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Where to go in May / Italy in May / Bologna & Emilia-Romagna / May

Italy · City

Bologna & Emilia-Romagna
in May.

Illustration of Piazza Duomo in Parma
Piazza Duomo in ParmaDestination view, not month-specific.

Is May a good time?

Temperature unit

Warm days.
More overnight stays than April.

May averages 75°F afternoons and 65°F seas, with about 8 rain days. Later May is typically warmer.

Afternoons
75°F
Sea
65°F
Visitor demand
36%of August peak

Historical Emilia-Romagna regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Bologna, Rimini and Parma; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

8.2/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#3 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather9.1/10Excellent
CrowdsModerate seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queues
CostPriceyfor Europe; Italy-wide price level

Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.

Plan your May

What to expect.

What should I pack?

Afternoons around 75°F (24°C): T-shirt weather; nights around 54°F (12°C): a sweater and a light jacket. About 15 hours of daylight. About 8 rain days in a typical May.

Can I swim in May?

The sea averages 65°F. Our swimming guide: fresh: fine once you are in. Your comfort will vary. This is open water near the coast, not a beach-specific reading.

Monthly coastal averages from NOAA, 2011–2025. Sea temperature is separate from the weather and Overall scores.

A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights, sea temperature & daylight Show detailsHide details

About 15 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 05:49Sunset 20:3554°F75°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 05:49 and sets about 20:35 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 54°F (12°C); afternoons reach about 75°F (24°C). Expect rain on about 8 days in a typical May.

Typical afternoon
75°F (24°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Mays
Night low
54°F (12°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
65°F (18°C)
fresh; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
14h 46m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late May?

Late May is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 71°F on the 1st, versus 80°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 32% to 24% between those dates.

Early May 1 May

71°F

Typical afternoon high

32% historical wet-day frequency

Mid May 15 May

74°F

Typical afternoon high

30% historical wet-day frequency

Late May 31 May

80°F

Typical afternoon high

24% historical wet-day frequency

Historical daily averages from 2011–2025, smoothed over two weeks. A seasonal pattern, not a forecast. This does not establish which week has the lowest prices or fewest visitors.

Public holidays · 2027: 1 May Labour Day.

Daily calendar & holiday datesMay 2027 · historical weather & dated holidays Show calendarHide calendar

May 2027 calendar

Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2027.

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
171°271°
372°472°572°673°773°873°973°
1073°1173°1274°1374°1474°1574°1675°
1775°1875°1975°2075°2176°2276°2376°
2477°2577°2678°2778°2879°2979°3080°
3180°

Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event

Afternoons warm from about 72°F (22°C) in the first week to 79°F (26°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 23–33%.

No school holidays here in May 2027. Public holidays: 1 May Labour Day. Elsewhere in May 2027, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: Germany 13%, Greece 29%. (School holidays: official calendar, compiled by Bigfoot Wanders; other countries from OpenHolidays, ODbL.)

Crowds and cost

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Moderate season. May averages 36% of August's overnight stays per day. More overnight stays than April.

Overnight stays across Emilia-Romagna do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights.

Hotel price season

Will it be cheaper?

About usual. The regional index has no room-rate baseline in euros.

Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.

Italy as a whole
Above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 107 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.

The hotel-season index is regional (ISTAT, NIC consumer price index for accommodation services (ECOICOP 112), by region); the country price level is national. Neither is a room quote.

Year-to-year variation

How much does May vary?

Across the recorded years

In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 68°F (20°C) and 80°F (26°C); in 9 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 75°F (24°C). Rain days ranged from 3 to 15; half the years had 6–12.

Rain days in each May

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 3 rain days320112012: 8 rain days82013: 12 rain days122014: 6 rain days62015: 7 rain days72016: 9 rain days92017: 6 rain days62018: 13 rain days132019: 15 rain days152020: 7 rain days72021: 5 rain days52022: 7 rain days72023: 14 rain days142024: 12 rain days122025: 10 rain days102025
Rain days
8
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 14 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
7 of 31
cloud cover under 30%
Years with a 95°F+ day
0 of 15
no May in the last 15 years had a day at or above 95°F (35°C)
Good weather days
26 of 31
rated very good or better
See every recorded MayHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
Historical monthly averages, not daily extremes.
YearAfternoon highRain days
201178°F3
201275°F8
201371°F12
201474°F6
201576°F7
201673°F9
201778°F6
201876°F13
201968°F15
202077°F7
202174°F5
202280°F7
202372°F14
202474°F12
202575°F10

Checked against official climate averages for Bologna Borgo Panigale. How we check

Compare dates

April, May
or June?

Historical regional averages. Overnight demand vs August peak, measured as average stays per day.
Typical conditionsAprMayJun
Afternoons68°F75°F86°F
Sea58°F65°F74°F
Rain days787
Overnight demand28%36%73%

April: Cooler afternoons and cooler sea than May. Less overnight demand. April guide →

June: Warmer afternoons and warmer sea than May. More overnight demand. June guide →

Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues. Sea temperatures are monthly coastal averages.

Compare any of the 12 monthsChoose another month and compare it with May Show comparisonHide comparison

Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. May stays as your reference.

No other scored month has a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than May.

Your comparison

May or April?

Overnight stays are 28% of the busiest month.

Historical regional hotel-price season: about usual. There is no room-rate baseline in euros.

Read the April guide →
May compared with another month
Typical conditionsMayApril
Afternoons75°F68°F
Nights54°F47°F
Sea65°F58°F
Rain days87
Visitor seasonModerate seasonLow season
Overall / 108.28.3
Month rank#3#2
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowSeaRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January6.7#1050°F34°F53°F75.7Low season
February6.9#853°F36°F51°F85.9Low season
March7.8#561°F41°F53°F97.4Low season
April8.3#268°F47°F58°F78.9Low season
May8.2#375°F54°F65°F89.1Moderate season
June6.7#986°F63°F74°F77.8Busy season
July5.8#1290°F67°F79°F56.8Peak season
August5.8#1189°F67°F80°F66.9Peak season
September7.8#480°F60°F75°F78.9Moderate season
October8.4#169°F52°F68°F79.0Low season
November7.4#658°F44°F62°F116.6Low season
December7.0#751°F36°F56°F86.0Low season

Near here

Nearby places in May

Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.

Elsewhere in Europe

Same dates, elsewhere in Europe

Bologna & Emilia-Romagna's weather ranks 8 of 41 city regions this month. We found no city regions outside Italy with similar weather and a quieter visitor season.

All of Italy in May · Everywhere in May

How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details

It's moderate season, 36% of the busiest month and 10% below its average month.The figures cover the whole Emilia-Romagna region, suburbs included. That means about 105,000 overnight visitors on a typical May night across the region, 62% of them from Italy itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 13,000 more: 13 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)81
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Bologna Borgo Panigale from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.7°C), night lows within 2°F (1.1°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day23
Busiest month hereAugust · 65
Visitors as share of people present2.3%
Rank among Europe's regions this month73rd percentile
Domestic share of nights62%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights13
Visitor share if every platform night were extra2.6%
Regional hotel-price seasonAbout usual (+4% vs this region's average month). Historical index from ISTAT, NIC consumer price index for accommodation services (ECOICOP 112), by region; no euro room-rate baseline.
Population used4.5 million
Statistical regionITH5 · Emilia-Romagna

Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation, by month and NUTS 2 region, 2024–2025 average. Overnight visitors per night is the month's nights divided by its days; the per-1,000 figure is Eurostat's, against each year's population. Platform rentals: Eurostat nights booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor, 2024–2025 average, shown separately because some properties are in both counts. Weather: Holiday Climate Index computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records, 2011–2025, population-weighted to the region; day-by-day figures are the same data averaged by date. Heat and rain odds are counted across those years. Sunrise and sunset: NOAA solar equations, local time. Prices: Eurostat price level index and HICP, national; the first figure is regional (ISTAT, NIC consumer price index for accommodation services (ECOICOP 112), by region). Full method · this region's data.