Italy, a large country and peninsula in southern Europe with the Mediterranean bordering three sides, is considered one of the main originating sources for western culture. When it comes to Italy weather, the climate near the coast is Mediterranean while inland experiences cold winters and hot and dry summers. For skiing and other winter sports, the mountains and winters in Italy are perfect, but for sightseeing and touring historic sites, the warmer months are best except for August, the hottest month of the year.
Precipitation
The rain and snow is more prevalent in winter and the west coast is wetter than the east coast, while precipitation falls more steadily in the northern portion of the country. In the north, the elevation is higher as mountains and the Alps are part of the terrain. With even some glaciers present, snow can fall all summer long.
The most precipitation in the country falls in snow up in the Alps at as much as 2,000 m per year, but averagely the higher elevations receive 500 and 1,000 m. The southern portion of the country will get rain occasionally during the summer and winters provide more rain and some snow.
Seasons and Temperatures
In southern Italy, summer temperatures average between 15 and 23 degrees Celsius, and the winter averages between 3 and 15 degrees depending on elevation.
For northern Italy, the winters bring temperatures of -12 to 6 degrees Celsius with summers rising to between 12 and 22 degrees Celsius according to elevation.
