How is Italy in October?

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Al M

(So annoying that the first time I typed this out, when I hit the submit button I got the damn stupid “We’re taking a breather” message and lost it all!)

Italy in April and June can indeed be very nice. The weather is generally pleasant, the countryside very green with lots of wildflowers, the tourist centres relatively calm and the staff there generally friendly and relaxed. However, it can be quite cool and the countryside is green because there’s generally at least a day or two of rain in any given week.

October can also be a good time to visit Italy. The worst of the heat of the Summer is gone, but it’s often warm enough to walk around in just shirtsleeves and the heavy rains that come later in the year have not yet started. The tourist towns have settled down, so you’re able to see the sights instead of just loads of other tourists and the staff in restaurants in hotels have started to recover any sanity and civility lost during the tourist rush. Depending on the weather and what part of the country you visit, you might see some nice Autumn colour. Also, last year in Abruzzo we were picking our olives in late October, so you might see some of this quintessentially Italian activity if you’re driving around the countryside towards the end of the month. While it again obviously depends on the weather, late October last year was also the time when the first snows fell on the part of the Apennines nearest us – it looked lovely, but that might impress on you the idea that Italy in October is not scorching hot!

I would suggest you bring clothes with a “layers” plan in mind: you want light things to wear if the weather is warm, but stuff to put on under and over if it gets cooler. A couple of folding umbrellas might be a good idea, or you could just plan on buying a couple of bigger ones while you’re here. Jackets of some sort – ideally waterproof – would be an excellent idea.

Rome is a marvellous place if you’re at all interested in history. You could easily spend a week there just wandering around. However, a couple of warnings I always give to friends who want to see Rome: First, always keep your wits about you and beware of pickpockets. There are websites specifically addressing this hazard and how to deal with it. It’s not being paranoid to spend a few minutes looking into how you can minimise your risks. Second, if you ever need to use a taxi, make sure you only get into one which is white with the crest of Rome prominently displayed on the front doors. Getting into any other sort of taxi is an invitation to be ripped off.

Venice is also a wonderful place and a city I’d choose to visit before I went to Rome if there was time for only one. In October, you should have the place largely to yourself. If possible, try to spend a night in Venice itself. The atmosphere you’ll experience if you wander around late at night or early in the morning will be very special and completely different to what most tourists remember of their visit to Venice. (However, this might not be something you want to do if you’ve ever seen the film “Don’t Look Now” with Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie and recall the very creepy scenes set in midnight Venice!)

Tuscany is beautiful and the landscape is archetypically Italian. Florence is someplace I never warmed to, but then I’m not a fan of big cities of any nationality. However, if you’re an art-lover and passing anywhere near, it’s probably a must-see. If you decide to stay in Tuscany and can manage it, I would recommend that you rent a car. The drivers there are not completely mad (as they are in Rome and Naples) and having your own transport opens up so many other opportunities to visit hill-towns and see the countryside. If you do hire a car, it would be a good idea to either bring your own portable GPS or pay the additional necessary to get one with the car. Italian road signs take considerable getting used to and are often only helpful if you already know the country quite well. I think that paying for a GPS is much preferable to you two spending your honeymoon arguing over which way you should have gone at that last junction with either 20 signs pointing in every direction or no signs whatsoever!

San Gimignano is one of my favourite places. In the summer, it’s usually jam-packed with day-trip tourists, but out of season it’s a lovely place just to have a wander around. Orvieto is much bigger and a real tourist magnet. There are good reasons for that because it does have its charms, but it’s not someplace high on my list of places I want to see again sometime soon. Assisi is, in my book, only worth a visit if you’re a devout Catholic or enjoy religious kitsch.

It might be worthwhile for you to have a look around the Italy Magazine forum if you haven’t already, possibly to join if you have any questions. Many of the contributors either live in Italy permanently, have holiday homes there or visit regularly, so there’s a lot of information available.

I hope you and your husband-to-be have a wonderful time in il bel paese.

Edoardo T

You can came in Italy when you want. Not only in April and June. October is perfect.

aspenglow

October is my favorite month to visit Italy (I've only been in north Italy) The weather is generally still pleasant, even if you might get a few rainy days. Usually, you can wear medium weight summer clothes and get away with just an umbrella or light rain jacket. Venice has some days of acqua alta (high water) in October, but if you see it as an adventure like we did, then no problem! In the highest tourist areas, boardwalks are set up to keep above the water, but otherwise, you end up hopping over water or wading!

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The climate in Italy is highly diverse and can be far from the stereotypical Mediterranean climate depending on the location. Most of the inland northern areas of Italy (for example Turin, Milan and Bologna) have a continental climate often classified as Humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The coastal areas of Liguria and most of the peninsula south of Florence generally fit the Mediterranean stereotype (Köppen climate classification Csa). The coastal areas of the peninsula can be very different from the interior higher altitudes and valleys, particularly during the winter months when the higher altitudes tend to be cold, wet, and often snowy. The coastal regions have mild winters and warm and generally dry summers, although lowland valleys can be quite hot in summer.

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