Italy in July (Am I Crazy?)

You can either embrace the heat and crowds or try to avoid them somewhere like the mountains. Cinque Terre or the Amalfi coast would be the very last places I'd go this July! Rome and Venice are different, they are going to be crowded even in shoulder season, and some places are unique enough that you bear the crowds (though not sure I'd do both this July, there is just so much pent up demand right now). I'd consider Umbria in between, or the Dolomites.

Mid-summer in Italy is likely to be hot in most areas, but it's hard to suggest skipping Rome or Venice.

In between, I think the Dolomites would be a great idea. Stay up in the mountains in a place like Ortisei, not in the (lovely but potentially very hot) valley cities like Bolzano and Bressanone. But do go to the South Tyrol Archeological Museum in Bolzano. The display about Otzi, the Iceman, is extremely good and should appeal to all members of your family.

How old are your children?

I can totally relate to how frustrating it is to plan around kids' schedules. My son is 17 and I'm looking forward to shoulder season travel in the near future!

Last trip with my son, we were in Italy at the height of summer. We stayed with a friend in the Veneto region (Conegliano/Treviso) and there were few tourists and much to enjoy! There's castles to visit, wine tasting and sightseeing in the Prosecco region, charming churches, hiking, great markets and restaurants. Then we took a day trip into Venice (40 minutes train ride from Treviso).

Several of the Cinque Terre trails are still closed for repairs, so it might be more crowded than usual.

You should definitely go if July is your only option, but you are smart to be strategic with planning the itinerary.

I'd suggest Venice and staying on the island is a must. Being on the island will give you a break from the day tippers in the morning (before 10:00am) and in the evening (after 6:00pm). During the high traffic times you can take a short train trip to Padova or Ravena or just roam the less touristy areas like central or western Dosodoro. Venice is a little muggy in the summer but the mornings and nights are cooler than Rome or Amalfi. My kids enjoyed visiting the mask shops and the glass blowing demonstrations in Murano. We used to travel around the kids school schedules too. We learned to make the most of 7-9 day trips during cooler times of the year too (Spring Break, Christmas, etc). In the end you can't really make a bad decision but I prefer to be as far north as possible in the summer and save the southern destinations for Spring/Winter. Good luck with whatever you decide.

My family is also at the mercy of school schedules, so we're also going to Italy in July. It's hot, but not terrible. Totally worth it. I'd avoid Amalfi (never been to CT, but it sounds similarly crowded in summer). Book a few agriturismi or Airbnbs with pools so you & the kids can cool off back at home base during the pausa (siesta).

But you don't have to sacrifice visiting charming coastal towns. 11 years ago we stayed on the Cilento coast, just south of Amalfi, and it was gorgeous, authentic summer in Italy. We were practically the only tourists who weren't Italian (I think we were the only Americans - there were a few Northern Europeans). From there, we visited Paestum, Herculaneum and took a ferry ride to Positano for the day. Positano was my least favorite day because it was so crazy-crowded.

On that trip, we also spent a week in Rome and a week in Umbria. Umbria was also not terribly crowded, and lovely. We made day trips to Assisi, Lake Trasimeno & Perugia. Our kids were 5, 12 & 16 at the time.

This summer, we're going back for a month and spending a week in Rome, a few days back in Cilento b/c we loved it so, 4 days visiting family in Calabria, and about 2 weeks in Puglia. The 'kids' are all coming with us again, and are now 16, 23 & 27.

You'll have a great time!

As someone who is at the mercy of my spouse's schedule, I understand!! Know it's going to be hot and crowded and plan accordingly. Get tickets early, maybe buy a little more expensive tour knowing that it's worth it to avoid the crush of tourists. For example in Venice, we did the Secret Itineraries Tour at the Doge's palace and enjoyed a little quiet before the tour groups converged, we then did the clock tower tour. We went far from St Marks for lunch, then back to our room for a shower and siesta before passeggiata and dinner. While in Italy, most importantly eat lots of gelato! Orvieto is a short train from Rome, may be a little cooler and less crowded. It is worth a couple of nights or Lucca, easy by train and less crowded. Think about a smaller town or 2 for a few nights. I find larger cities in the sweltering summer is too much. In the end enjoy, what a great experience for your children!

You might look at where you are intending to go as during the summer months some villages and towns are on holidays and the only thing open maybe your hotel. Research research and research. The Cinque Terre has beaches, hiking, trains, boats, fine food and you can catch the train for day trips. Check it out.

We went to the Cinque Terre in July with our kids (and Rome and Florence). And it was during a heat wave. It was probably crowded, but as we always travel in summer, I guess it wasn't worse than anywhere else in summer. We made a point of getting out by 8am. The heat wasn't really awful until noon or one, and then we'd chill out (hotel or shady spot), sand then do more site-seeing in the late afternoon. In the CT we did all the hikes in the morning hours, then ate lunch and then swam for a few hours (we stayed in Monterosso, which has a beach. But the day we went to Riomagiore and hiked from there to Manarola, we swam in Manarola and cliff jumped from a rock, and then took the train back to Monterosso later in the day). Rinse, repeat. The excitement of being there overcomes weather, ime.

It's never crazy to go to Italy.

My suggestion is :

Venice stay in Venice Proper (see https://europeforvisitors.com/venice/venice-hotels.htm) enjoy the city in the morning, then go on a day trip to Murano (to see glass), Burano (to se lace and the pretty houses), The Lido (to see cars and the beach). Then go back around 16:00 when the day trippers leave. Walk around, have dinner and go to St. Marks Square to enjoy the music. Check the menu (prices) before you decide if you want to sit down for a glass of wine or a cup of coffe.

Skip Cinque Terre. It will be wall-to-wall tourists.

Go (by train) to Peschiera del Garda and take a boat to any likely spot with a beach. I always go to Bardolino (and stay in a mobile home on Camping Serenella) but there are loads of nice places.

The go to Rome. It will be warm and crowded, but Rome is a must-see. Splurge on a hotel with air condition and stay inside between 12:00 and 15:00 - it could be in your hotel or in a museum.

I don't believe all the museums in Rome are air conditioned, so some Googling in advance would be in order if part of the reason for going to a museum is to escape the heat.

Rome you will likely find to be no more crowded in July than 11 other months of the year but with more Americans around.
Enough locals will likely take their vacations at this time and be off on the coast, the lakes or in the mountains to escape the heat so the end result is no more crowded.

Amalfi Coast / Cinque Terre / Venice expect those to be mobbed in July ; I think you either need to embrace the crowds or decide if you will truly be happy missing some of the big spots for some lesser known areas. This works for some people and not others and really would need to know your families interests to make recommendations.

If you do decide to go to the most crowded areas in July ; do your best to get out really early, stay out late and build some rest time in mid day ; this will help you avoid the most crowded times.
No where is this more true than in Venice which I absolutely loved for a few hours every early morning and in the evening but totally hated between 11:00-16:00 ; great time to rest, go on a walk away from the main squares, head over to Burano, Murano, etc...