If you had 5 days to spend anywhere in Italy at the end of August, where would you choose? 🇮🇹✨ Would you go for the coast, a charming village, a lake, or a beautiful city? Don’t be shy—drop your dream destination in the comments and tell me why! Go!
And if you have 10??
Thanks!
If I had to be anywhere in Italy in August, it would be to one of the less well known villages on Lake Maggiore. Hopefully not as hot and less crowded. But frankly, I find it inconceivable that I would travel for pleasure to Italy any time in the summer.
If you can travel only at the end of August, so be it. All depends on your tolerance for heat and crowds. Personally - nowhere.
Dolomites for the cooler weather, maybe in or near Cortina.
In August I'd do what the Italians do and close up shop and head for the Dolomites, a lake or the coast to wait out the heat. The Dolomites are the coolest and choice of well heeled northerners.
Personally, I'd probably look at 5 days in and around the Ligurian coast investigate Chiavari, Moneglia, Sestri Levante and that area, but that's me. And I'd plan on getting out early, water and then siesta in the afternoon and then out late for spritz and dinner.
Second choice I guess would be Malcesine on upper Lake Garda. You could take the cable car to the top of the mountain in the heat of day if you wanted to remind yourself it gets cold - take a light jacket as crazy as that sounds. And spend the other days doing the lake thing or investigating Limone and Riva via the ferry.
My $.02,
=Tod
Five days in August - Stresa on Lake Maggiore & Torino.
10 days - I’d be checking out any festivals during that time and pick cities around that region.
Some of the August options:
Palio di Siena (Siena, Tuscany): Italy’s most famous historic bareback horse race takes place annually on August 16 in the shell-shaped Piazza del Campo. The festival features four days of pageantry, historical parades, and intense neighborhood rivalries.
(Nationwide): Celebrated on August 15 across the entire country, this national holiday features massive local village feasts, outdoor BBQs, and spectacular midnight firework displays along coastlines (such as the coast near La Spezia and Matera).Major Music & Arts Festivals
(Agrigento, Sicily): Held in early August, this unique boutique music and digital arts festival takes place directly inside the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Valley of the Temples.
Red Valley Festival (Olbia, Sardinia): One of Italy's largest open-air pop, rap, and electronic music events, running mid-August at the Olbia Arena.
Ferrara Buskers Festival (Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna): Late August transforms the historic streets of Ferrara into a spontaneous, global stage for hundreds of international street musicians, circus acts, and performers.
Ortisei in the Dolomites
I would love to spend an extended amount of time in Cinque Terre. I am sure it is quite bustling around that time of year, but I have heard that Corniglia is the most quiet village out of the five. It does require a bus/taxi ride or a long climb up many stairs to access, but would be well worth it if one was considering a quiet and more local experience.
Think basil pesto cooking classes, guided vineyard tours, hiking to the surrounding villages, and taking a boat ride on the Ligurian sea. If I was looking for something coastal, authentic, and relaxing… this would be my choice!
I would go to Slovenia (I know this is the Italy forum) for beautiful scenery in the mountains, rivers, and lakes. The crowd would be much, much thinner than that anywhere in Italy.
The Dolomites will be very crowded. If you thinking of Aug 2026, then it's way too late to book good lodging choices. I visited in Sep one year with COVID restrictions, and the trails were packed with Italians.
In fact, I concur that almost nowhere is great in Italy in August, due to either the heat or crowdedness. Remember, this is the time when the entire Europe is on vacation.
Definitely Tuscany, but not the south like most people, especially not in august.
I'd pick a city in the northern part like Lucca, and not only visit the city (ancient walls, characteristic medieval walls, nottolini aqueduct) but I would also go for mountain hiking, much cooler than in the city, and not so crowded!
Two years ago I was in Sardinia for the last week in August. Went for the beach. Loved it.
If I had 5 days at the end of August I would go to the west coast of Sardinia.
Merano. Cool with mountain scenery, cable cars for hiking choices, sophisticated town with good services, not overcrowded, passeggiate every evening, English widely understood but not used by the people dining at the next table.
Cannero Riviera on the northern edge of Lago Maggiore. Reachable by ferry from Stresa. Almost in Switzerland - can easily get to Switzerland for a day trip. Hiking, biking and swimming. Small and quiet.
We don't do Italy for the beach, we live next to a beach.
We go for history, art, culture and dining.
There are MANY great places, but Tuscany and Umbria are my favorites.
Siena, Lucca, San G, Florence, Assisi, Spoleto, Perugia, and Orvieto are great.
