# North or south Italy: how the climate really splits

> Passo Rolle averages 3.2 °C a year and Naples 17.1 °C, yet Florence's July is hotter than Trapani's. The 1991-2020 normals, read north against south.

URL: https://myitalia.it/compare/north-vs-south-climate
Last updated: 2026-09-11

The south is warmer in winter, not in summer: in January Trapani averages 11.4 °C against 3.2 °C in Milan, but the hottest July average maximum in the national normals is Florence at 32.3 °C, above Trapani at 30.2 °C, and the biggest gap of all is altitude, almost 14 °C between Passo Rolle and Naples.

## The 1991-2020 normals, from the Alps to Sicily

| Station | Annual mean | January mean | July average max | Annual rain |
|---|---:|---:|---:|---:|
| Passo Rolle, 2,004 m | 3.2 °C | -3.9 °C | 16.2 °C | not in our sources |
| Milan Linate | 14.2 °C | 3.2 °C | 30.7 °C | 722.4 mm |
| Venice Tessera | 13.9 °C | 3.7 °C | 29.0 °C | 762.3 mm |
| Florence Peretola | 15.5 °C | 6.6 °C | 32.3 °C | 787.8 mm |
| Rome Ciampino | 15.8 °C | 7.5 °C | 31.0 °C | 622.6 mm at Fiumicino |
| Naples Capodichino | 17.1 °C | 9.2 °C | incomplete | not published |
| Trapani Birgi | 18.1 °C | 11.4 °C | 30.2 °C | 488.9 mm |

These are 30-year averages from weather stations, most of them at airports. Airport stations underestimate the heat of historic city centers, so a July afternoon in the middle of Florence is hotter than 32.3 °C.

## Winter is where the south wins

In January Trapani averages 11.4 °C and Milan 3.2 °C, a difference of more than 8 degrees on the monthly mean. Naples sits at 9.2 °C, Rome Ciampino at 7.5 °C, Florence at 6.6 °C.

That's the one season when "the further south, the warmer" holds. If you're choosing a winter trip on temperature alone, western Sicily and the Naples coast are the answer, and the Po valley is not.

## Summer is where the map lies

Florence has the highest July average maximum in the national normals, 32.3 °C, or 90.1 °F. Milan, at 30.7 °C, and Rome Ciampino, at 31.0 °C, both beat Trapani's 30.2 °C.

Latitude isn't what decides it. Trapani's station sits at 7 m by the sea, while Florence and Milan are inland, and in these normals the inland stations post the higher July maximums. So if heat is what you want to avoid in July and August, going north doesn't help unless you go up, and a Sicilian coast is often the more bearable place.

## Rain falls in different seasons

Western Sicily barely sees rain in July: 2.9 to 3.9 mm at Trapani and Ustica. Florence's driest month is also July, at 24.6 mm, and Naples records just 13.8 mm in August.

The Alps run the other way. On the Paganella, at 2,125 m, the wettest month is July with 109.5 mm and the driest is January with 20.1 mm, so summer afternoons in the mountains come with thunderstorms. Milan has no dry season at all: 722.4 mm a year on 73.9 rainy days, with a peak in November at 104.2 mm and a second one in late spring.

## Altitude beats latitude

Passo Rolle, at 2,004 m in the Trentino Dolomites, averages 3.2 °C over the year; Naples Capodichino, at 90 m, averages 17.1 °C. That's almost 14 °C, the widest gap in the national normals, and it's a gap of height, not of distance from the equator.

At Passo Rolle the warmest month, July, averages only 11.9 °C and the coldest, February, -4.4 °C. Four months average below freezing, and November sits just above it at 0.1 °C. Naples's coldest month, January, averages 9.2 °C, not far under Passo Rolle's warmest.

## What the stations don't measure

Palermo has no complete 1991-2020 series, which is why Trapani and Ustica stand in for western Sicily. Naples has no annual rainfall total in the series, because its summer months fall below the validity threshold, and no station in Puglia appears in the data we use.

So this page can't give you a rainfall figure for Naples or any figure at all for Bari. We'd rather show the gap than borrow a number from a less careful source.

## Pick which

Go south for winter: Trapani's January is 11.4 °C against Milan's 3.2 °C. Go up, not north, for summer: the inland north is as hot as the southern coast, and Passo Rolle's July averages 11.9 °C. For the month-by-month detail, see [Italy's climate](/themes/climate), [weather in the Alps](/plan/weather-in-the-alps) and [heat and summer](/plan/heat-and-summer).

## FAQ

### Is southern Italy hotter than northern Italy in summer?

Not by average daytime maximum. In the 1991-2020 normals the July average maximum is 32.3 °C at Florence, 30.7 °C at Milan Linate and 30.2 °C at Trapani in western Sicily. Inland cities heat up more than coasts; the south is warmer in winter, not in July.

### How cold is northern Italy in January?

Milan Linate averages 3.2 °C in January and Venice Tessera 3.7 °C in the 1991-2020 normals. In the Dolomites, Passo Rolle at 2,004 m averages -3.9 °C, and its coldest month is February at -4.4 °C.

### Where is it warmest in Italy in winter?

Western Sicily, among the stations with complete 1991-2020 normals. Trapani averages 11.4 °C in January, against 9.2 °C at Naples, 7.5 °C at Rome Ciampino and 3.2 °C at Milan. Palermo has no complete series and is not in the comparison.

### Does it rain in summer in Italy?

It depends which Italy. In western Sicily July brings 2.9 to 3.9 mm of rain, practically none. In the Alps summer is the wettest season: the Paganella, at 2,125 m, peaks at 109.5 mm in July. Milan has no dry season at all.

### How much colder are the Dolomites than Naples?

Almost 14 °C on the annual mean. Passo Rolle, at 2,004 m in the Trentino Dolomites, averages 3.2 °C over the year and Naples Capodichino, at 90 m, averages 17.1 °C. At Passo Rolle four months have an average below freezing.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Le normali 1991-2020 quantificano l'ampiezza climatica italiana: fra Passo Rolle (2004 m, media annua 3,2 °C) e Napoli Capodichino (17,1 °C) corrono quasi 14 °C; a gennaio si va da -3,9 °C a Passo Rolle a +11,4 °C a Trapani; a luglio le massime medie vanno da 16,2 °C a Passo Rolle a 32,3 °C a Firenze. | [WMO Climatological Standard Normals 1991-2020 - serie trasmessa dall'Italia (stazioni del Servizio Meteorologico dell'Aeronautica Militare), archivio NOAA NCEI accession 0253808](https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/6.6/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Italy/CSV/Passo_Rolle_16021.csv); [doc 2](https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/6.6/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Italy/CSV/Napoli_Capodichino_16289.csv); [doc 3](https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/6.6/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Italy/CSV/Trapani_Birgi_16429.csv); [doc 4](https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/6.6/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Italy/CSV/Firenze_Peretola_16170.csv); [doc 5](https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/6.6/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Italy/CSV/Milano_Linate_16080.csv) | medium | 2032-12-31 |
| Alta montagna alpina: normali climatiche 1991-2020 della stazione Passo Rolle (Dolomiti, Trentino) (2004 m s.l.m.). Temperatura media annua 3.2 °C; mese piu' freddo feb (-4.4 °C di media), mese piu' caldo lug (11.9 °C di media). | [WMO Climatological Standard Normals 1991-2020 - serie trasmessa dall'Italia (stazioni del Servizio Meteorologico dell'Aeronautica Militare), archivio NOAA NCEI accession 0253808](https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/6.6/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Italy/CSV/Passo_Rolle_16021.csv); [ISPRA - Sezione Climatologia Operativa, applicazione 'Valori climatici normali'](https://valori-climatici-normali.isprambiente.it/) | high | 2032-12-31 |
| Napoli: normali climatiche 1991-2020 della stazione Napoli Capodichino (90 m s.l.m.). Temperatura media annua 17.1 °C; mese piu' freddo gen (9.2 °C di media), mese piu' caldo ago (26.2 °C di media). | [WMO Climatological Standard Normals 1991-2020 - serie trasmessa dall'Italia (stazioni del Servizio Meteorologico dell'Aeronautica Militare), archivio NOAA NCEI accession 0253808](https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/6.6/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Italy/CSV/Napoli_Capodichino_16289.csv); [ISPRA - Sezione Climatologia Operativa, applicazione 'Valori climatici normali'](https://valori-climatici-normali.isprambiente.it/) | high | 2032-12-31 |
| Per Napoli Capodichino la serie WMO 1991-2020 non fornisce un totale annuo di precipitazione (luglio non raggiunge la soglia di validita'); i mesi disponibili mostrano un massimo a novembre (115,5 mm) e valori estivi molto bassi (agosto 13,8 mm). | [WMO Climatological Standard Normals 1991-2020 - serie trasmessa dall'Italia (stazioni del Servizio Meteorologico dell'Aeronautica Militare), archivio NOAA NCEI accession 0253808](https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/6.6/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Italy/CSV/Napoli_Capodichino_16289.csv) | medium | 2032-12-31 |
| Milano: normali climatiche 1991-2020 della stazione Milano Linate (108 m s.l.m.). Temperatura media annua 14.2 °C; mese piu' freddo gen (3.2 °C di media), mese piu' caldo lug (25.1 °C di media). | [WMO Climatological Standard Normals 1991-2020 - serie trasmessa dall'Italia (stazioni del Servizio Meteorologico dell'Aeronautica Militare), archivio NOAA NCEI accession 0253808](https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/6.6/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Italy/CSV/Milano_Linate_16080.csv); [ISPRA - Sezione Climatologia Operativa, applicazione 'Valori climatici normali'](https://valori-climatici-normali.isprambiente.it/) | high | 2032-12-31 |
| Milano Linate, normali 1991-2020: 722,4 mm di precipitazione annua distribuiti su 73,9 giorni con almeno 1 mm; massimo a novembre (104,2 mm), minimo a gennaio (37,1 mm), con un secondo massimo primaverile-estivo. Non esiste una stagione secca. | [WMO Climatological Standard Normals 1991-2020 - serie trasmessa dall'Italia (stazioni del Servizio Meteorologico dell'Aeronautica Militare), archivio NOAA NCEI accession 0253808](https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/6.6/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Italy/CSV/Milano_Linate_16080.csv) | medium | 2032-12-31 |
| Firenze Peretola, normali 1991-2020: 787,8 mm di precipitazione annua, il totale piu' alto fra le sei citta' considerate; massimo a novembre (115,3 mm), minimo netto a luglio (24,6 mm). | [WMO Climatological Standard Normals 1991-2020 - serie trasmessa dall'Italia (stazioni del Servizio Meteorologico dell'Aeronautica Militare), archivio NOAA NCEI accession 0253808](https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/6.6/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Italy/CSV/Firenze_Peretola_16170.csv) | medium | 2032-12-31 |
| Per la Sicilia occidentale le serie WMO 1991-2020 complete piu' vicine a Palermo sono Trapani Birgi (7 m; media annua 18,1 °C, 488,9 mm) e l'isola di Ustica (242 m; media annua 18,0 °C, 525,7 mm): entrambe mostrano il regime mediterraneo estremo, con luglio a 2,9-3,9 mm di pioggia. | [WMO Climatological Standard Normals 1991-2020 - serie trasmessa dall'Italia (stazioni del Servizio Meteorologico dell'Aeronautica Militare), archivio NOAA NCEI accession 0253808](https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/6.6/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Italy/CSV/Trapani_Birgi_16429.csv); [doc 2](https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/6.6/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Italy/CSV/Ustica_16400.csv) | medium | 2032-12-31 |
| Sulle Alpi il regime pluviometrico si inverte rispetto al Mezzogiorno: il massimo cade in estate. La Paganella (2125 m) registra 830,1 mm annui nel 1991-2020, con massimo a luglio (109,5 mm) e minimo a gennaio (20,1 mm); Cortina d'Ampezzo (loc. Gilardon, 1216 m) arriva a 1135,3 mm annui secondo ISPRA. | [WMO Climatological Standard Normals 1991-2020 - serie trasmessa dall'Italia (stazioni del Servizio Meteorologico dell'Aeronautica Militare), archivio NOAA NCEI accession 0253808](https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/6.6/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Italy/CSV/Paganella_16022.csv); [ISPRA - Sezione Climatologia Operativa, applicazione 'Valori climatici normali'](https://valori-climatici-normali.isprambiente.it/) | medium | 2032-12-31 |

## Image

https://media.myitalia.it/media/city.firenze.v2.1600.jpg
Author: PROPOLI87. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Firenze_Panorama_del_Centro_con_il_Duomo_e_Palazzo_Vecchio.jpg

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