As temperatures cool after the summer months and now that our summer 2025 calendar is open for booking villas in Italy, it is a good time to consider the summer heat. Summers worldwide continue to get hotter and this is not something that is changing. While Italy is not even the country that is suffering most from this, it is a destination where people are really feeling the heat.
This is for a variety of reasons, most notably that air-conditioning is still not as universally used (though this is changing) as it is in some parts of the world, again for various reasons. If you are planning a holiday in Italy for the summer and you are sensitive to the heat or travelling with vulnerable people (children, older folks, people with various illnesses, et cetra) then there are some things that are worth keeping in mind in order to plan a comfortable stay so that you can make the most of your vacation.
Traditional Ways That Houses Are Built In Italy
In Italy, as with many countries in places where summers have always gotten hot, houses are traditionally built in order to combat warm weather. This includes having thick walls, smaller windows, shutters often on both the inside and outside of windows and doors, tiled floors, and more. As such, there are some vacation rentals in Italy listed on our website that have no air-conditioning systems at all. This might simply be because people in a given area have themselves deemed it unnecessary when pairing these traditional house structures with the lifestyle adopted during the summer in which people generally rest and stay indoors during the hottest time of the day, stay up later at night, head to the mountains or the sea for August to beat the most intense heat, and more.
If you are someone who cannot live without air-conditioning and feel that these methods of dealing with the heat would simply be inadequate for you, then you are better off only browsing among our vacation rentals in Italy with air-conditioning. In general, if there is any amenity that you absolutely require then we always recommend that you use our filters to only be shown properties with these features and that you read our property descriptions carefully to ensure that everything is as you wish. You can also always contact us and our team of seasoned villa experts can help you find exactly what you need if you give them all of the details.
Finally, it is worth noting that if you want to stay in a historic property in Italy – such as one of our amazing castles or palaces or centuries-old farmhouses – then they may not be allowed or able to install air-conditioning due to protection of the property.
All About Air-Conditioning
When booking a vacation rental with air-conditioning in Italy for the summer, there are still a couple of things to double-check. Firstly, our property descriptions will always give a detailed breakdown of which rooms in the home have air-conditioning. In some cases, it may be available all throughout the house but, more often than not, it is only in some rooms – usually the bedrooms and maybe also the living room. If you do need it throughout the entirety of the home, make sure that this is the case before booking.
Once at your rental, there are also the general best practices that most will be familiar with when it comes to air-conditioning that you need to keep in mind to get the best experience. For example, if you have windows open this will counteract the effectiveness of the air-conditioning as it prevents the room temperature from stabilising. Even though this concept might feel counter-intuitive, especially if you’re really hot in a given moment, it is better to resist, keep the windows and doors closed, and give the air-conditioning a chance to really work. Some units will also cut out if you open a window in order to conserve power as, as we have noted, having the air-conditioning on and the window open at the same time reduces the effectiveness.
Furthermore, depending on where the unit and its display are placed, sunlight through windows can make readings of current room temperatures slightly inaccurate. So, if the reading is higher, the room might be cooler and the hot sunlight may merely be heating up the device.
Maintaining a mid-range temperature (around 20 to 21 degrees Celsius) for much of the time rather than trying to blast cool air in once the room gets really hot is also a more efficient way to use your air-conditioning. So, set it and then don’t really touch it again if you want to maintain a comfortable environment. Plus, it is best to turn on the air-conditioning before the real heat hits for the day rather than trying to combat it once the temperatures have already soared. If you can use a timer to also have the unit turn on a little while before you return to your villa in Italy after days out then this is a good idea as it will make the transition seamless and your welcome home much more pleasant.
If You Are Travelling In August
Finally, if you are planning on booking a holiday rental in Italy for August it is worth keeping in mind that this is likely when you are going to have to deal with the highest temperatures of the year (though heatwaves are possible throughout the summer and late spring). As we have noted, this is when a majority of Italians go on holidays themselves and leave towns and cities for seaside resorts and mountain escapes to beat the worst of the heat – there is a very good reason for this. So, if you are planning a vacation in Italy at this time of the year then you might want to consider choosing the same sorts of destinations that are best for staying cool.
Obviously, however, you can still plan city breaks yourself if you so wish and we don’t suggest that you shouldn’t but we do warn our guests that they should be prepared for it to be really, really hot – we always want you to be informed and prepared so that you can have the best possible holiday when you book with us.
So, for example, a vacation in Rome during August is going to be sweltering and you will need to be ready to do as the Romans would do if they hadn’t fled the city (this is a joke, of course, not everyone leaves Rome) and book a rental with air-conditioning, rest and avoid being outdoors during the hottest parts of the day, stay inside cool churches and museums when you can, drink lots of water, dress appropriately, et cetra. In fact, we have a full guide to staying cool with lots of tips that you can read here – please use them all for your safety and comfort.
Choosing Your Destination
In general, just keep in mind the combination of the time of year and your destination and what difficulties that might present. Maybe you might want to consider changing your travel time or your location or maybe you are someone who can look past certain details and won’t be bothered by them. For example, many travellers can find the lagoon conditions of Venice unpleasant during the hottest parts of the summer but others won’t have their experience diminished by this. It is always just worth considering how such things might affect you and your needs and preferences within the context of the destination before booking.
If you do keep all of this in mind, you are sure to be able to plan a perfect summer getaway in Italy but do not hesitate to get in touch and contact us should you have any queries or concerns at all.
