Rain =(

First, most weather prediction more than 72 hours out are iffy at best, sometimes the ones for the next day can be pretty darn iffy! Second, when they say rain, that can mean a little drizzle, a shower or two, a thunderstorm or a drenching, they avoid getting specific on just how much rain you might see. Try to keep yourselves flexible and if its raining, maybe go to one of the museums you wanted to see. For us Italy is always magical, no matter what the weather. We had 4 days of off and on rain in Tuscany at the end of April, thunderstorms and everything, it didn't slow us down one bit. We did stay in a shop or two in Motepulciano longer than we might have if it wasn't hailing outside.

I feel your anxiety Jo, as we leave for Florence Saturday 19th. But we are both from the Pacific Northwest where no one bothers to listen to the weather reports on the TV. Looking at the satellite overlays on weather com, it seems that the rain and clouds move around a great deal, form then dissipate, and cloud cover isn't persistent in one area. Big swings in temperature from 65 to 82 degrees. September must be their thunderstorm season. We're packing umbrellas.
Is it still magical? Yes! Everything is so much cleaner after a rain.

A thunderstorm in Venice IS magical and will only last a short time. The Domes of St. Mark's gleam when the Sun returns!!!

We had a real rain here in Florence and the surrounding area today - first one in months it seems like. The grapes and olives needed it - I don't know if anyone else did. The forecast does look sort of wet this week - but it usually doesn't last for long this time of year.

That's good news. Statistically, if it's raining now it's less likely to be raining in 14 days!

Maybe that's not really how it works, but that's how I always look at it. It's got to rain sometime, and it's getting it out of the way now so you can have beautiful weather.

For our trip to France, I religiously checked weather.com and was excited about the weather prediction (10 days of sun and 70's). The weather pattern we ended up with differed somewhat then the one we thought we were going to get. As previously mentioned, these things are not too reliable. Hope for the best, but I'm sure you will have a lovely time regardless. Hopefully, CT and Venice are your more sunny days.
Have fun!

Last April, we were in Venice for four days. Our first day was beautiful, sunny and warm. The next few days were rainy and cool. It didn't stop us from having a wondrful time. Just be prepared for rain.

Will it be AS magical? No. Will it still be amazing? Yes. Will you be glad you went? Yes. Will it rain the entire time? No.

But then you knew all that already. :-)

If it rains while you are in Rome, go to the Pantheon! Watching the rain come down through the occulus is pretty cool and they rope the floor off so you don't slip and fall.

If it rains while you are in Florence, watch your step. The streets--especially the manhole covers--are EXTREMELY slick and slippery.

Even when I was there in Nov/Dec, it rarely rained the entire trip and it was absolutely beautiful other days. The chances that it rains your entire trip are pretty minimal, so just enjoy being in Italy!

We leave Thursday for 14 days in Italy, and I was bummed when I checked the forecast yesterday. Rain or shine, we are going to make the most of it and hopefully it won't be wet the entire trip, especially in Cinque Terre and Venice. Maybe we'll see you under an umbrella somewhere enjoying what may be a wet Italy!

i'm saddened by the same issue and is the reason i'm on these forums. i leave in the morning for 3 nights in cinque terre and 2 nights in siena. for cinque terre, our only plans were to lounge around on the beach and hike. what are near by in door alternatives in cinque terre?

From recent weather.com.. from Wednesday on they are saying sun!!! I am leaving on Saturday and arriving Sunday. If the first 2-3 days are wet I will trade it for the rest of the vacation (hopefully) being dry and sunny. And some of those rainy days say 30-60% chance ...so that means 40-70% chance no rain!!