Beat the Heat

You're going to have a tough time totally escaping the heat during peak times in any of those locations. We've always just taken an afternoon siesta or had a very long lunch during peak heat. The only exception is if we were able to get into a museum with verified air conditioning.

The interiors of Italian churches are often pleasantly cool; nice places to escape the heat. Just make sure you're dressed appropriately (covered knees and shoulders, both men and women.)

I know a couple who would go out very early in the morning. Then, after lunch, return to their air conditioned hotel for a few hours to rest and stay cool. Then, later in the afternoon, went out again.

For the days they didn't do that, they did outside activities early, and indoor activities during the hottest time of the day.

Museums showing paintings (or even better, artworks on paper) are more likely to be cooled than archaeological museums. I well remember perspiration trickling down my back as I visited more than one archaeological museum.

Churches are an excellent idea, though some may not stay open through the hottest part of the day.

In a pinch, visiting the frozen-food section of a supermarket will cool you off briefly.

The maritime museum in Venice is quite fun.

We just left Bologna where it was quite hot. We just went back to our a/c apartment in the afternoon. It is pleasant in the morning so get out early. By 3 pm, we were done. There was nothing I wanted to see enough to stay any longer in the heat. We took day trips to Ravenna and Parma but took trains leaving before 4 back to Bologna. We would stay in a/c in apartment until maybe 7 pm and then venture out again. We often took showers when we returned to our apartment.

It was in high 90 s in Bologna. We had about 85 in Venice and didn’t find that problematic but see it is warmer (high 80s) now. But get up and get moving early. We went to Torcello after Burano and it was pleasant and not crowded.

@Kathy- I’ve been traveling to Italy for more than 25 years and my wife’s family are all Italian and they all live there and we men almost always enter churches in shorts and polo shirts. It’s fine to enter in shorts. Women have to have their shoulders covered, however.

As we age, my wife & I--who have been to Italy 4 times now--increasingly find it difficult to tolerate two things--crowds & heat. Even this last April when in Florence, Rome or Ravello, we couldn't believe how teeming crowds when it was merely 75 F. could sap one's strength. On our last day in Rome, we ended up on a Hop On Hop Off bus with cold water to drink, sitting up top and looping the loop a couple times, watching the throngs of tourists below us. Best 18 Euro we spent on the entire trip!

So with the currently beastly heat across southern Europe, I know that I will never visit in the summer. I also found out that in the touristy areas that high season now is March through October, maybe even into November. We feel a fair trade-off is to visit in mid-to-late February, stay in a walkup just off Campo de' Fiori in Rome, and simply live for a few weeks. That time of year is certainly more temperate than Chicago--when there in 2017, it was very pleasant...50-60 F during the day, 40-50 F at night. And apartment prices aren't jacked up that time of year either.

Build a better mousetrap, I always say...

I just checked the humidity in Venice ... 40% ... not great, but not horrible. So try and find a sweet little café on the waters edge, with shade, and see if the sea breeze doesn't compensate until temps really get high, then head for a museum or a church.

We are in Rome right now and it’s absolutely sweltering. This doesn’t necessarily answer your question about how to escape the heat in Venice, but the best piece of advice I have that has worked wonders for us is: bring a Camelbak day pack, put water in the bladder the night before and freeze the Camelbak bladder. It holds a ton of water and the water stays cold all day. Like really thirst quenchingly cold. I also bought these scarves on Amazon that you get wet and you wrap them around your neck or forehead and they help a bit to cool you down.

When it’s going to be a hot day, I begin the day earlier, doing more outdoor exploring before breakfast.

I stay in small hotels in the city center, so when I need a quick heat break, I pop into my room to have some cold water & put my feet up. On the hottest days I have taken that time to review my photos or journal for awhile.

Churches will give you some shade, but I remember sitting in the main church in Lucca & still being hot.

Lucca does have the nice wall to walk or ride bikes. Some of it is shaded.

Otherwise, museums help.

@Kathy- I’ve been traveling to Italy for more than 25 years and my
wife’s family are all Italian and they all live there and we men
almost always enter churches in shorts and polo shirts. It’s fine to
enter in shorts. Women have to have their shoulders covered, however.

Jon, I've personally witnessed people rejected at the door of Italian churches (usually the big ones) for wearing knee-baring shorts (polo shirts are fine). I most vividly remember that happening at the duomo in Milan. Our OP isn't asking about whether to get away with that or not - so I'm guessing they'll be dressed as widely recommended or expected - but just because you haven't experienced it doesn't mean it doesn't happen. One guard may be more stringent or inconsistent with the rules than another.

Venice:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g187870-d191226-r968530812-Basilica_di_San_Marco-Venice_Veneto.html