How To Beat the Summer Heat in Italy

Imagine touring the Colosseum under cool moonlight, without the tourists and accompanying fuss. Better yet, picture yourself surveying the blissfully-empty halls of the Vatican Museums just after dawn, finishing in time for breakfast and before the heat and humidity start to really kick in.

Exploring Italy with night tours (or early in the morning) has the advantage of providing pleasant weather, but also offers new perspectives on landmarks or entire cities, which feel different when the crowds depart and the temps cool down. So, if you want to escape the heat of the day, try booking for more unusual tour times.

There isn't any travel advice that’s better than, “try gelato while you’re in Italy,” except perhaps “try gelato every time you need a break from the heat and sample as many flavors as possible.”

Luckily, the Italians make it easy, as there are authentic gelato shops just about everywhere, as well as fun gelato-centric experiences in dessert hot spots such as Florence and Milan.

Insider tip: If you find yourself in Sicily, try granita, a cool, fruity sorbet-style treat served with a brioche for breakfast.

Italy lures travelers with its endless coastlines that roll along the Mediterranean and Adriatic. Although Italians famously leave the cities in droves for their favored swimming spots during summer’s sweltering heat (and crowd many seashores in the process), Italy has enough beaches to go around.

If you prefer lakes, skip the popular Lake Como for the lesser-known Lake Orta, which sits at a slightly higher elevation and therefore stays a little cooler.

Insider tip: If beating both the heat and crowds is too challenging, try visiting beaches accessible only by the sea.

When the Italian winter sports season fades, the Dolomites—one of Europe’s most spectacular mountain ranges—are ideal for hiking, climbing, and cycling. These peaks, ranging from the River Adige to the Piave Valley are rife with trails, including the long-distance Alta Via trails, which can take days to complete.

Farther south along most of the Italian peninsula, the lesser-known Apennine Mountains are usually warmer than the Dolomites, but they’re home to vast national parks with Italy’s last remaining wolves and bears.

Related: Know Before You Go: Visiting the Dolomites

Depending on your location, Italian late mornings and afternoons can be intolerably hot—especially in Rome. So, do as the Romans do and stay indoors between late morning and early evening. These daylight hours are ideal for visiting museums, churches, or even just air-conditioned cafés.

Keep in mind, however, that locals use this same strategy, and keep some shops, bakeries, and offices closed during the hottest parts of the day.

Insider tip: Concert and opera houses often organize nighttime open-air performances, ideal summer evening activities when you’re ready to venture back outside.

Think of Italian fountains, and the Trevi Fountain likely comes to mind first—it's where visitors famously toss coins to secure their return to Rome, after all. But many places in Italy are dotted with public fountains pouring cool, potable drinking water non-stop.

The smaller fountains are called fontanelle, while the larger ones are called nasion for their curved nose-like spouts. When you come across one, wash your hands and face to cool off and fill your own water bottle to promote sustainability and skip the hassle of purchasing plastic ones.

Soothed by sea breezes and surrounded by water, Mediterranean islands often feel cooler than the mainland, even during the height of summer. In Italy, you can take your pick of more than 400 islands to visit, from the ever-popular Capri to the Aeolian Islands, which are a collection of volcanic charmers lying off Sicily’s northeastern coast.

Farther afield, the Pelagie Islands and Pantelleria are closer to Tunisia than mainland Italy.

Related: 8 Dreamy Islands in Italy You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

Visit an Italian beach, and you’ll likely see rows of lettini (beach loungers) underneath colorful, oversized umbrellas cordoned off by waiters doubling as beach guards. While Italian beaches are required to have free public access, many also have private beach clubs that offer chairs, umbrellas, changing facilities, and sometimes drink service—for a fee.

In some cases, you can reserve your spot online in advance—quite the Italian summer heat hack—but usually, you’ll have to bring cash to pay at the beach.

Insider tip: If you arrive in the afternoon, ask about half-day rates (mezza giornata) to save a little money.

You often hear the travel tip: “Don’t visit Italy in the heart of summer." But how many travelers take it to heart? If you do, you may miss “top” festivals and immaculate beach days, but you’ll also find temperate weather in spring and wine tasting and truffle hunts in the fall.

If you want a beach vacation, you just need to follow some key advice: the farther south you travel, the earlier in the year the water warms and the longer it stays that way. Palermo, for example, has beach weather through October. So maybe you could just skip summer altogether?