Rome is hot in summer! Stay hydrated at the city’s public water fountains.
Summer in Rome means, for the most part, higher prices, higher temperatures, and larger crowds. The tourist high season in Rome doesn’t actually correspond to just the three months of summer – the high season now lasts from May through September, and even experiences a bit of a dip in August. But despite the drawbacks of a summer trip to Rome, it’s generally the easiest time for people to travel (especially those with kids), and remains the most popular time of year to visit Italy.
The weather in Rome during the summer is typically extremely hot, and the high temperatures often begin as early as May. Rome also has a tendency to be humid, so you’ll need to take extra precautions when you plan your sightseeing days. Carry a water bottle that you can refill at one of Rome’s public drinking fountains, wear sunscreen and a hat to help shield you from the hot sun, and schedule your day so that you’re not outdoors during the hottest part of the day. In other words, visit the Roman Forum and Colosseum, where there’s very little shade, in the morning – not at 2pm.
Italians have superstitions about air conditioning, but most modern hotels have been equipped with in-room A/C. If you’re visiting Rome in the summer, be sure to check with any hotels you’re considering to find out whether they have A/C in the rooms. The good news is that attractions like museums and churches are often cooler inside even without air conditioning thanks to their thick stone walls.
August is unlike the other months of summer in Rome. This is when most Italians take their month-long vacations to the mountains or beaches, so cities like Rome get much quieter – the crowds you see in August are likely to be tourists, not locals. Some shops and restaurants may close, as their owners head out of town, but a year-round city like Rome doesn’t shut down completely.
The main summer events in Rome are the Festa della Repubblica on June 2nd, a national holiday that is the unofficial start to summer and includes a military parade and outdoor concert in central Rome, and Ferragosto on August 15, a national holiday in Italy that celebrates the ascent of the Virgin Mary to heaven.
