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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Italy in August

105 replies

Welbru · 16/07/2021 14:18

Would I be totally mad to visit a city in central Italy in August. I know it will be hotter than ideal and that Italians flock to the coast and mountains to avoid the heat, but I can't move my holiday and I can have a cheap room there at that time as someone I know will have a place there.

I'm not a siesta type person - can't sleep in the afternoon so getting up early and staying up late because I'm sleeping in the afternoon isn't really an option. I'd be happy to sit and rest rather than sightsee all the time, but I won't have a pool.

I don't have excellent tolerance for extreme temperatures, but I'm better with heat than the cold. I do tend to feel a bit uncomfortable if it's in the 30s and I haven't had time to acclimatise though.

YABU- no, go somewhere cooler
YANBU - go anyway

OP posts:
Melassa · 17/07/2021 12:27

If you’re in the countryside in Umbria it will probably be bearable. If you’re in an old building they tend to be built for heat, just make sure the shutters are closed during the day so the sun doesn’t hit the glass and turn your flat into a greenhouse. A fan is fine. I’ve been to Umbria countless times as my aunt used to live there, never in an air conditioned apartment and it was more bearable than my flat at home in Milan. If you’re travelling around and it gets unbearable even in the shade you can always pop into an a bar or restaurant with aircon for lunch or a drink. It tends to be the tourists who sit outside, most locals will be indoors with the cool temps (except for some of the older generation who are afraid of aircon).

RJnomore1 · 17/07/2021 12:29

I love italy in August, I love heat though, in fact I should have been in Sicily first week in August.

Everywhere is pretty much air conditioned so it’s not like you need to be stewing (it’s currently only about 25 here in the uk but it’s so oppressive and nowhere is set up for heat)

RJnomore1 · 17/07/2021 12:30

Oh just read properly, made the no air con mistake once, never again.

cluecu · 17/07/2021 12:36

Oooh if you don't have air con I'd be a little unsure Shock

vintageglass · 17/07/2021 12:37

I'm at home near Milan right now, it's been a very hot summer so far, only this week it temporarily dropped under 34 for a few days, but has already hit 36-37°c several times in the last two months. Milan and surrounding areas are extremely humid and mosquito ridden. My house is very old and has really thick walls, we just keep everything closed and we don't have aircon, but I think the centre of Italy is a little more bearable as it has lower humidity. Don't try to do too much in the middle of the day, my advice is get up early to do what you need to do, eat and good lunch and then rest all afternoon, then spend the evening outdoors, and stay hydrated!

wheresmymojo · 17/07/2021 12:49

We went to Rome in August against all advice.

I'd do it again...yes, it's hot. But so are lots of places?

It's no hotter than any city in a heatwave and there are free spring water fountains on every corner.

It was also a lot quieter in terms of tourism which I preferred.

wheresmymojo · 17/07/2021 12:49

I would want air con though!

UseOfWeapons · 17/07/2021 12:55

OP, I lived in Italy for several years, and it is likely to be hot…very hot. The forecast and the official temperatures would say it had been 37degrees C, but in a town, the heat of the day reflects back from the ground later in the day, and it can be unbearable. We had an apartment within air con, which was just as well, as electricity can be in short supply, and we would have long power cuts, 8+ hours, and the water would also be off, as there wasn’t enough power to run the pumping station.

We’d get up early, trap the cooler air in the house, and shut all blinds and windows after 9am. It would still be over 30C at night. This was central Italy.
Lots of cool showers, or fill the bath and leave the water in there!

August 15th is a big holiday, Ferragosto, and many places are closed for a week or 2 either side. Be aware, and take things to do indoors, and hope it’s a cooler summer!
Good luck , OP

wishawish91 · 17/07/2021 13:03

I've also been to Rome in May and in September. September was scorching.

May was pleasant and comfortable, cardi in the evenings for dinner.

Mummyratbag · 17/07/2021 13:10

Honeymoon in Italy in late August - Florence was warm/rainy at times, Amalfi Coast in a heat wave was almost unbearable. It was very humid and even walking 100m at 11pm resulted in needing a shower! Never been anywhere like it. If you go make sure you have air con and you drink tonnes of water whether you are thirsty or not. I would go later or earlier if I went again.

LondonerRandomName · 17/07/2021 13:11

We have a place in Florence and avoid it in summer - the heat is horrendous. Country side Tuscany is bearable but Florence is horrid in the summer.

bumblingbovine49 · 17/07/2021 13:29

My family livw in a northern Italian city and they regularly have temperatures of 35deg , occasionally 40seg In July and August. It is pretty unbearable. More places are air-conditioned nowadays but by no means all accommodation is

warmfluffytowels · 17/07/2021 13:33

I remember going in June once.

We stayed in an apartment with no air-conditioning (it wasn't as common then) and it was so hot you'd need to have a shower in the middle of the night to stay cool.

The heat was ridiculous and you couldn't leave the apartment without breaking out in a sweat. You'd burn your hands touching the metal on seatbelts too.

I wouldn't go back to Italy in summer without air conditioning and a pool.

OhRosalind · 17/07/2021 14:15

I live in Tuscany. It’s not just the heat, it’s the humidity that makes it a challenge. Florence is unbearable when it’s 35-40 degrees. Umbria might be a bit drier, I’m not sure.

But, churches, museums, bars, restaurants all have air-con. Stop frequently for gelato and cold drinks. The evenings are lovely and its great to sit or walk around outside until late. Lots of Italians will be at the coast but the cities aren’t deserted or closed. Plan your days taking the climate into consideration and you’ll be fine.

Original poster
Welbru · 29/07/2021 20:44

Well, I'm going now. No turning back.
Any tips of what I can take with me to keep me cool-ish, bearing in mind RyanAir only allows a small bag even with paying extra for priority boarding?
Current forecast doesn't show the temperatures going over 35 when I'll be there so I'm hoping I'll survive without major problems and will avoid exerting myself too much.

OP posts:
VicarofDibley · 29/07/2021 23:34

We went to Rome two years ago in August and my DS loves the heat and he was saying it was too hot Grin. I actually found it nearly unbearable as did my other two DC's .Definitely comfy shoes otherwise the cobbles will hurt your feet .We did pompeii in the heat .Plenty light, airy clothes.

Original poster
Welbru · 07/08/2021 13:13

Well, I was very lucky. The weather never really went over 30 and it was even too cold for me in the evening sometimes - needed jacket and jumper to eat outside one evening for example.

It felt hot in the midday sun, but was always pleasant in the shade at all times of the day and even the evening it reached 29 at 11pm.

I was laughing at the 'problem' of no air con - the accommodation in Umbria was in an extremely old building where the lobby and stairs were cold all the time. I had a fan in my room and never bothered to use it.

I did have to open the window a couple of nights and got completely bitten despite using insect repellent.

I think I was lucky that the temperatures didn't get very high anyway, but it's also true that the heat there is of the pleasant rather than the unbearable variety. 28-30 degrees where I live is harder to take than it was there.

OP posts:
LordBuckley · 07/08/2021 22:08

Italians need a "green pass" (vaccine passport) to go to most public places, like theatres, cinemas, restaurants, museums, public transport, and even to sit down in a café.

I think tourists only need to take a vaccination certificate from their own country, or recent negative test result, but you should check before you leave.

I'm afraid you're going to find it very hot.

LordBuckley · 07/08/2021 22:09

Sorry, crossposted.

Keladrythesaviour · 07/08/2021 22:18

Not sure you're going to Rome but: We always go to Rome in August (about 8times now). I love it! It's quieter than other times because of the heat, but it's not unbearable (I'm super pale). Keep bottled water to hand, in Rome you can fill bottles from taps throughout the city. Find somewhere cool to visit between 1-3 such as churches or musuems. Wear a hat and something over your shoulders (you'll need it for churches anyway).
Eat lots of gelato.
Don't set yourself a too busy schedule. Just wander, sit regularly and appreciate the smell and sounds and sights. Lots of breeze between the buildings etc.
If you're not in Rome, make sure you have bottled water to hand at all times and even if you can't siesta, it can be worth going back to accomodation just to rest and read during the hottest part of the day. Water on the wrists and ankles helps, I usually end up washing my feet in the bidet Grin
I love Italy in August! The Tuscan countryside in the baking heat, wandering around cobbled paths, sheltering under trees for a bit of shade...love it. I'd do anything to be going this year.

Keladrythesaviour · 07/08/2021 22:19

Sorry just saw you've already been - glad you had a wonderful time!

angstyaugust · 07/08/2021 22:37

Naples in August. 5 minutes outside of the hotel and I was drenched in sweat. Cathedrals were cooler, it's true. They give you a piece of white paper to cover bare shoulders. Lots of beautiful Italian women carrying it off with style and grace. I just looked like a greasy fat chip.

Original poster
Welbru · 08/08/2021 11:07

@LordBuckley

Italians need a "green pass" (vaccine passport) to go to most public places, like theatres, cinemas, restaurants, museums, public transport, and even to sit down in a café.

I think tourists only need to take a vaccination certificate from their own country, or recent negative test result, but you should check before you leave.

I'm afraid you're going to find it very hot.

I eat in cafes every day (outside) and visited cathedrals. I didn't need the green pass for anything except food at the airport. I explained earlier that I live in the EU so the only thing I had to do was bring my vaccine passport, no tests. It was hot, but not too hot :)
OP posts:
Original poster
Welbru · 08/08/2021 11:09

@Keladrythesaviour

Sorry just saw you've already been - glad you had a wonderful time!
Yep and no need to get up early or have a siesta or anything like that. I think I was lucky with the weather, but also that the Umbrian heat is quite bearable. It did feel hotter the day I was in Rome.
OP posts:
demhalluk · 08/08/2021 11:20

We went to Rome late August three years ago. As another poster has said, it's not too bad when hot if the humidity is low (which it was when we were there). There was also a brief thunderstorm one day, which cooled things down, and we were lucky that our apartment had fans (though not as good as air con). I don't like the flustered feeling of being too warm, and we walked miles each day for all the sights...but it was absolutely worth any discomfort. Beautiful place.