Погода: Альгеро, декабрь

Regulars are specific this counts as a genuinely good month for exploring without the big crowds, changeable but on the whole sunny and warm, with the very end of the month capable of pushing toward 30C on a peak day. Our row backs that mild, genuinely wet read, 23.8C over 12C nights, with a substantial 61.3mm of rain across 8.5 days and humidity at 75 percent. Regulars are consistent the sea itself stays genuinely cold, only around 18 to 20C at its warmest, cold enough that mostly visitors rather than locals actually get in the water this early. The sea sits at 17.9C. The record: 12.1 hours of sun, an 18.6 kph wind and AQI 47.

Regulars describe this as almost certainly very warm but not hot, with the sea at its warmest point of the year and crowds already gone even though shops and restaurants stay open. Our row backs that mild, comfortable read, 24.5C reading as 25C over 13.2C nights, with 60.2mm of rain across 8.5 days - a chance of rain regulars call genuinely real, describing the month overall as unpredictable rather than reliably dry. Evenings do call for a jacket even on a day that felt warm by the water. The sea holds a comfortable 23C, still good for swimming or sunbathing according to regulars. The record: humidity 76 percent, 9.3 hours of sun, an 18.9 kph wind and AQI 41.

Regulars trade a small risk for a large gain and say so plainly: September carries more chance of a cloudy or wet day than July or August, and in exchange the beaches are close to deserted and everything else is easier to get. The water, they argue, is actually at its best now and stays warm enough to swim until the end of the month - our row has it at 23.8C. Their one caveat is wind, which our 18.8 kph average supports. Days at 28.4C over 16.6C nights make for the evening chill they mention: warm in the sun, a jacket after dark. Rain is the smaller half of the bargain at 58.9mm across 5.9 days. The record: humidity 72 percent, 10.6 hours of sun and AQI 48.

August in Sardinia is when mainland Italy arrives, and from mid-month regulars describe Alghero as jammed: hotel prices at a premium, long waits for a table, packed sand, and weekends worst of all. Our row's 32.4C reading as 34C with 20.1mm across 3.9 precipitation days is the easy half. On wind they give geography rather than a forecast - the maestrale does not blast the whole north coast, and Alghero's big enclosed bay is one of the sheltered spots, as are the lee-side beaches around Stintino. Their rule for space is simple: anything you have to drive to beats anything you can walk to, so Porto Ferro, Mugoni or La Speranza. The record: 19C nights, humidity 68 percent, 12.5 hours of sun and a 23.9C sea.