When to go to Southern Italy - seasons, weather and events
Summer brings beaches, music and late nights, but every season reveals a different south. Match your dates to the coast, the mountains, the festivals and the kind of weather you want.
A season for every kind of south
Southern Italy is at its most sociable in summer. Piazzas fill with evening concerts, locals move their social life to the beach, and friends share trays of pasta al forno, beach-club mojitos or selfies from bobbing yachts. In August, big cities slow down as residents leave for the Amalfi Coast, Tropea and Cefalù. Crowds may thin in the cities, but the heat continues through September, when daily highs can still reach 30°C-plus. As autumn advances, attention shifts inland to walks through crimson Calabrian forests, sagre devoted to mushrooms, chestnuts and vino novello, or meals at farm stays.
A local autumn escape
On Favignana, art teacher and bilingual botany and garden guide Stefania Procida chooses Marettimo in autumn when she needs a break from routine. Her ideal walk starts at dawn and climbs towards the summit of Pizzo Falcone at 750m. Clear air, blue sky, the smell of wet grass and plants in intense colour leave her feeling refreshed and purified. Autumn rewards travellers who give nature time to work its effect.
Sunshine capitals
Syracuse and Catania are Italy's sunniest cities, each averaging 346 hours of sunshine per month. They are also among the country's warmest cities, with mean daily maximums of 32°C in July and August and 16°C in January and February.
March is unpredictable
The proverb Marzo è pazzo, or March is crazy, is a useful warning. The month can swing from stinging rain and lows close to freezing to sunny days in the low 20s. Pack layers and an umbrella.
Blockbuster events
| Event | When | Where and what happens |
|---|---|---|
| Carnevale | February | Putignano, near Alberobello, stages one of the most spectacular pre-Lenten parades, with elaborate floats and giant papier-mâché caricatures. |
| Festival del Teatro Greco | Mid-May to early July | Actors perform in Syracuse's fifth-century-BCE amphitheatre. In western Sicily, the Segesta Teatro Festival adds concerts, dance, poetry and stargazing in an ancient Greek theatre. |
| Taormina Arte | June to September | Opera, dance, theatre and live music take over Taormina's Teatro Greco; July is also film-festival season, with open-air screenings. |
| Ravello Festival | July and August | Orchestral and chamber-music performances take place high above the Amalfi Coast. |
Local and quirkier festivals
| Event | When and where | What makes it distinctive |
|---|---|---|
| Festa di Sant'Agata | February, Catania | More than a million people take to the streets for three days of street food, music, fireworks and intense religious processions. |
| Infiorata | May, Noto | Via Corrado Nicolaci becomes a series of murals made from flower petals, accompanied by music and dance. |
| Sagra della Madonna della Bruna | July, Matera | A week of celebrations for Matera's patron saint ends with the feverish destruction of a papier-mâché float. |
| Festa di Sant'Anna | July, Ischia | An allegorical burning of the island's 15th-century castle, fireworks and elaborate floats on the water. |
Yuletide traditions in Amalfi
Amalfi's Christmas season unofficially begins with the festival of its patron, Sant'Andrea, on 30 November. The winter celebration feels more local than the summer calendar but keeps the same impressive procession. For Capodanno, or New Year's Eve, Amalfi puts on a major fireworks display above the harbour. The local travel resource ciaoamalfi.com is associated with this seasonal calendar.
Watch for the scirocco
The southerly scirocco begins as a dry wind over the Sahara, then gathers moisture while crossing the Mediterranean. It brings warm, humid air, reduced visibility and rain tinged red with sand. Scirocco conditions are most common in March and November.
Weather through the year
| Month | Average daytime maximum | Days of rainfall |
|---|---|---|
| January | 13°C | 7 |
| February | 13°C | 7 |
| March | 15°C | 6 |
| April | 18°C | 6 |
| May | 23°C | 4 |
| June | 27°C | 3 |
| July | 30°C | 2 |
| August | 30°C | 3 |
| September | 27°C | 6 |
| October | 22°C | 7 |
| November | 17°C | 9 |
| December | 14°C | 8 |