Rome Food Tour Weather, Month by Month
These walks are outdoors between indoor stops, so the weather does not decide whether you go — it decides which tour you should book, and at what hour. The figures below are the 1991–2020 standard normals for Roma Urbe, the station inside the city.
What the weather does to a Rome food tour
Three consequences, and they are the only ones that matter. In July and August the heat pushes every sensible departure into the evening. In November and December the rain makes a cooking class a better use of one free night than a three-hour walk. And between February and May the artichoke season, not the temperature, is what decides the route.
Rain almost never cancels. Plenty of these listings state that the tour runs in any weather, and the tastings themselves are under a roof.
Rome month by month
January
12.6 °C by day, 3.2 °C at night, 65.6 mm of rain. The quietest month to eat in Rome. Kitchens that turn people away in October have tables at eight, and the evening walks run with room to hear the guide. Wrap up: the lanes hold the cold and you are outdoors between stops.
February
13.8 °C by day, 3.4 °C at night, 62.8 mm of rain. Artichoke season opens and the Ghetto fryers start. Carnevale falls here or in early March and the bakery counters fill with frappe and castagnole. Still cold, still quiet, and the best value of the year on a tasting walk.
March
16.8 °C by day, 5.6 °C at night, 58.6 mm of rain. The best artichoke weeks, and the month the city starts eating outside again. Mid-teens by mid-morning and under 60 mm of rain across the month. Book a Ghetto route now if the fried artichoke is the reason you are coming.
April
20.0 °C by day, 8.3 °C at night, 68.6 mm of rain. Warm enough for an outdoor table and the wettest of the spring months at 68.6 mm. Easter falls here most years, which closes some family kitchens for the long weekend and fills the rest. Book earlier than you think you need to.
May
24.8 °C by day, 12.5 °C at night, 56.9 mm of rain. The month most people would choose if they knew: mid-twenties, 56.9 mm of rain, and the evening still light at half past eight. Artichokes are ending and the first summer produce is on the market stalls.
June
29.5 °C by day, 16.7 °C at night, 30.1 mm of rain. Rain drops to 30 mm and the heat arrives. An afternoon walk in a treeless square is hard work now; the twilight departures are the sensible booking. The 29th is a city holiday and a great many kitchens close for it.
July
32.6 °C by day, 19.3 °C at night, 19.8 mm of rain. The driest month of the year at 19.8 mm, and the second hottest. Nobody sensible walks the centro storico at two in the afternoon. Evening tasting walks come into their own, and every stop between them is air-conditioned.
August
32.7 °C by day, 19.5 °C at night, 30.2 mm of rain. The hottest month, and the one the Roman trade takes off. Family-run kitchens shut for a fortnight around Ferragosto on the 15th, so a walk with tables booked ahead is worth more in August than in any other month.
September
27.9 °C by day, 15.9 °C at night, 64.9 mm of rain. The month to come. High twenties, the city back at work, the markets full of late-summer produce and the rain not yet serious at 64.9 mm. Evening walks are still comfortable and the tables are not yet impossible.
October
22.8 °C by day, 12.1 °C at night, 88.1 mm of rain. Low twenties and the rain building to 88.1 mm. This is the month the light over Trastevere is at its best and the outdoor tables are still out. Carry something waterproof and book the earlier evening slot.
November
17.1 °C by day, 7.7 °C at night, 108.2 mm of rain. The wettest month of the year at 108.2 mm, more than five times July's total. It rarely rains all day, and the walks run anyway. If you are choosing between a walk and a kitchen, this is the month the kitchen wins.
December
13.2 °C by day, 4.2 °C at night, 98.3 mm of rain. Cold, wet at 98.3 mm, and full of people from the middle of the month. Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve both have their own Roman menus, and the bakery windows change completely. Book well ahead for the fortnight of Christmas itself.
The seasons, and which one you want
| Season | Day temperature | Rain | What is on the plate | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | 12.6–13.8 °C | 62–98 mm | Frying season, frappe, first artichokes | Anything; the city is quiet |
| Spring (Mar–May) | 16.8–24.8 °C | 57–69 mm | Artichokes, abbacchio at Easter | A Ghetto route |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | 29.5–32.7 °C | 20–30 mm | Cold cuts, gelato, late dinners | Evening departures only |
| Autumn (Sep–Nov) | 17.1–27.9 °C | 65–108 mm | New oil, new wine, mushrooms | A wine-led walk in September |
Best time of day to be eating
From June to September, after six. The temperature falls fast once the sun is off the lanes, and the quarter you are walking through is at its best in the hour either side of dusk.
From October to May, the afternoon works and the market stops need it: several routes state that the morning departure is the only one that visits a market at all.
What the operators do when it rains
They walk. Plenty of the listings here say so outright — the tour "takes place rain or shine", "operates in all weather conditions" — and one asks you to dress for it. A wet evening costs you nothing extra, and if the forecast turns before you travel, the 24-hour cancellation window is wide enough to use.
Picked your month?
The grid shows which walks run in the evening and which never leave a kitchen.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best month for a Rome food tour?
Will a tour be cancelled if it rains?
How hot does it really get in August?
Which is the wettest month?
Do the walks change route in bad weather?
What is in season in the month you have chosen is set out on the food calendar, and the quarter to walk it in is rione by rione. Book from the Rome Food Tours grid.
Sources, and where to check before you travel
Dates, hours and prices in Rome move. These are the bodies that publish them, and each is worth a second look against the dates you are travelling on.