Travel in early July - weather

Old May 19th, 2022, 03:18 AM
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Travel in early July - weather

Hi everyone! I'd like to get the opinion of some people here. I'm planning to visit Venice, Florence and Rome in late June / early July, at the end of a work thing. Something like 3.5 days in Venice, 4 days in Florence (and day trips to nearby places) and 3.5 days in Rome.

I've heard that Italy in early July can be hot, and from some places I've read online it sounds almost debilitatingly hot. If those destinations above are really that unpleasant to visit this time of year I might consider spending time in other regions in Europe instead. If anyone is from the region or has visited there around this time, what are your thoughts on this? I can't simply choose to come later in the year as this specific trip is connected to work.

Context: I live in New Zealand so I like the temperate weather here, but I grew up in Southeast Asia (Malaysia/Singapore, and have visited Thailand/Cambodia/Vietnam) where it's hot all year round but lots of indoor spaces that a tourist might visit are aggressively cooled/air-conditioned.

Thanks!
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Old May 19th, 2022, 07:49 AM
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Where is the "work thing"? Have you been to any of the Big Three before? Or anywhere else in Europe?

People can only tell you what the weather was like when they visited. Obviously, no one can't tell you precisely what it will be like 6-8 weeks from now. And, everyone's idea of "debilitating" is different. I dislike high temps when I'm on a city vacation, and high humidity is an absolute deal breaker for me, but I don't mind either as much if I'm in the mountains or at a lake or have a pool for a mid-day swim. If you're already in Italy at the end of the work thing, consider the Dolomites or the Valle d'Aosta.

FWIW, Italians aren't fond of air conditioning. I've never encountered an indoor space in warm weather months that was too chilly.

You can check weather records for different destinations at a number of websites. Accuweather dot com, weather dot com, etc.
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Old May 19th, 2022, 08:50 AM
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Three or four years ago we rented an apartment in Bologna (not far from Florence) for a month in July. We have spent a lot of time in South East Asia, Australia, Africa and are used to high temps but we found Italy in July even hotter. As you have spent time in Vietnam, I would put it on a par with the hottest months of the year in Saigon. It can be excruciatingly hot and sightseeing can take its toll in that sort of heat. I think we ended up adjusting to the local ways of heading out in the mornings and late afternoons/evenings and heading back to the apartment for the hottest part of the day.

he apartment we rented had excellent aircon so it was a relief to get back there at times. Easy to see why the streets and restaurants are so busy late at night. We got quite accustomed to going out for gelato at midnight.

Coming from New Zealand , I think you will find many parts of Europe very hot at that time of year. Greece, Spain, Portugal and France certainly. Here in London it is usually 10c cooler although we did register 38c in a long hot summer a couple of years ago. Perhaps one of the Scandinavian countries?
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Old May 19th, 2022, 12:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Jean
Where is the "work thing"? Have you been to any of the Big Three before? Or anywhere else in Europe?

People can only tell you what the weather was like when they visited. Obviously, no one can't tell you precisely what it will be like 6-8 weeks from now. And, everyone's idea of "debilitating" is different. I dislike high temps when I'm on a city vacation, and high humidity is an absolute deal breaker for me, but I don't mind either as much if I'm in the mountains or at a lake or have a pool for a mid-day swim. If you're already in Italy at the end of the work thing, consider the Dolomites or the Valle d'Aosta.

FWIW, Italians aren't fond of air conditioning. I've never encountered an indoor space in warm weather months that was too chilly.

You can check weather records for different destinations at a number of websites. Accuweather dot com, weather dot com, etc.
Thanks for the response. "Work thing" is in Hanover, and I've visited a handful of cities in Germany before. I've been to several countries around Europe/UK (e.g. France, Switzerland, Hungary, Austria, to name a few), but I haven't been to any of the big Mediterranean countries (i.e. Spain or Italy), nor spent much time in any Benelux or Nordic countries (only stopovers). Pardon my ignorance but what is the "Big Three"?

I've chosen Italy because I've always been interested in the food, history and culture - but if this is going to be marred by poor weather, then is it really worth it?
I have checked the weather sites as you have said, it looks like I could stick with doing that and tolerate the temperatures/humidity, or I could give Belgium and the Netherlands a shot instead...
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Old May 19th, 2022, 12:45 PM
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Originally Posted by crellston
Three or four years ago we rented an apartment in Bologna (not far from Florence) for a month in July. We have spent a lot of time in South East Asia, Australia, Africa and are used to high temps but we found Italy in July even hotter. As you have spent time in Vietnam, I would put it on a par with the hottest months of the year in Saigon. It can be excruciatingly hot and sightseeing can take its toll in that sort of heat. I think we ended up adjusting to the local ways of heading out in the mornings and late afternoons/evenings and heading back to the apartment for the hottest part of the day.

he apartment we rented had excellent aircon so it was a relief to get back there at times. Easy to see why the streets and restaurants are so busy late at night. We got quite accustomed to going out for gelato at midnight.

Coming from New Zealand , I think you will find many parts of Europe very hot at that time of year. Greece, Spain, Portugal and France certainly. Here in London it is usually 10c cooler although we did register 38c in a long hot summer a couple of years ago. Perhaps one of the Scandinavian countries?
Appreciate those thoughts, and yes I've visited Saigon in hot months and I know what that's like.
It sounds like a lot of activities would be best organised before 11am and after 5pm, which is a large part of the day cut out!
Will have a look northwards and see. The Nordic countries have not caught my interest, but maybe because I don't know enough about them at the moment.
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Old May 19th, 2022, 02:34 PM
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I think the 'big three' referred to are Rome/Florence/Venice, the most visited cities in Italy. I have not experienced it myself but I've read that due to it's topography Florence (and Bologna) can be hotter than other places in summer.

A lot comes down to the sorts of things you'd like to do. Visiting churches and museums and sitting in cafes will feel different to hiking and exploring places in full sun, but I imagine you'll be doing lots of the former and less of the latter. Elevation also matters, which is why people often prefer the mountains in summer, so you could include the Dolomites in your plans if you wished. Personally, I find cities hotter than rural/beach/mountain locations, probably due to elevation, sea breezes and tree shade (and less hard surfaces).
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