Airconditioning in Rome? August?
 

Do you think we need airconditioning in Rome in the end of August?

Yes 95 % of the time :)

Yes, 99% of the time!

absolutely - you'll have a hard time sleeping without it - not only the heat and humidity but open windows mean a lot of street noise.

street noise . . .

In Rome a few Octobers ago, late in the month, a strange heat wave swept through. My hotel had air conditioning, but it was shut off because it was "past the season." And so we had the windows wide open at night. We were on a reasonably quiet cobble-stoned street, but still, in the morning I remember this exchange with my traveling companion:

"Did you hear that cart go by early this morning?"

"You mean the wire cart full of glass bottles?"

We'd both agonized through every clink, every clank, every clatter, as the cart bounced slowly along the cobblestones.

However, I found this bottle music preferable to vespas.

Air conditioning, defintely.

I love sleeping with the windows open in Italy but ONLY if I'm out in the country. The early morning trash pickups and the loud, echoing voices keep me up. It was 50-60F in January, I can only imagine how hot it would be in August.

Rome in August is tough even WITH a/c - I'd definitely get a/c.

Another vote for A/C. I was there last August actually it was already early September and we needed the A/C in Rome.

You absolutely need AC in August!! The real task will be finding a hotel that is cool enough even WITH AC. European and American standards on that can be very different. We sweltered through a week in Rome at a hotel around the corner from the Pantheon, even though the AC was on. I'd definitely try to get recommendations for hotels from friends/posters who've been comfortable during their summer stays in Rome.

The A/C (and everything else) was fine at Albergho Cesari. After trudging around in the August heat, sightseeing outdoors, I think I would have died without it! But we still had a FABULOUS time and would go back in a heartbeat--in August, or any other time.

I suspect the quality of air conditioning in hotels may vary quite a bit and not only in Rome.

I agree that you'll highly appreciate A/C in hot AND humid Rome any time in August.

We've stayed in various hotels in the city in different months of the Summer and have appreciated having the A/C and never once have been in a hotel in which it wasn't adequate.

I would never consider staying in a hotel without AC in Rome in the summer. But - some people don;t mind sleeping in a room that's 90 degress and sweating alll night.

And remember - you'll be outdoors a lot, many sights don;t have AC, nor do many restaurants and shops. So - unless you have AC in the hotel - you'll be in the heat 24/7.

Yes, as you know by now you do need AC in Rome (Paris and Berlin, as well--it gets hot in Europe!!) A lot of people on here have been critical of the quality of the AC in Italy, but we had great individually controlled thermostats that kept our room delightfully comfortable at the Santa Chiara Hotel, just around the corner from Piazza Navona.

Hi 7,

2000 years ago, Romans who could afford it packed up and went to the Amalfi Coast for July and August.

They still do.

((I))