August is the month Italy goes on holiday, and the single most misunderstood month in the Italian calendar. The coast is at its most expensive and most crowded; the cities are half shut and half empty. Ferragosto falls on Sunday 15 August 2027, the second Palio is run in Siena on the 16th, and for roughly two weeks either side of the middle of the month a great deal of ordinary Italy simply closes.
Ferragosto, and the closures around it
Ferragosto on 15 August is a national public holiday with roots in the Roman Feriae Augusti, and in practice it is the axis the whole month turns on. Around it:
- Family-run restaurants, bakeries, bars and small shops close, often for two or three weeks, and usually with nothing more than a handwritten sign. In city neighbourhoods away from the centre this can mean most of the street.
- Italians go to the coast and the mountains, so the autostrade are at their worst of the year on the weekends either side, and coastal accommodation reaches its annual peak price.
- Cities empty of residents. Rome, Milan, Turin and Bologna in mid-August are strange and quiet, with no traffic and no queues, which some visitors love and others find hollow.
- On 15 August itself almost everything except tourist-facing businesses is shut, and public transport runs a holiday timetable.
In 2027 Ferragosto falls on a Sunday, which softens the effect slightly – no extra weekday is lost – but the fortnight around it behaves the same way it always does.
The heat
August is as hot as July and a little less dry. Rome averages a high near 31–33°C and a low near 20–21°C, with about 30 mm of rain arriving mostly as late-afternoon thunderstorms. The south regularly exceeds 35°C and the Sicilian and Apulian interiors can pass 40°C during a scirocco.
The sea, though, is at its warmest of the year – around 26°C – which is the single best argument for an Italian August. Structure the day the same way as July: early morning, indoors or in the water through the afternoon, out again from five.
The Palio di Siena, 16 August
Siena’s second and more prestigious race, the Palio dell’Assunta, is run on 16 August – a Monday in 2027 – the day after Ferragosto, with trial races in the days before. Standing in the centre of the Piazza del Campo is free; seats and windows are sold privately months ahead at high prices. Accommodation in Siena for those nights is booked a year in advance.
Where August actually works
Three strategies, all of them better than fighting the coast:
- Go up. The Dolomites, the Alps and the Apennine national parks are ten to fifteen degrees cooler, in full season, and spectacular. This is what a large share of Italians who are not at the beach are doing.
- Take the empty cities. Rome, Florence and Venice in mid-August have their lowest domestic demand of the year. It is hot and many neighbourhood restaurants are shut, but the museums are easier than in July and city hotel rates can be lower.
- Go to the less obvious coast. Le Marche, Abruzzo, Molise and the Ionian side of Calabria are Italian-holiday coast rather than international-holiday coast: cheaper, less booked, and better food.
The Venice Film Festival
The Mostra del Cinema runs on the Lido from late August into early September, and it fills Venice at the very end of the month. Screenings are open to the public alongside the industry programme, tickets go on sale in advance, and hotel rates on the Lido and in the city rise accordingly. Exact dates are announced in the spring.
Prices: the widest spread of the year
August has the largest gap between the expensive and the cheap version of the same country. The Amalfi Coast, Capri, Sardinia, Puglia’s Salento and the Cinque Terre are at their annual peak, booked months ahead, with minimum-stay requirements common. Meanwhile a hotel room in central Rome in the second week of August can cost less than the same room in May.
If budget is the constraint, the cities and the mountains are the answer and the famous coast is not. See how much a trip to Italy costs for the numbers.
What to check before you travel
- Individual restaurants, not guidebooks. August closures are announced on the door and on social media, days ahead.
- Museum and site hours, which change for the holiday period; some extend evening opening, some close on the 15th.
- Ferry timetables to Capri, Ischia, the Aeolians and Sardinia, which run at capacity.
- Pharmacy rotas. In August the open pharmacy in a neighbourhood may be several streets away; the rota is posted in the window of the closed ones.
No free museum Sunday
The Domenica al Museo free first Sunday runs from October to March only, so it does not apply in August. Book timed entry for the Colosseum, the Uffizi and the Vatican Museums in advance as normal.
What to wear
The lightest clothing you own, a hat, and something with sleeves to put on at church doors – covered shoulders and knees are enforced year-round and August is when people are turned away. A refillable bottle for the street fountains, and shoes that cope with hot stone all day.
The August 2027 calendar
- First two weeks – the exodus builds; autostrade busiest at weekends; small businesses begin closing.
- Sunday 15 August – Ferragosto, a national public holiday. Most non-tourist businesses shut; holiday transport timetable.
- Monday 16 August – the Palio dell’Assunta in Siena.
- Late August into September – the Venice Film Festival on the Lido; dates announced in spring.
- Last week – Italians return, businesses reopen, and the coast starts to empty.
- All month – sea temperatures at their annual peak of around 26°C; no free museum Sunday.
Read alongside
- Italy in July – the same heat with the country still at work.
- Italy in September – warm sea, reopened cities and falling prices.
- Best time to visit Italy – all twelve months compared.
- How much a trip to Italy costs – peak-season daily numbers.
- Italy travel guide – regions, routes and how to combine them.
- What to pack for Italy – the summer list.
- Things to know before visiting Italy – the practical rules.
Frequently asked
Does Italy really shut down in August?
Partly, and mostly in the middle of the month. Family-run restaurants, bakeries and small shops close for two or three weeks around Ferragosto, particularly in city neighbourhoods away from the centre. Museums, monuments, hotels and transport keep running.
What is Ferragosto?
The national public holiday on 15 August – a Sunday in 2027 – and the peak of the Italian holiday season. Almost everything except tourist-facing business is closed on the day, and the fortnight around it is when the country travels.
How hot is Italy in August?
Rome averages about 31–33°C by day and 20–21°C at night, with roughly 30 mm of rain as afternoon thunderstorms. The south regularly passes 35°C. The sea is at its warmest of the year, around 26°C.
Is August a bad time to visit Italy?
It is the worst month for the famous coast – peak prices, peak crowds, minimum stays – and a surprisingly good one for the art cities and the mountains. Rome in mid-August can be cheaper than Rome in May.
When is the Palio di Siena in August?
On 16 August every year, the day after Ferragosto – a Monday in 2027. Standing in the Campo is free; seats are sold privately months ahead and Siena accommodation books out a year in advance.
Is the Venice Film Festival in August?
It starts in late August and runs into early September on the Lido. Public tickets go on sale in advance and hotel rates rise across Venice for its duration; the dates are announced in the spring.
Are museums free in Italy in August?
No. The free first-Sunday scheme runs only from October to March.
Where should I go in Italy in August?
Up, or off the famous coast. The Dolomites, the Alps and the Apennine parks are ten to fifteen degrees cooler and in full season; Le Marche, Abruzzo and Calabria are Italian-holiday coast rather than international-holiday coast, and cost a fraction of Amalfi.
You Might Also Love
Written by
John Morrison is the founder and lead travel writer at Packzup. Over the past decade he has explored destinations across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania — always self-funded, never on a press trip.
