Rain in Italy
Believe it or not: Sometimes it does rain in Italy, but the weather should not be allowed to ruin the holiday. Here’s my tourist survival guide in case of rain.
Okay, let’s face it: There is nothing as disheartening for a tourist as a rainy day. I know about Gore-Tex, Wellies and a good umbrella, but sightseeing is not the same, when it is raining buckets and you see the world through steamy grey glasses. Rain in Italy sucks. And we can’t all smile and swim in St Mark’s Square as the most hardy visitors did in Venice last November.
Follow the weather forecasts on Italian Television
So here are a few recommendable pastimes and survival strategies in case of heavy rain in Italy.
Head for a museum
If you are in one of the big cities, there is almost always a museum at hand. And it is amazing how interesting arrowheads, loom weights and pottery shards become when there are no outside temptations to distract you. Did you eg. know that the warp-weighted loom has been used in Europe from the Neolithic period?
Church sanctuary
If you are caught in a sudden shower, you can always seek shelter in the nearest church. Churches are by definition places of sanctuary, and there are invariably some treasures, paintings or effigies worth studying inside. Especially if the only alternative is to get soaked through.
Move on
Reschedule your travel plans and use a desultory weather forecast to move on. Driving in the rain isn’t too bad, and with a bit of luck the rain has stopped when you reach your destination (or the other way round)
Rainy days in various parts of Italy
Shop till it stops
Head for the nearest outlet, mall or – as they say here – centro commerciale where you can shop, eat and be entertained by people watching.
The genius of arcades
Many north Italian cities like Torino, Bologna, Savona, Ferrara, Bolzano, Milano etc. are built in such a way that people can walk from one end to the other without getting wet. The pavements are simply covered by arcades, so you can stroll comfortable along the shop fronts.
Read a novel
Stay indoors and use the weather as an excuse to read a great Italian novel, consult guidebooks or update your travel dairy. As mums say, clever children are never bored.
Denial
Ignore the rain, the fog, the heat or the storm and keep doing whatever you planned to do. In most cases, all memories of a holiday downpour evaporate long before you reach home. Or haven’t you noticed that all people always claim to have had the most wonderful weather during their holidays?
What do you do when a short stop in a new, interesting place is dampened by bad weather?
As long as it’s summer rain, it’s nice. Freezing winter rain, however… not so nice. Never experienced that in Italy, more in Scotland. Museums, shopping, churches, all good choices – and I often pop into a cinema as well.
I agree that rain up north is worse. Especially when you have the wind too, like I experienced it once in Bergen. Still, summer rain in Italy can be a very wet experience. Especially, when there is no shelter and you’re carrying a nice camera.
Great ideas, Mette! We got rained on in Venice during November a few years ago and experienced acqua alta. You’re so right about the churches. It gave us a chance to explore many of the small churches and to my husband’s dismay, more shopping time for me :) I hope this comment goes through.
It did go through, fortunately:) And I still think acqua alta in Venice is a bit of a holiday killer. Especially, if you have traveled all the way from California. So it’s quite a feat to make the experience a good one, anyway.
People are always asking us what they can do when it’s raining in Turkey. Think a post similar to this may be on the cards but we’ll have to have a good think because we’re very much the type of people who carry on regardless. :)
Julia
Me too, but the inability to take photographs makes me grumble.
What are you experiences with churches in medium cities? I guess in larger cities they are generally open whereas in smaller places they are generally closed and one have to find the person with the key.
Come to think of it I do come across locked churches occasionally, but most of the time it is because I try to visit during the four hour lunch break. There are also some churches that are permanently ‘out of service, but apart from that most churches I’ve visited in even very small towns have been open to the public.