Sceptical of heat warnings for the Village Italy RS tour in June. Is it really that bad?

If you spend your summers in Tucson then I don't think you'll be too bothered by the heat in any part of Italy, especially in June. I've been in Southern Italy, Sicily, Greece and Turkey in July and August. Temps often topped 100 but I remember mostly dry heat, not terribly humid and tolerable for anyone used to hot summers. The worst humidity I remember in Italy was in the bigger cities, especially Rome and Naples in late July.

We live outside of Sacramento and have very hot summers. We've done Village Italy, Greece and Spain all late June or thereabouts, some spilling into July. Hot? Yes, at times. But nothing we had not experienced. You drink lots of water, take shade breaks, linger at sidewalk cafe's. The guide will not allow a Bataan death march, don't worry.

It's a hoax perpetuated by the Chinese.
(They want Italian villages to themselves...)

I'm leery of using monthly averages for much of anything weather-related, and anecdotal reports from others who spent a few days in your target area, perhaps in early rather than late June, are of limited usefulness. Although early and late July may have similar weather patterns, that won't necessarily hold true for June; after all, early June is spring and late June is summer. For a more reliable perspective, I suggest going to wunderground.com and checking the actual day-by-day weather stats for this year, last year, and as far back as you have time to go. If you must use monthly averages, be aware that late June may be roughly at the mid-point between "June" and "July" stats.

I'm familiar with summer in Tucson and currently live in Washington DC. One difference I've observed is that in Arizona, you feel a lot cooler if you move into the shade--I guess because the humidity is low. Here in DC the heat follows you into the shade. And of course 90 F in the sun feels hotter here than the same temperature in Arizona in the sun, again because of the humidity.

I think you would survive Italy in late summer because of where you currently live; I managed last year from late May to late July (including Sicily and Puglia), but the heat was draining. I don't remember having a "comfortable" day after the end of May except for those occasions when I was high up in the Dolomites. One thing to keep in mind is that unlike in the US, you will not find every little Italian café, shop and museum air-conditioned. Museums showing paintings are cooled; other museums, not so much. Small eating establishments and stores may well just have a fan or two, the exception being high-end shops. Not being able to escape the heat anywhere except possibly your hotel room (assuming it is conveniently located and air-conditioned--don't assume!) can make things difficult.

In sum: There is a reason so many Italian establishments close for an extended period during summer afternoons.

It's so hard to predict what weather will be like in the future, it varies so from year to year. Here's my experience with Venice and the Village Italy tour mid June, 2015. Warm, not overly so but then living in Colorado, I did feel the humidity. On the whole, I felt it was fairly comfortable and pleasant. In none of the places we visited was it ever "too hot" for my comfort. On the other hand, in September of this year, I took the South England Villages tour and thought I'd die of the heat in London & Canterbury the third week of September! Who knew? Certainly not me! I found myself needing more than one shower a day. So, it's just all kind of a guessing game as to what it will be like when you're there. You'll love that tour, though. It's one of my favorites.

I have been in Sourhern Italy and Sicily the last six summers. Late July can be daunting. I have lived in Miami, Roma and Las Vegas, so I know hot weather. Humidity makes it worse.

Stay hydrated and cross the street to walk in the shade.

I think the worst part of warm summer days is that air conditioning is still rare in many European locations. Combined with 90 degree and high humidity, it can make for some uncomfortable days because you can't duck in to a shop to cool off.

I tend to take tours in southern Europe during the Spring through the end of May or late September through November when the temperatures can be milder. I grew up and spent most of my life along the US Gulf coast where it was not uncommon to have stretches of summer days of 110+ degrees with 100% humidity. I never got used to that.

I was in Italy the end of June and It was very hot in Rome, Venice, Oriveto, Florence and Cinque Terre. 80s and 90s with humidity. I too was in London a few years ago the first week of June and died of the heat. The end of June I was in Edinburgh and died from the 90 degree weather only to freeze the week in between both cities! Plan for warm weather and be happy if it is cooler. The humidity is what bothered me the most in Italy.

We've been to Venice, Florence, Rome and Sicily in late June twice. Lovely warm temps as far as I'm concerned. Rome had a 100 hot spell that wasn't much fun, but so what? That just means extra gelato! Seriously, it never has bothered me and I'm from Portland where we don't get a lot of really hot weather. We acclimate. I would think it would be a piece of cake for you!

Thanks everyone for your realistic responses so far, and more are welcome.

As I thought about what you've said, I realized that most of my life has been lived without air conditioning -- not where I lived, or went to school, or where I worked. That's not surprising in the Pacific NW or Germany, but sure is these days in Texas. Way back in the 50's, 60's and 70's it was common.

I seem to get along fine so long as there's some air moving. So I'll pack appropriately (she said confidently), hope for the temps to be close to the averages and if it gets really hot, seek out shade, a breeze, a fan (maybe get one there) and gelato, not necessarily in that order.

I was in Rome in late October, just a couple of weeks ago. It was around 80 degrees with very high humidity. With all the walking that I did it was pretty miserable at times, but not unbearable.

It often depends on what you are used to. If one lives in Seattle or San Francisco, where temperatures are rarely hot, June weather in the Mediterrranean may appear unbearable. You are in Tucson, so you are probably used to scorching summers.
The other issue is air conditioning. When you are at home, even if you live in a hot location, you will probably spend most of the the day sitting down in an air conditioned office or an air conditioned home, therefore your only experience with heat is when you walk from a parking lot to an office building or a store. But when you travel, although most hotels and restaurants may have air conditioning, however you are likely to spend most of the day walking outdoors visiting sights. Spend all day walking outdoors downtown Tucson in June then you know what I am talking about.

I've read recommendations for Kool Ties, but haven't tried one yet. It sounds as if they would be helpful on a summer trip to Italy. I've linked to the REI website, but this and similar products are available elsewhere.

Something else that will help is being an early riser, which I unfortunately am not. If you can get up and about by 8 AM or so, you'll definitely have some time before the oppressive heat makes itself known. It'll be nice late in the evening, too, but by then it will be pretty dark and not so easy to appreciate outdoor sights.

I bought my first fan in Italy in the 80s. Several years ago I bought several flat fans in China Town, San Francisco and I leave them in my suite case for use wherever I go. I had several with me this past June and shared with several tour members. They do help!

I live in a low humidity area. The killer is the humidity. There is a huge difference between 100 degrees with 60% humidity and 90 degrees at 85% humidity. At high humidity indexes a breeze doesn't cool you. It does when it is around 60 but close to hundred and you are just miserable. And, unfortunately, there is little escape from the heat and humidity. Ducking into cafes or museums to cool does always work. Whether it is bad or not is simply going to be how you personally tolerate high humidity. I moved to Colorado from the high humidity of the Midwest in Indiana about 40 years ago. I know I could never go back to that type of humidity. We were in Rome first week of June a few years ago and it was miserable. Just saps the energy. The is a reason why the mid day siesta is popular in the Med.

The bamboo and paper fan that I had with me in Italy in June-July 2016 (Tuscany, Umbria and Venice) was the most precious item in my purse, many days!

The fans are a good suggestion. I don't remember seeing people using them in Italy, but I can assure you that they are frequently used by locals in Spain, who also have a long, hot summer.

Humidity in Italy is not usually that bad but it can be, there's no way to know in advance as it comes and goes in the summer. Those from humid parts of the US may find it the same as home, but more likely it will be less humid. We were in Italy summer 2015 just after the record breaking heat, highs upper 90s, lows about 75, humidity in the daytime about 50%, not awful but plenty of sweat, really the scorching sun was worse than the humidity.

We love our tiny battery-operated fans - not as lightweight as a flat fan, but only the weight of two AA batteries. The ones we have are Coleman purchased at Target, I believe - about 4 inches long and an inch thick.

Lo, we live in Northeast Oklahoma - hot and humid. Not as hot as Tucson - we generally are in the 90s most of the summer. We find Italy in the summer quite pleasant. Now, I must say that DH and I live (by choice) without air conditioning, so temps in the 80s or low 90s are a piece of cake.

My rule for dealing with summer heat: lots of water, and always wear a hat outside. (Or is that two rules?) Some years ago in the Cinque Terre we stupidly tried hiking the roughest part of the inter-village trail without enough water, and believe me, we'll never do that again.

BTW, we're doing Village Italy in June; let me know when you get your dates set.