Heat-Avoidance Strategy for Northern Italy in Late August/September

We were in Lake Como in August in 2021 when there was a heat wave. Mornings were good and so were evenings. Afternoons could be hot. We went to beach a lot in the afternoon which had not been my plan. I had some lovely hikes planned but the weather did not cooperate. Oreo do do Bellano which has waterfalls was very pleasant even when it was hot.

We didn’t have a/c and with fans were fine sleeping since it cools off at night. But consider getting a/c. Don’t assume your place will have it. Traditionally you have not needed it there.

Most activities are outdoors so not many a/c museums. Lovely gardens and the ferries are fun way to get around. We traveled with young adult children and for several Lake Como was their favorite (Venice for everyone else).

Have you looked into the light rail that runs between Merano and Malles -- the Venosta Valley Train? Supposedly work wrapped up back in autumn, 2023; although you'd want to double check that. Anyway, the villages it links look quite picturesque. There's a good PDF brochure for the whole region here. More geared towards hiking and skiing, but cultural sites are listed too. Personally I love these sort of back-and-forth rail lines to little villages (the Aosta Valley is similar and one of our favorite regions in Italy, but you aren't headed that far west), and I wasn't familiar with the Venosta Valley. Makes me want to go now!!

Thank you both.

My plans at Lake Como would involve being outdoors a lot--not hardcore hiking, but walking quite a bit, seeing gardens, etc. I am concerned about the relatively few options for cooling off; we're not interested in swimming. We may just cross our fingers and hope. From timeanddate.com it appears the high temperature at Varenna only occasionally goes as high as 86F in September, which should be bearable for folks from Washington DC and Phoenix.

The Venosta Valley brochure is very helpful, and I'm delighted to know about the train, which is news to me. Daytime temperatures in Merano itself look quite problematic in early September, so this is going to be a tough decision. I often make last-minute decisions about my itinerary when there's some information on forthcoming weather, but that isn't going to fly this year, and in any case I wouldn't count on finding an affordable room for multiple nights in Merano in September.

If you are looking for fresh air in Alto Adige, you need elevation. Bolzano, Bressanone, Merano, and even Brunico are too low. Vipiteno begins to be fresher at 950 meters altitude, Dobbiaco and Ortisei at 1200 are fresher.

Old Alpini (mountain soldiers) had a saying:
Chi vuol stare come all'inferno / vada a Trento d'estate ed a Feltre d'inverno

that translates to:
If you like living in hell / go to Trento in summer and to Feltre in winter.

(Bolzano is roughly the same climate as Trento, Merano looks to be even hotter)

Regarding Lake Como, I also think that unless unusually hot that a table by the water in the shade would be a fine way to pass a few hours in the heat of the afternoon if walking around is too strenuous.

And if center lake (Menaggio, Bellagio, Varenna) is already booked, consider Bellano. It is one train stop north of Varenna. It isn't as convenient as mid lake (less frequent ferries) but we found lodging there when everything center lake was booked. We liked the town as it was less touristy and it still was very doable without a car. One day we took the ferry back to Varenna and then after dinner the train to Bellano. So being on train line was very convenient.

Two good ideas: Vipiteno and Bellano. Thank you!

Hi acraven, weather is a dangerous topic nowadays but usually the worst of the heat is over by end August. You're unlikely to get extremes of high 30°sC. The days are also considerably shorter than in July (the worst of the heat usually), so if you plan to do most of the demanding stuff morning and late afternoon/evening and a leisurely lunch and rest after you should be ok. I live up in the mountains and usually the week after ferragosto second house owners from Milan and the cities head back home because it starts to get chilly here and ok in the cities. Just to be sure, make sure your accommodation has air-conditioning.
I was in Milan for museums on 13th August 2022. Most art galleries have air conditioning. Anyway what I remember about the day was what I saw, not the heat ( and I was born in the UK and live in the Alps so don't cope with it well.)

Thanks, Tinac. It's my impression the tail end of August is usually a bit cooler than the beginning of that month, and then September is a bit better. We had nice weather in Venice in late September 2022, but I know there's a big difference being arriving in Italy on August 22 and arriving on September 16.

I have rarely been really uncomfortable in an art museum; I think they have to have a bit of climate control to protect the paintings. Archaeological museums with stone and ceramics are a different matter; I've had perspiration trickling down my back in some of those!

From Merano Vipiteno would be an easy daytrip. I know you are well travelled but have you been to Trento yet? I have gone twice and the city center is relatively flat and compact. Trento would also be a place to spend a few nights as a base or it would also be doable as a daytrip from Merano. The northern towns of Lake Garda, in particular Riva del Garda and Limone sul Garda and Tremoisine are quite scenic and I imagine that you would have a good breeze there coming off the lake. We were there last spring and hired a driver to take us from Trento to the northern Lake Garda towns as a daytrip. But I would be happy to spend a night or two in those towns. I like looking at travel and tourism accounts on Instagram and keep a running list of places that catch my eye. One place I have seen in this same general area that looks attractive is Chiusa ( Klausen). It has a train station so could also be done as a daytrip from Merano.

No, I haven't been to Trento, so I'll research that as well.

Chiusa/Klausen is very atmospheric. I stopped there briefly when I was in the area back in 2015. I loved the medieval streets.

I've only been to Lake Garda really, really briefly, and it was 30 years ago. I don't plan to spend time at two lakes on this trip, but if I can't make Lake Como work, hotel-wise, I'll try for Lake Garda. I do have some sketchy notes I've pulled from this forum over the years.

I really appreciate all the suggestions I'm receiving.

Chiusa/Klausen is deep in a low gorge and so it is really hot in August (but in the last two years they also saw a lot of rain and Isarco river was quite close to flooding low areas).

I spent my last 34 holidays in Innsbruck, so let me tell: climate is changing also in the Alps, while it was true that after Aug. 15th the weather was not so hot, it is no more so. Some years may be very hot, some years it was very rainy and verging on flooding, in any case looks more extreme than 20 or 30 years ago. My experience is that if you need a sort of natural AC, you need elevation (actually, I do not spend my summers in Innsbruck that is at 450 m but in Igls at 900 m and the average difference in temperature is 3 degrees; but the northern side of Alps is a bit fresher than the south side). All places in main valleys, from Verona up to Bressanone and Merano are very hot in summer.

Vipiteno is just beginning to be high enough, on the other valley Malles can be reached by train, and Merano is close enough for a day trip (it will be boiling hot, however). Near Malles there is Glorenza, a fortified village, very scenic. A really high place is Solda/Sulden where Mrs. Merkel spent her Italian holidays.

Another place easily reachable by train is Dobbiaco (I spent most of my childhood holidays in nearby Villabassa). It is not as dramatic as other sights, but it is quite high and usually has good weather. Hikes are mostly flat in all directions, but for the alley from the station to the main church. Cortina can be easily reached by bus.