Italy in November

A few years ago we used to answer weather questions this way: a couple of nice folks would reply and say something like: "yep, been there a couple of times, including once the same time of year as you're going to be there, and the weather when we were there was blah-blah-blah."

Better than nothing, I suppose; but of course, no one here knows what the weather will be that far out for places they don't live in.

And then someone here discovered this website, which gives you actual weather over the last 10 or 15 years, keyed to when you're going to be there:
click here for the best weather website we've found so far. You input your location(s) and span of time you'll be there (up to 2 weeks per entry) and it will tell you what the actual weather was on those dates in the last 10 to 15 years.

Still only stats, and the weather when you're there may differ. But it's the best we've been able to come up with here.

Thanks, Kent. The site was very useful.

Something you might not find/realize on that site, and though not exactly "weather," is also that by late october, the clocks have changed, which makes the days pretty short. That is probably not as noticeable in Rome as it is in smaller places, but many tourist sites close earlier and adopt their "winter" hours by mid-October it seemed, there is less time for taking pictures (if that is a concern), etc. I was in Italy last October/early Nov, and while the weather was great except for one day of rain in Cinque Terre (cold when the sun went down - in the 40s - and around 60 during the day an sunny many days), I would personally probably not go back then simply because the days felt so short. Of course, the benefits might outweigh that for you - even Florence wasn't overwhelmingly busy (I was shocked that I got into the Uffizi after about 10-15 minutes on November 1 (a holiday), which last year was also a Sunday) - and of course you get off-season accommodation prices.

The one problem with that website is that it doesn't have a lot of locations in Italy, and for those that it does have, it often doesn't have a history to tell you what the average weather has been. (For example, try finding out about weather on Lake Como. Or type in Siena and you get the island of Elba.) It is great for the big cities, though.

I wonder if there might be a better site out there, but I haven't found it.

I traveled to Italy a few years ago in November and the weather was fine. The big benefit was that the crowds were much smaller. I would gladly travel to Italy again in November.

Just to punctuate what Kent said about the unpredictability of weather . . . One our first trip to Italy, mostly in December, we had shirt-sleeve days in Rome, with cool nights; ditto Florence. However, it actually snowed on us in Venice. When we returned home, on Jan. 2, we read in the newspaper that Rome had had snow the day after we left. Moral: bring layers as well as gloves and hats. They take up little room and add, immeasurably, to your comfort.

It may be allittle cold and rainy but it is a wonderful place to visit just make aure your reserv are confirmed ahead. Many smaller establishments are not open off season.

"I wonder if there might be a better site out there, but I haven't found it."

Michael: try this website http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/country.php3?r=EUR&refer=

Historical weather data for small towns is a problem. Much of the weather data out there is related to aviation. If there's an airbase near the location you're seeking info for, you might get lucky.

There are also subscription services, of course.

Much of the weather data out there is, of course, oriented toward relatively short-term prediction. Pilots are more interested in the weather in the next few hours, not long range forecasts. But the questions we get here almost invariably ask what the weather will be months from now.