I read somewhere that in an effort to conserve energy, Italy does not turn on the heat until winter arrives. Is heat turn-on determined by a date or temperature? I am planning to travel to northern Italy at the end of November this year, I am concerned to sleep in a cold hotel room.
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
I am sure heat would be turned on by then.. and why not just contact each hotel you are staying at for clarification. September.. maybe not.. but November.. of course.
Read reviews on hotels you have booked.. see if anyone mentions an unheated room..
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
388 posts
Heat and Air Conditioning is controlled by the government. Hotels are not allowed to turn heat on until a specific date which is usually sometime in October but can vary. My best suggestion would be to contact one of your hotels to confirm the date as they should know.
Posted by
Firenze, Italy
1703 posts
Each "comune" is assigned to a climatic zone, graded from A to F, and each zone has a turn on date, turn off date and maximum number of hours per day. The table of climatic zones is at:
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classificazione_climatica_dei_comuni_italiani
and the list of communes and their climate zones is at:
http://efficienzaenergetica.acs.enea.it/doc/dpr412-93_allA_tabellagradigiorno.pdf
So, for example, the Canazei comune, province Trento (TN), 1465 meters high, is in zone F and so has no limits on heating.
Firenze (Florence) is in zone D, so heating is allowed up to 12 hours per day, from November 1st to April 15th. And so on.
In case of exceptional climatic conditions, the mayor of each commune may remove limitations or authorize earlier starting dates or later ending dates.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16538 posts
I'm a little amused because I think this is the first post I've seen from someone worried about being cold. It's usually concern about being stuck in a really hot room with no air conditioning! It shouldn't be a problem but bring your slippers (the floors are bound to be uncarpeted) and just ask the desk for an extra blanket if you need it.
This is really a much easier thing to manage than a too-hot room as you can always pile more ON but taking it all OFF can't always fix the opposite problem. :O)