Italy has mainly fair and temperate climate owing to the presence of the Alps as a northern border and the Mediterranean Sea. Climate in Italy varies with altitude and region. The Alpine zone, the Northern Italian Plain, the coastal Tyrrhenian area, the Adriatic coast and the Mediterranean zone are the five main climactic zones in Italy. The country is included between the annual isotherms of 11°C and 19°C (52°F and 66°F).
In summer, the central region is muffled by humidity, the south scorches under the dry heat and the northern parts are warm with occasional rainfall. In winter, conditions in Milan, Turin and Venice are dominated by cold, damp and fog and Tuscany's winter temperatures approach freezing, while temperatures in the south of the country are more favorable averaging 50-60ºF (10-20ºC). The coldest period occurs in December and January, the hottest in July and August. The best time to visit Italy is in Spring (April-May) and Autumn (September-October). |
