It has been said that Italy is not a country, but an emotion – and it is certainly true that, until Garibaldi and others united this disparate set of peoples in 1861, it was a disparate collection of city states, monarchies and republics.
Italy’s climate reflects this chequered history: with three major climatic zones and many smaller microclimates. The northernmost part of the country, on the southern fringes of the Alps, is generally temperate, with warm summers and cool – sometimes extremely cold – winters.
Winters can also be cold in the region just to the south, the Po Valley, which stretches from Turin in the west to Venice in the east; indeed, in midwinter this area can be colder than London, though in summer it is much hotter and more humid.
Italy’s remaining climatic zone covers the whole centre and south, from the Renaissance cities of Pisa and Florence, down through Rome and Naples, to the far south. This region enjoys a typical Mediterranean climate, with very warm, dry summers and mild, slightly wetter winters, with temperatures reaching the high 40s on occasion on the island of Sicily.
Italy is bisected by the mountain range of the Apennines, which rise to over 1,800m (5,900ft), and in winter can be much colder than the nearby coasts, with frequent falls of snow.
