Hot summer, cold winter
The Marche region shares many similarities with Umbria, and like Umbria, it has a variety of landscapes: coasts, hills, mountains... The climate changes as you travel. For example, along the coastal area north of Ancona, the sub-continental climate shows changes in temperature from one season to another: summers are hot, cooled by the sea breeze, while winters can sometimes freeze you (depending on your degree of sensitivity to the cold of course!). The region is exposed to the cold irruptions of the Balkan Peninsula! In Pesaro, on the Adriatic coast, north of Ancona, the average January temperature is 3.8°C. Heading south, you'll experience more of a sublittoral, Mediterranean climate (if you like the heat, head for the Riviera delle Palme). Inland, in the mountainous areas, summers are cool and winters are harsh, often with heavy snow. Italians remember the snowfalls of 2012 that blocked a whole part of the region, slowing down rail and road traffic. What makes Ancona special is that 34.5% of its province is classified as mountainous. Yet, its territory is simply hilly with the absence of particularly high peaks, but this comes from the fact that four of the five municipalities (Arcevia, Cerreto d'Esi, Fabriano, Genga, Sassoferrato) are considered medium or high mountain.
The altitude makes the weather
Umbria is characterized by its small size... And yet, its climate varies due to the differences in altitude within the region. In general, temperatures rise very gradually throughout the year. If you travel in the summer (June, July, August), you will have little rain, and it will be hot along the Apennine chain, with no fresh air. But in autumn, the mist will be back in the valleys with rain (the rainiest month is November). In winter, snowflakes fall on the mountains and then give way to spring when the temperatures become milder. In the plains and hills that make up the green heart of Italy, there is a sublittoral or temperate climate, with a summer drought typical of the Mediterranean, while in the mountainous areas the climate is of the temperate subcontinental type. In spring and autumn, don't forget your umbrella if you are travelling to higher altitudes. The good news is that rainfall, between 700 and 1,100 mm per year (Perugia: 893 mm), is concentrated over a limited period of time, between 80 and 100 days. The average annual temperatures in the most important centres are generally between 11.2 °C in Norcia and 15 °C in Terni, passing through 12.9 °C in Spoleto, 13.1 °C in Perugia and 14.2 °C in Foligno. According to the site centremeteo.com, which details the weather region by region, it is clear that altitude plays a fundamental role: Norcia, at 604 metres above sea level, has an average temperature in the coldest month (i.e. January) of about 1.1 °C, while Perugia (493 m above sea level) and Spoleto (396 m above sea level) are almost 3 degrees warmer in January (Perugia 4 °C). If you are travelling in winter and like mild weather, you should go to Terni, the town in Umbria with the mildest climate (6.3°C in January). If you travel in summer, however, the average temperature in the hottest month (July) ranges from 21°C in Norcia to about 25°C in Terni (Perugia: about 23°C), with peaks of over 40°C in the Umbra Valley.
Beware of the tramontana!
Who hasn't heard of the tramontane? The poet Victor Hugo wrote in Gastibelza: "The wind that comes through the mountain will drive me mad", then Georges Brassens sings in Je suis un voyou: "I lost the tramontane when I found Margot...". In short, this wind blows your hair off, can drive you mad, it is violent, gusty and cold. And it can blow in the region, in Umbria, during winter. So you'll have to get out your gloves! However, the Perugines would almost love this wind that shakes, they lend it purifying virtues!
