We're planning a European vacation for next August --we've heard that Italy can be uncomfortably hot in August. Instead, we're thinking of touring northern Europe instead. <BR> <BR>Any thoughts from those with experience traveling through Europe? Should we put off a trip to Italy to some other time in the year or is the heat manageable?

Have you ever been to Italy before? I ask because Italy in August has a lot of tourists, but not a lot of Italians, many of whom take off from the cities for month-long vacations in August. So, heat aside, it may be a more "full" experience at another time.

And yes, the heat can be unbearable. We were in Tuscany in late July some years ago, and it was 40 Celsius and there is very little airconditioning around!

What about the August 15 holiday? We will be in Tuscany then. Will everything be closed?

La! <BR>August 15 is a major holiday in catholic areas in Europe. Shops, banks, etc. will be closed, yes. Italy is part of it just like France, Portugal, Belgium, Germany, Austria, parts of Switzerland only. I might have forgotten some though.

Ed, don't do Italy in August--the weather is awful, the Italians are gone and the tourists are wall-to-wall.

Ed, <BR>August is not only hot (and I mean HOT, like the interior of a furnace), but the poster prior to me is correct. August is the height of Italian vacation season. Most Italians take the entire month off (which means they will close their shop) & head for the beach, the mountains & other towns to visit friends & relatives. France is a bit better, but only a bit. If August it must be due to schedules, I'd head elsewhere. <BR>Bon Voyage Wherever You Go, <BR>BC

Hot is relative -- I live in Oklahoma and it's been near or over 100 degrees for several days now. When you posters say "hot", do you mean "Oklahoma hot" or "Minnesota hot"??? What I'm getting at is this: I think it's hot when it's over 90 -- you might think it's hot when it's obver 80. So, what's "Italy hot" like -- Oklahoma or Minnesota? (Sorry in advance for how poorly worded this post is -- I'm delirious from late night packing and last minute errands. Leave for Europe for 3-1/2 weeks tomorrow!!)

Laura, <BR>I mean "hot" like somewhere between 92 and 101 degrees Fahrenheit. Some locales in Italy (the lovely Tuscany valley, for instance) have the added feature of miserably high humidity. (Like over 90%.) <BR>BC

Like recounting stories of Paul Bunyan and Babe, it can be fun to engage in a bit of exaggeration from time to time. <BR> <BR>Italy in August is not hell warmed over! Nor are "all" Italians on vacation. Nor are "all" stores and restaurants closed. <BR> <BR>Italy covers a wide swath of geography for starters, so the temps in the northern Italian lake region are rather different from the temps in Brindisi. <BR> <BR>In Rome, for example, the average high in August is in the low 80s in Fahrenheit, or the low 20s in Centigrade. That's a long way from the "40s" (about 104+ Fahrenheit degrees) reported earlier. Perhaps in the far south, some times ... not always, and rarely in most of Italy. Saying Ft. Riley, Kansas has a 109 temperature today (actual fact) doesn't mean that "Kansas" or "The Midwest" always runs in the 100s in the summer. (Though it may feel like it from time to time.) <BR> <BR>Since Italians in businesses which cater to tourists are smart and realize that lots of people (from Europe, Asia, North America, and elsewhere) visit Rome in August, they tend not to close their businesses in August. The average tourist in typical locales frequented by tourists will rarely find shops or restaurants closed. Off the beaten track? Certainly so. On the other hand, if you want to visit factories, check ahead as you may be out of luck. And if you want to visit Italian lakes, mountains and beaches in August they'll be more crowded than usual with ... <BR> <BR>guess what? Italians. <BR> <BR>I'd prefer to visit Italy, certainly Rome, in late May or early October, or June or September ... but we've enjoyed our visits there in every virtually every month of the year. <BR> <BR>If August is a good time for you to go, and you'd otherwise not be able to go to this wonderful country ... for goodness sake go. <BR> <BR>twenj

Leaving the issue of temperature and everyone's idea of "how hot is hot" aside, I'd like to address the crowding. I lived in a town about 25 minutes north of Naples. Two towns north of us was Pineta Mare, a seaside resort. This town was so crowded in August that I did anything I could to stay away. It could take you an hour to drive two blocks--and that's no exaggeration--it's a fact. I actually avoided going anywhere I didn't absolutely have to go, because we lived near the sea. A 1/2 hour drive to work could take two hours, and that was on the autostrada, unless we left at 6 a.m., which we routinely did in August. Anywhere near the sea, anywhere with camping facilities (i.e., RV parks) or anywhere near a resort can be IMPOSSIBLE in August, especially around the two middle weeks, and super-especially on August 15th and weekend immediately closest to it. Places like Rome are OK, as a matter of fact they are relatively empty, when compared to the resorts. So I guess it depends on where you want to visit. If seaside or resorts, I'd recommend someplace else. Been there--done that--didn't like it.

I have been to Italy twice in August -- Rome, Venice, and Florence. This year I'm going to Tuscany and the Amalfi coast -- in August. Obviously, I enjoy Italy, even in August! There might be better times to visit, but it's still great no matter when you go. Yes, it is hot -- but I live in Washington DC, and August here is hotter and more humid than Italy. As long as you make sure you have hotel rooms with air conditioning, you'll be fine. <BR> <BR>I don't know what you're thinking of in terms of northern Europe, but I have been to England, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, and Greece -- and overall I like Italy and France best. Haven't been to Scandinavia yet though... <BR> <BR>Also, I would second what someone else said about Italy being a big country. Northern Italy may not be that hot in August, especially in the upper elevations. <BR> <BR>And about how Italians go on vacation in August -- well yes, but so does most of Europe! (Not to mention the U.S., which is why we're all talking about where to go in August...) No matter where you choose to go in August, chances are a lot of people who live there will be on vacation. So what? Most of the restaurants, shops, museums, etc. are still open.

Having spent about ten years in Europe, much of it in Italy, I suggest postponing a trip to Italy in August. If you didn't have the option of going later, I would have said give it a go regardless.

Correction. Rome average hi in August is about 28 Celsius, 83 Fahrenheit. <BR> <BR>And by the way, one might want to compare the average August temperature in Chicago ... hardly considered a sweltering desert in summer. <BR> <BR>Rome's August high averages 83? Chicago averages 82.5 degrees.

Okay, I think we agree it's hot. BUT consider staying on the top floor of a hotel with no A/C say in Tuscany - the roof tiles in Italy radiate with heat at night. If you're LUCKY you'll get a fan.