When to go The main tourist season runs from April to mid-October. It follows that for serious sightseers the best months are from fall to early spring. Weatherwise, the best months for sightseeing are April, May, June, September, and October, generally pleasant and not too hot. The hottest months are July and August, when brief afternoon thunderstorms are common.
Winters are relatively mild but always include some rainy spells.
Foreign tourists crowd Rome at Easter, when Italians flock to resorts and to the country. From March through May, bus loads of eager schoolchildren on excursions take the city by storm. If you can avoid it, don't travel at all in Italy in August, when much of the population is on the move, especially around Ferragosto, the August 15 national holiday, when Rome is deserted and many restaurants and shops are closed.