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Italy in October

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I’ll be spending the entire month of October in Europe and wanted to share my plans—and welcome any recommendations!

I'll be in Rome from October 1–7 for a wedding, then heading south for about a week to find some time by the sea. I’m hoping to avoid overly touristy areas and would love to find a beach town or small city in the south that still feels authentic. I know the water will be cooling off by mid-October, but I’m from the Pacific Northwest, so chilly swims don’t bother me. If the place has a bit of culture—like a museum or local theater—even better, but that’s not essential. I was thinking Puglia or Sicily. I would love to hear people's thoughts and experiences.

After that, I plan to make my way north. I will likely spending several nights in Tuscany and Umbria, and eventually heading up to the Dolomites for about 4 nights. I have been to Rome, Tuscany and the Dolomites but enjoy going back regularly. After the Dolomites I will be heading to Paris or Belgium to meet my boyfriend for a week.

Posting here because I love reading about others’ itineraries and always get inspired—happy to hear any tips if something comes to mind!

Posted by
98 posts

Nothing to add beyond: if you go to Puglia, visit Matera in Basilicata while you’re in the area. Amazing and I imagine gorgeous in October. I’m thinking of both of the areas you mentioned for October 2026 and look forward to reading about your planning process and trip, eventually.

Posted by
617 posts

We always travel in October-November as the crowds are smaller.
For us, this Fall will be:
Napoli
Amalfi
Caserta
Milano (2nd visit, 4 nights)
Bologna (3rd visit, 5 nights). We love Bologna.

In 2022, we did Bologna, Firenze, Roma, Siracusa, Catania. Roma was packed with tourists around Halloween.

After 5 visits to Paris, we are done. Too many tourists.
I would do Antwerp.

Posted by
414 posts

I will be in Italy this October from 3rd to 26th.
Arrive in Rome then Grosetto and Ortobello for a week then short train trip back to Rome to fly to Scily, Catania Airport and after return on the 25th to Rome from Palermo Airport.
I've been to Lago Maggiore, Lago Iseo Bergamo,Bologna, Lucca last year from October 15 to November 12. Very nice weather a little chilly in Maggiore in November but not unpleasant. For more north regions like Turin I would suggest starting the itinerary from the north and moving south as the trip progresses.

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5926 posts

For your jaunt south for warmer weather, I’d look at Maratea.
In Puglia, I’d look into Nardo and Ugento.

Posted by
502 posts

We were in Sicily October 15 to 27 last year and experienced mostly nice, sunny weather, but not too hot. Only one day of rain in Agrigento and a half day in Palermo.. We flew into Catania and visited several towns, some by public transport and some with a rental car. Feel free to send me a Private message for more details. I would go back in a heartbeat!

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