Climate+and++Environment_Oscar

Italy is located in the south of the continent off Europe, next to the countries of Monaco, France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and Croatia. Most of Italy is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, which also house Italy’s two islands, Sardinia and Sicily. The northern part of Italy is mostly mountain ranges, which are called the Alps. Italy also has the Apennines which run through the central part of Italy. The highest point in Italy is Mont Blanc, in the Alps on the border of Italy and France which is 15,770 feet (4,807 m) tall. The lowest point in Italy is the Mediterranean Sea which is at sea level. There are many rivers in Italy; some of the major ones are the Po River, the Arno River, and the Tiber River.

Italy covers 301,230 sq km, including the islands of Sicily and Sardinia and has a population of about 57,634,300 (as of July 2000). The capital of Italy is Rome and has many different cities around Italy including Venice, Naples, Florence and Pisa.

The Italian climate changes throughout the year and also on the location. In the summer the southern regions are far greater in heat than any other areas especially the northern areas due to the mountain ranges which are higher up in altitude. The central regions of Italy during summer are very hot and humid, the southern regions are scorching and the northern are warm. During winter the northern regions of Italy are dominated by cold and some places are freezing, while the southern parts are at an average temperature throughout winter.

Most tourists visit Italy between June and August, however the best time to visit is in Spring (April-May) and Autumn (September-October) when the weather is great and the tourists are at a minimal. Light weight clothes should be worn during the summer, except in the mountains. Winter demands light- to medium weight in the south, but warmer clothes elsewhere. Alpine wear is advised for winter mountain resorts.

These are the climate information for each region showing the average rainfall and temperature per month for the past year of 2006. Using these charts we have organized the best dates to travel to Italy which include great weather and minimal rain. The dates which were best to travel weather wise in Italy are June, July and August;


 * Rome || jan || feb || mar || apr || may || jun || jul || aug || sep || oct || nov || dec ||
 * Rainfall mm || 81 || 63 || 70 || 56 || 53 || 36 || 17 || 27 || 61 || 118 || 111 || 98 ||
 * Min Temp *C || 3 || 4 || 5 || 7 || 11 || 14 || 16 || 17 || 15 || 11 || 8 || 4 ||
 * Max Temp *C || 13 || 14 || 16 || 19 || 23 || 27 || 30 || 30 || 27 || 23 || 18 || 14 ||
 * Venice || jan || feb || mar || apr || may || jun || jul || aug || sep || oct || nov || dec ||
 * Rainfall mm || 58 || 54 || 57 || 64 || 69 || 76 || 63 || 83 || 66 || 69 || 87 || 54 ||
 * Min Temp *C || -1 || 1 || 4 || 8 || 12 || 16 || 18 || 17 || 14 || 9 || 4 || 0 ||
 * Max Temp *C || 6 || 8 || 12 || 16 || 22 || 25 || 27 || 27 || 24 || 18 || 11 || 7 ||
 * Milan || jan || feb || mar || apr || may || jun || jul || aug || sep || oct || nov || dec ||
 * Rainfall mm || 61 || 58 || 71 || 85 || 98 || 81 || 68 || 81 || 82 || 116 || 106 || 75 ||
 * Min Temp *C || -2 || -1 || 3 || 7 || 11 || 15 || 17 || 16 || 13 || 8 || 4 || 0 ||
 * Max Temp *C || 4 || 8 || 13 || 18 || 22 || 26 || 29 || 27 || 24 || 18 || 10 || 5 ||


 * Florence || jan || feb || mar || apr || may || jun || jul || aug || sep || oct || nov || dec ||
 * Rainfall mm || 73 || 69 || 80 || 78 || 73 || 55 || 40 || 76 || 78 || 88 || 111 || 91 ||
 * Min Temp *C || 1 || 3 || 5 || 8 || 11 || 15 || 17 || 17 || 14 || 10 || 6 || 2 ||
 * Max Temp *C || 10 || 12 || 15 || 19 || 23 || 27 || 31 || 31 || 27 || 21 || 15 || 10 ||