The Italy Guides

Italy in September: The Smart Traveller's Month

· 3 min read Practical
Italy in September — the Amalfi Coast in early autumn

Contents

  1. Weather in September
  2. Crowds and prices
  3. The harvest season begins
  4. Events in September
  5. What to book

September is arguably the single best month to visit Italy’s coastal and southern destinations. The summer heat is breaking, the sea temperature is at its annual peak (the Mediterranean holds summer warmth into October), schools have returned so the Italian domestic summer is over, and prices fall sharply from their August peaks. For cities, September is strong but October is fractionally better; for the coast, September wins.

Weather in September

Rome: 17–28°C. Warm, mostly sunny, still summer-like in the first two weeks.

Florence: 16–27°C. Excellent. The heat of August is gone; the golden September light on the stone buildings is among the finest Italy offers.

Venice: 16–26°C. Beautiful. The summer smells of the canals are reduced. Acqua alta doesn’t typically start until October.

Milan: 14–25°C. Good weather for the city. Fashion Week (late September) fills the city.

Naples: 18–28°C. Still warm; the bay is at its best.

Amalfi Coast: 19–27°C. The prime time — sea warm, infrastructure open, crowds reduced from July–August. Positano and Amalfi are manageable.

Sicily: 20–28°C. Excellent. The sea is the warmest of the year. The archaeological sites are no longer blisteringly hot.

Sardinia: 19–27°C. The water is warmest of the year. The Costa Smeralda empties after the Italian Ferragosto holiday (15 August); September is the best value.

Puglia: 19–28°C. Still very warm. The olive harvest begins at the end of the month.

Dolomites: 7–20°C. Autumn colours beginning at altitude. Good hiking until mid-October.

Crowds and prices

The Italian school year begins in mid-September. From that point, Italian domestic family tourism drops sharply. European tourist numbers also start to fall. The practical effect: hotels that were €180 in August cost €120 in September. The Amalfi villages are walkable in September; in August they were gridlocked.

The Colosseum and Vatican Museums still benefit from booking ahead in September (particularly for the Venice Film Festival period), but the morning queues are considerably shorter than peak summer.

The harvest season begins

Late September starts the Italian food calendar:

  • Wine harvest (vendemmia): Most wine regions harvest in September–October. The Chianti and Valpolicella harvests begin late September.
  • Olive harvest (raccolta delle olive): Begins in October in most regions but can start in September in the warmer south.
  • Porcini mushrooms: Forest mushrooms from the Apennines.

Events in September

Venice Film Festival (Mostra del Cinema): Late August to early September. International film festival on the Lido island. The city is full of industry visitors in this period; hotel prices elevated around the Lido.

Verona Opera Festival: Continues through September. The Arena season usually ends in early September.

Palio di Asti: Bareback horse race in the Piedmontese city of Asti, usually in September (exact date varies). Similar tradition to the Siena Palio but smaller and less well-known.

Regata Storica (Venice): The first Sunday of September. A historical procession of richly decorated gondolas along the Grand Canal, followed by racing gondoliers. One of the most spectacular events on the Venetian calendar.

Joust of the Saracen (Giostra del Saracino, Arezzo): Medieval jousting tournament in the Piazza Grande, held the first Sunday of September and third Saturday of June.

What to book

September is not quite as relaxed as January for booking — 2–3 weeks ahead for most things is sufficient, with the exception of events (Venice Film Festival accommodation, Verona opera) which need booking earlier.