cinque terre in oct

That's when I'll be there as well so it sounds like a good idea to me. :)

well, i guess if its not raining , it will be ok. maybe ill see you there, lisa

I am going in October too! I am hoping no heavy rainfalls or mudslides this year either.

susan, There are of course no guarantees on the weather at any time of year, but the "averages" are probably in your favour. The events of October 25th last year were somewhat unprecedented, and I doubt they will re-occur this year. I'd suggest planning for rain, but hopefully you won't have to use your Umbrella. One good example of "no guarantees with the weather" would be two days ago in Taormina (Sicily). The day started out beautifully, but the rain started when I was on a walking tour, and it was severe, a torrential downpour! Since the day started with sunshine, I hadn't bothered to bring my Umbrella, and everything I was wearing was completely soaked through! Fortunately I was able to "shield" my Camera and iPhone to some extent so they weren't damaged. Happy travels!

thanks, ken.
i come from the gulf coast , hurricane country. where we know a day or two in advance about coming hurricanes. i was wondering if the people in the cinque terre had any advance warning of the mudslide?

Susan, I agree with Ken in that you should definitely take an umbrella with you & prepare for the worst but hope for the best. We were in the CT in Sept '09 & it rained hard & the rain came down at an angle so we got soaked in spite of having umbrellas with us. Wear fabrics that dry fast because my husband's jeans got soaked & remained damp for a few days. To my knowledge, the answer to your question is that the people of Vernazza & Monterosso did not have advance warning about the mudslide. I don't think you'll need to worry about a repeat of last October, but do prepare for the possibility of rain. Have a wonderful trip. I love the CT!