South Tyrol

South Tyrol – What you should know

South Tyrol has a climate that cannot be summarised in one sentence, because everything depends on altitude. The figures here refer to the Adige valley around Bolzano, which is the warmest point: 30°C (86°F) in July, more than some Adriatic beaches. Characteristic is the day-night range — in July the temperature falls to 9°C (48°F) at night, which makes for restful summer nights and, in winter, hard frost down to -7°C (19°F).

That same range is what makes this fruit- and wine-growing country: warm days, cool nights, and with seven to seven and a half hours of summer sunshine, more sun than north of the main Alpine ridge. Autumn is accordingly the finest season — September and October bring highs of 18–24°C (64–75°F), the grape harvest is under way, and the Törggelen season begins.

Summer does bring thunderstorms: July and August see 98 and 117 mm (3.9 and 4.6 in) across twelve rain days each. These are rarely all-day affairs but afternoon heat storms over the mountains — so hikes and via ferrata routes belong in the first half of the day. For skiers, January and February are the fixture, at 5–9°C (41–48°F) in the valley and dependable snow in the Dolomites.