October: northern Italy vs provence

One other note: my preferred itinerary is this:
Fly into Milan Saturday AM, train to como that day, 3 nights in como, travel to cinque terre Tuesday and stay 2 nights, travel to Venice Thursday for remainder and fly out of Venice Sunday AM. Is that feasible? We like to move quick to see as much as possible (I know that isn’t everyone’s approach)

You are going to an area which will be chilly if not cold at that time of the year. If you like to hike the Cinque Terre would be nice at that time of year and you won't be bored with 3 nights. The trails from end to end are about 6 miles and from relatively flat to very hilly. If you're not into hiking two days and one night should suffice. Obviously water things are out of the question. You can also get storms then as well. We were there in late September and one day is was in the 50s with winds in the 35-50 range and two days later 70 and calm. I had never been to Venice and Milan until last year when I went there on a solo trip that also included Florence and Rome. Find a small centrally located hotel on the island (see RS guide book) and don't stay on the mainland. The best time in Venice is early morning until about 10 and later in the day after about 4. In between is when all the tourist come in from their ships or the mainland and the area between St. Mark's Square and the Rialto Bridge are literally packed, even in October. That is a great time to walk around the city away from the crowds. Amazing churches, museums, regular locals, restaurants and more reasonably priced shopping. Be sure to go to Murano and Burano in the lagoon. If you are there for three nights get a 72 hour vaporetto pass. If you go early or late to St. Mark's Basilica and the Doges Palace the lines are shorter. St. Mark's Square at night is magical, as well as a ride late night vaporetto ride down the Grand Canal when it is all lit up. Others can tell you about Lake Como, but from everything I've read about the lakes they are more of a summer destination. You said you'd been to Milan. Did you see DaVinci's Last Supper or climb to the top of their cathedral which is spectacular? I planned my whole two-week solo trip around my LS reservation and it worked out fine.

We loved Provence where we (three of us) rented a farmhouse for a week in St. Remy and drove in a different direction every morning (like spokes on a bicycle wheel). Fascinating places everywhere. My must sees are the Pont du Gard, Palace of the Popes, Cassis, Roman ruins in Arles and Nimes, and the Luberon wine country. If possible go to Gordes on market day. We were there in late September, so October should be absolutely perfect weather in Provence. You didn't say how long you will be there but I'm assuming with the itineraries you listed its about two weeks. All of the above work with that. You can take the train from Milan to Avignon. If less than two weeks I'd consider dropping Italy or Provence and make it more about quality than quantity. We did Normandy and Provence in two weeks and had plenty of time to see everything, taking a train from Paris to Bayeux where we rented a car. From there we took the train to Avignon and rented a car at the TGV station and the train back to Paris. You can also fly into Paris and out of Marseilles or vice versa, but the train back was more economical and got us the right flights back hone. Hope this has been helpful. Have a great trio and if f I can help please let me know.

Jim

Mid-October is not a weird or off-season time to go. It's when I usually go, and we operate lots of tours at that time. I enjoyed Provence most recently in late October/early November. The smaller Luberon villages were relatively quiet, but the vineyards were beautiful with golden leaves.

On the coast, it can still be swimming weather (not for Italians, but for Seattlites). As you get toward the end of the month, occasional serious storms may occur, such as those that caused damage in the Cinque Terre or nearby in the past few years, but not likely enough to make me change the plan.

I believe your best bet would be Provence. Plenty to do and see, colorful landscapes and villages that differ from one another make day trips from a base a delight. I have been to all the areas u mention many times, yes I enjoyed them but they are a much slower pace and more of an r and r vacation than a historical adventure.

I apologize, but I just read the second part of your post. As I read it you essentially have 8 days in Italy, one of which will be spent recovering from jet lag. In addition you will lose a half day in train travel on Saturday, Tuesday and most likely the better part of a full day from the CT to Venice on Thursday, which leaves you only six useful days. Obviously that would not include Provence. I think I would look closely at the activities and weather on the lake to see if you will need that much time there. If you did not see the LS and cathedral in Milan I'd recommend doing those two plus Venice and either Lake Como OR the CT, but not both. You could also take the whole week and fly into and out of Marseilles or Nice and explore Provence. Your trip is really all about what YOU want to see and do. Once you prioritize that you will know where to go to find it. Good luck.

Jim

Just a note regarding Portofino. In my opinion, it is not an antidote for boredom. It’s pretty enough, but mostly covered with high-end hotels and restaurants. It caters to the yachting crowd. If you stick with plan 1, you could consider Genoa or a stop in Parma.
Provence is a really large region. There is plenty to do if you get bad weather. Any of the months you listed should be just fine.

Thank you so much Jim and everyone! After debating for months, you e convinced me not to abandon the idea of Provence (which is really what my heart wants)! I’ve since read all of the Provence posts I can find and am so excited! I might have more questions but wanted to say thank you!

I can also chime in that I have found Provence in October absolutely lovely.

To me the proposed Italian itinerary looks way too busy — all that travel for only one real day in Venice ?!

I vote #2!!!!
We went to Lake Como in mid October almost two years ago and it was perfect. The sun was warm but, the nights were cool. We ALWAYS got one of the best table facing the water as there were a lot less tourists. We stayed at the waterfront Hotel Victoria in Varenna at a fraction of the cost than you would if it were June or July. The food was some of the best we've had in Italy and the alleyways to explore were rustic and adorable. Taking the boats across the lake to the different towns and seeing the villas was very enjoyable. I also loved Venice as it was very beautiful. It will be more crowded than Lake Como no matter the time of year but, it wont be too hot that you can't enjoy it. October is an excellent time to go to Italy overall.

Late September is great for Provence. It's still warm but not crowded and usually not too hot. October is probably good too. I avoid the spring because that's when the wind blows. Summer is really hot.

Mid October is perfect for Venice and northern Italy. I don't think Cinque Terra is worth going out of your way for. I was there in October (more than ten years ago). I thought it was nice and not crowded but they rolled up the sidewalks at 9, even for dinner. I think Rick describes it as a vacation from your vacation. If you have a long vacation, a few days of doing nothing may be a good idea. I enjoyed the hikes between the villages but rain had washed out one section of the trail. I still haven't visited Como so I can't offer advice there.