Piove spesso ultimamente.

Because piovere is normally used as an impersonal verb in Italian, just like to rain in English with it.

English says It rains
Italian says simply Piove

The it in English does not refer to anything real, and Italian usually just leaves that kind of subject out.

Piove is the third-person singular present tense of piovere (to rain).

So:

• piove = it rains / it is raining

With weather verbs, Italian commonly uses this third-person singular form without a subject pronoun.

Italian often uses the present tense for something that is true in the current period, especially with words like ultimamente (lately / recently).

So Piove spesso ultimamente means that, in this recent stretch of time, rain has been happening often.

English often prefers:

• It’s been raining a lot lately
• It rains often lately is less natural in English

But in Italian, the simple present is very normal here.

Spesso means often.

In Piove spesso ultimamente, it tells you the frequency of the action.

Its position is very natural here:

• Piove spesso ultimamente = It rains often lately

You can also hear:

• Ultimamente piove spesso

That version is probably even more common in everyday speech because it puts ultimately/lately first as the topic.

Yes, absolutely.

Both are correct:

• Piove spesso ultimamente
• Ultimamente piove spesso

The second one may sound a bit more natural to many speakers because ultimamente sets the time frame right away: Lately, it rains often.

The meaning is basically the same.

Ultimamente means lately, recently, or in recent times.

It does not mean finally or at the end. English speakers sometimes confuse it with ultimately, but that is a false friend.

So:

• ultimamente = lately / recently
• not ultimately

Because stare + gerundio is usually used for something in progress right now or around a specific moment.

• Sta piovendo = It’s raining right now

But spesso ultimamente describes a repeated pattern over recent time, not one rain event happening at this moment. So the simple present is better:

• Piove spesso ultimamente = It’s been raining often lately

If you say Sta piovendo, you are focusing on the rain happening now.

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly.

• spesso = often → talks about frequency
• molto = a lot → talks about quantity/intensity

So:

• Piove spesso ultimamente = it rains frequently
• Piove molto ultimamente = it rains a lot

Sometimes both ideas overlap, but they are not exactly the same.

It is an adverb.

It modifies the whole action by giving a time frame:

• ultimamente = lately / recently

That is why it does not change form. It stays ultimamente no matter what.

No. Like English to rain, it can also be used figuratively.

For example:

• Piovono critiche = Criticism is pouring in
• Piovono domande = Questions are pouring in

But in Piove spesso ultimamente, the meaning is the literal weather meaning.

There are several natural alternatives, depending on nuance:

• Ultimamente piove spesso.
• In questo periodo piove spesso. = It’s raining often these days.
• Sta piovendo spesso ultimamente. = possible in some contexts, but less neutral
• Negli ultimi tempi piove spesso. = It has been raining often recently

The original sentence is correct and natural, but Italian has many flexible ways to express the same general idea.