Northern Italy in October

As you advance toward the end of October the chance of rain increases and temperatures get cooler. That is true everywhere in Italy, including Tuscany. How it will be this year nobody knows. Too early to forecast.

If hiking in the Dolomites is your top priority, go there first. Then in case of severe weather you can adjust, for example staying an extra night and shortening your stay in Venice. I realize this may be problematic if you have nonrefundable reservations, but at least you'd have time on the ground in Italy to make an adjustment even if it cost you money.

You never know about specific weather, but as Roberto said it tends to get cooler with greater chance of rain the later in October you get.

I would definitely go to the Dolomites first. The lifts to Seceda close mid October so you will want to be sure to check the schedules first.

I’ve hiked in the Dolomites twice in October and we had spectacular weather both times. Enjoy!

Thanks for the advice :-) We have our Tuscany reservation made but no others yet. Would you recommend Cinque Terre or going south/central toward Amalfi Coast instead? Has anyone stayed in smaller cities/villages on the east coast to visit Venice and the Dolomite area?

How long exactly will you be in Italy? I certainly would not go to the Amalfi Coast. Stay in N Italy. There are many smaller towns near Venice that have plenty to see and do - Ravenna (mosaics), Pavova, Bologna, hundreds more. We were in N Italy for 3 weeks, and went no further south than Florence.

Thanks for the replies! We are there for just over 3 weeks and will continue to plan our Northern Italy adventure.