Italy in February: Your guide to weather, events & travel

Don’t let the calendar fool you — February is not considered off-season in all parts of Italy. Just ask anyone who walked right into the middle of a flying confetti cannon in Venice, and they’ll agree. February is Carnival season in Italy, where Venice transforms into a stage of velvet masks and candlelit balls, Naples rolls out street parades, and even small towns throw open their piazzas for music, wine, and confetti.

What makes Italy in February so unexpectedly rich is the contrast it offers. Up north, the Alps are in peak ski season, but down south, festival banners flap merrily in the breeze and oranges practically fall into your lap if you know where to look. Citrus orchards are in full bloom in Sicily, while Carnival wagons and costumed performers take over seaside boulevards in Viareggio. It’s a month of extremes, sure, but in all the right ways. An advisor on TravelJoy can help you experience this contrast fully by pairing ski lodges with sunny detours, or flagging the towns where the Carnival parades feel local, not staged.

Absolutely. If you want to experience Italy at its most theatrical and least crowded, February might be one of the best months to visit. You get access to wildly different versions of the country in a single trip. The north stays firmly in winter, with the Dolomites and Alps offering clear skies and fresh snow on the slopes (think highs around 43–46°F). Meanwhile, cities like Palermo, Naples, and Rome have average temperatures in the high 50s or low 60s, with sunshine thrown into the mix more often than not.

You also get to see Italy when it isn’t buried under tour groups. Outside of Carnival hotspots, crowds are minimal, and hotel prices stay in that comfortable pre-spring range. You can walk into top galleries without pre-booking your tickets weeks ahead, and the locals have more time to chat over a second espresso. Even in popular destinations like Florence or Milan, it’s easier to get a table at the best restaurants.

And then there’s Carnival itself — the real highlight of Italy in February. It’s loud, local, and far more varied than people expect. An advisor on TravelJoy can help you build a trip around this spectacle without getting caught in the regular tourist traps. That could mean scoring balcony seats in Venice or joining small-town parades that never make it to Instagram.