Is a/c necessary in June in say Montepulciano/Pienza etc? We are from Arizona and it is hard to imagine no a/c in June. I am trying to be realistic and would really appreciate hearing from those who have been there. Thanks!

It's difficult to project, and the later in June the more likely you might want some A/C. Still, there are plenty of June days that are pleasantly cool, especially for someone accustomed to Arizona weather. I wouldn't make A/C the sole factor in picking a place to stay, but if you don't have A/C then you need to make sure that wherever you stay, they will at least have screens on the windows so you can open them without inviting a visit from a host of bugs. Good luck.

Italians tolerate much higher temperatures than Americans. This is the reason why you find no a/c in many places where it would be self-evident in the U.S.

In June, it can get hot enough to need a/c. It will not be as bad as in July/August (walls have not warmed up thoroughly in June), but it can get bad enough. Chance is 50%.

This means, you have a 50% chance that you will be comfortable without a/c.

It's is like tossing a coin.

(I would not book accomodation without a/c.)

We stayed in Montalcino in May 2007 and it was really really warm to us (we are from TN and currently live in TX). Our hotel had a/c and we turned it on and were glad we could do so because the restaurants we visited did not have theirs on. They told us they didn't start using a/c until June. You could pick out the Americans because we were, well, shiny, whereas there were Italians with long sleeves and the French folks usually were in sweaters.

As stated earlier it can depend on when in June and what type of place you are staying.

We were in Tuscany for four days in mid-late June. It was very hot. Our room, an upper floor in a agritourismo, was very hot at midnight. We only had windows on one side of the room and there was no wind. I swore I would never stay anywhere without air again.

But, I think the people with the ground floor rooms were more comfortable.

Just get as much info about room location and window placement so you can make an informed choice.

Thanks to all for your answers. It is settled - a/c only! Just the idea that it is there will make my sleeping sooo much better!

It depends on your tolerance for heat. We would never consider it - but then you will find few places with AC in the countryside - and most will be european style (cools a little) versus US style (72 degrees).

We stayed at a farmhouse (podere) outside Montepulciano in July a few years ago. Daytime highs were over 100F. Nighttime lows were in the 60's. We had no a/c and as long as we kept the place ventilated at night and shut it up tight in the am we had no problem.

If we'd left the windows open in the afternoon it would have been difficult to sleep at night. Thankfully we had windows on all sides for a cross breeze.