5 Reasons Italy is great to visit in the spring

Come and visit Italy in the spring time for a celebration of colour, fun festivals and fresh vegetables.

Spring in Italy begins with picking wild asparagus and ends with a picnick overlooking fields of flowers in Castelluccio, in eastern Umbria.

And a trip to the hot springs is the perfect way to rest your legs from all that cobble stone walking.

While central Italy is a great place to visit any time of year, spring has many perks. More sun and less rain than the autumn, less heat and fewer crowds than the summer, and longer opening times than in winter.

For those on a tighter budget late March and April are more affordable than summer and early autumn.

Put it all together and you can’t go wrong!

Here are my 5 reasons to visit central Italy in the spring:

1. Warmer Longer days

There will be rain and the evenings may get chilly, but most days should be sunny and warm.

June is summer but without the crowds. It should be hot and dry, perfect for the beach.

Longer days mean once again you can enjoy an aperitivo at sunset overlooking Lago Trasimeno.

In May, you could even have dinner alfresco.

Carry a light jacket or a cardigan. While during the day it can feel like summer, evenings aren’t as warm as in September. Nothing has had time to warm up, so when the sun goes down it feels chillier than you’d expect.

2. Italy in Spring is full of Fresh Vegetables

Seasons change and so do the fruit and vegetables for on offer. In early spring, March and April, wild asparagus (asparagi) and artichokes (carciofi) are plentiful.

Asparagus is great in pasta, risotto or a frittata. Artichokes, used in pasta and risotto, can also be on their own on a menu. Look for: Carciofi alla Romana, pieces of artichoke battered and deep fried (fritti), and alla giudia (Roman Jews deep fry the entire artichoke *my favourite*).

In April strawberries are ripe and in May and June stone fruit, like cherries, apricots and plums are all for sale on roadside stands.

3. The National Holidays in Spring

Easter, or Pasqua in Italian, is a big holiday in Italy.

Like many Christian countries chocolate eggs filled with prizes are a popular gifts for children.

Umbria is famous for their Torta di Pasqua. Torta means cake in Italian but this is a rich cheesy bread, it pairs nicely with a leaner salumi like capocollo.

For dessert there is the Colomba, a cake shaped like a dove with almonds on top. In Perugia there also a cake called Ciaramicola. A red cake with meringue icing representing the colours of the city.

Many church services happen during the Easter week. Priests pay a visit to the homes and businesses in their parish blessing them for the year to come.

A tradition that surprised me is ‘Pasquetta’ or Easter Monday. Easter Sunday Italians celebrate with close family, but Pasquetta (meaning little Easter) is a day for a social outing with friends.

Planning your holiday in March, April or May? Check out my blog post about the holidays you should know about.

4. The Spring Events in Italy

The Giro D’Italia happens once a year in May for 3 weeks. Like the Tour de France, cyclists from all over the world compete in a race that takes them on a tour of Italy.

Each year the route differs. Check out the website, maybe you can see them fly by. If you can’t watch the race in person it is televised  (every afternoon) and can be inspiration for your next trip to Italy.

If bicycles don’t interest you, then maybe classic cars do. The Mille Miglia is a classic car race that goes for a weekend-Friday, Saturday, and Sunday- in May from Brescia to Rome and then goes back up to Brescia, always on a different route.

5. Spring the in Italian Countryside

Like anywhere, spring is a beautiful time of the year to see gardens and nature.

Don’t be surprised to see on the side of the road thousands of poppies. Or even fields of these pretty flowers.

The hills Tuscany and Umbria are every shade of green and wisteria hangs over farm house doorways.

And closer to Rome, or in seaside towns, fuchsia bougainvillea gives a pop of bright pink or purple.

Here in Umbria the fields of Castelluccio, in late May, are striking with their stripes of colours.

Spring is a festive time of the year, with fewer crowds March and April, excluding Easter. With longer opening hours than in winter, sightseeing is a pleasure only surpassed by the food.

Something to keep in mind: unlike in the US or Canada the time changes in Europe on the last Sunday in March-so pay attention!