Climate - Clima

This graph shows Italy's climate:

• Rainfall
• Hours of sunshine per day
• Temperature average
• Humidity

The rainiest months are January, October, November and December.

The hottest months are May, June, July and August.

Italy is most humid between December and January.

Italy recieves the most hours of sunshine a day between April and September ranging from 8 to 11.

Having the Alps as a northern border and the Mediterranean Sea surrounding much of the country has resulted in a fair and temperate climate. There are five main climactic zones: the Alpine zone, the Northern Italian Plain, the coastal Tyrrhenian area, the Adriatic coast and the Mediterranean zone. The northern Alpine region experiences harsh winters with plenty of rain and snow and very mild summers. However the weather conditions vary greatly according to the altitude.

The Northern Italian Plain or Po region experiences continental weather conditions with fairly cold, snowy winters but warm, mild summers. Northern cities such as Torino, Milan and Venice can become very cold, damp and foggy with temperatures falling to 0-7°C (32-45°F) in winter. Most of the rainfall occurs in the spring and summer months.

The Adriatic region also experiences cold winters when the bora, an icy, north-easterly wind blows across the region. Conditions improve to become comfortably warm in the summer. The Apennine zone experiences similar continental weather conditions except that rain is abundant all year round except in summer.

On the western side of the country is the Ligurnian-Tyrrhenian region where the weather is moderated by the Tyrrhenian Sea resulting in cool winters, warm summers and plenty of rain. Temperatures in Rome vary between a low of 5-6°C (40-42°F) in winter and a summer high of 26-30°C (79-87°F).

The Mediterranean region, which includes all the southern areas of Italy, rain falls more often in winter while the summer months become dry and hot. The sirocco, a hot unpleasant wind, blows in over this region from Africa during summer.

Required clothing: Lightweight cottons and linens are worn during the summer, except in the mountains. Lightweight to mediumweights are worn in the south during winter, while warmer clothes are worn elsewhere. Alpine wear is advised for winter mountain resorts.