with the nearest American Embassy, upon arrival, so that they know you're in the country. It makes it easier for them to help you in case of emergency.

When you get back, post a link on Y!A, to photos of your trip, so we can see all of the wonders you saw.

Have fun!

BÂ°bin@

i'm italian and the best time is of course the summer.... sun beach and sea

Rodney H

October is Northern Italy, and November in Rome and below. The hotels are cheaper, and the temperatures are usually in the 70's or the high 60's at worst. Never go in August and while the kids are out of school, tourists drive prices up. The Spring brings loads of pollen and I never had allergies until I went to Italy and experiences a Pisa Spring!
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â€¢Â·.Â·Â´Â¯`Â·.Â·â€¢laurettaâ€¢Â·.Â·Â´Â¯`Â·.Â·â€¢

april,may and june

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