We leave in a few days for Italy and I wonder
how anyone has handled the heat this summer.
Is it too hot to do any sightseeing in the
afternoon? We are renting a villa in Tuscany with no air conditioning (but it does have a pool)
Any hints as to how to handle the heat?

Thanks.

Hi

>Any hints as to how to handle the heat?

Do as the Italians do: Go out early in the morning, Eat a largish lunch, have a siesta until 3:00 or 4:00, stay up late.

Your villa will most likely be equipped with heavy wooden shutters on all windows .Be sure to keep all windows and shutters closed during sunlight hours as do the Italians. Homes in Italy are built using lots more stone and masonry than we are used to in the US which helps keep the interiors reasonably cool provided you keep closed up during the day. With luck, you'll be able to throw open your windows and shutters in the early evening and feel pretty comfy.

We live in France, where it has been hovering around 100 all week. Both of the other posts had great advice! We've found that the Europeans tolerate heat better than us Americans who are used to precious AC.

We get out as early as possible, then find a cool spot during the heat of the day. You will find the most relief and refreshment by using the pool regularly.

Definitely keep the shutters closed during the day, and open up if possible at night. Also, around 6'ish, you can open the shutters that aren't in direct sunlight anymore, that way you actually get some light in the house without it feeling like a cave all day.

My final piece of advice would be to keep a nice stock of a good rose wine chilled in the frig for the duration of your trip!

We were in Italy in June..and it was HOT.We went out early..later had a nice lunch...then hid from 2-5pm...then went out again in the evening. We too had a villa in Tuscany...but a few nights it did not cool off enough for comfortable sleeping...I was sorry I didn't go out and purchase a fan for the bedroom...Also, lots of light-weight cotton clothes...I found dresses and skirts to be cooler..than shorts and pants...Our first day in Venice a vaporetto employee had to be carried off the boat...heat exhaustion. I drank beer at lunch...wine seemed too hot! I also had to drink gator-aid...while walking around....My husband only wore long pants once in the 3 weeks we were there! We had a great trip regardless of the heat...the pool will help immensely! Maggie

I was in London last week when the heat record was set (only to be broken again on Sunday) and it was HOT. That's something considering I live in New Orleans and am used to heat. The biggest problem is that many buildings just don't have the A/C to keep up with such heat. And the Tube trains were boiling. All in all, though, you live with it...drink lots of water, fan yourself and laugh at your bad luck for bringing the heat with you!

If your villa doesn't have an electric fan in the bedroom, I'd definitely recommend that you buy one and leave it when you go. It's much easier to sleep if you have a breeze blowing over the bed, and we've found that it discourages mosquitoes.

Don't forget to wear a sun hat and carry bottled water with you. We found liter bottles at larger markets were quite inexpensive and we went through them quickly.