Rainproof jacket a must?

As you've read, it's a unpredictable, but the autumn physics are clear: the Mediterranean is warm and the North Atlantic is cold. So between mid-September and the beginning of November, a week of fairly steady and quite heavy rain is almost guaranteed (as is a nice week). We come every autumn and we bring light-weight, breathable rain jackets with roll-up hoods. We also bring a fleece jacket to go underneath if it's also cold, and a travel umbrella.

I'm sure others have different solutions, but you do want to avoid shopping for clothing in Italy, as it's time consuming and expensive and the choices are often less practical.

Late October, early November is statistically very likely to rain. That period is the rainiest time of the year. Early October is generally ok, but it's impossible to predict 4 months in advance.
A traveler umbrella will do in many cases, but the problem is during transfer from place to place, a time when you are carrying suitcases and you may not have enough hands to carry an umbrella and the luggage. I suggest you buy an ultra light (temperatures will be mild in October) rain jacket with a hood, maybe the type where the hood can be hidden in a neck pocket when not needed. It's a good investment and you can use it at home too.

jennie-a good quality waterproof shell gives you freedom to be outdoors, keeps you drier than an umbrella, and packs quite small for stowing in your daypack. I prefer to have my hands free for taking photos, getting money out, and protecting my personal space in crowded areas, harder to do with an umbrella in one hand. I consider it a must, and of course when dressing in layers it makes a good windbreaker too. Patagonia has an excellent line starting around $80-100. I also frequently wear lightweight nylon pants, which give some resistance to rain, but dry really fast. There was a good thread on here a couple of months back regarding women's rain coats/shells, with more attention paid to the length and the style.
Have a great trip!

I never travel with an umbrella--those travel type ones will turn inside out if there is wind. My Marmot rain jacket weighs 7 ounces and even though is hip length protects just fine--easy to pack. And the hood can be folded up and put into neck area. Very important for me are shoes that are lined in Gortex to prevent wet feet.

jennie,

I've found that on some trips to Italy in the fall there has been very little rain, while on others I've experienced rain of biblical proportions in both the north (Lucca) as well as Sicily. As a result I always pack along a small travel umbrella as well as a foldable rain poncho and use whichever one fits the conditions best. One of the reasons I like having good rain gear at hand is that I travel with expensive camera gear, so it's important to keep that dry.

A good example of storms that can occur in Italy in the fall are the devastating rainfalls that hit two towns of the Cinque Terre in October 2011. They received about 20-inches of rain in three hours, which overwhelmed the drainage system and caused floods that resulted in considerable damage. While that's a "worst case scenario", I tend to follow the "hope for the best and prepare for the worst" philosophy.

As Dave of Ventura noted, the subject of light weight rain jackets was discussed with great passion a few weeks ago. And while the raincoat vs umbrella debate may have continued far too long, being an issue or preference, I'd like to add a thought blending the rain protection and fear of pickpockets and various eastern European minorities.

As others have mentioned, umbrellas tend to occupy one or more hands. The one advantage of a deployed umbrella is that twirling one's umbrella tends to encourage other pedestrians (and pickpockerts) to give you more space. But I would add that wearing a rain jacket also provides one more barrier, placing another layer between your valuables and the pickpockets that seem to roam this forum.

I didn't know pickpockets tend to roam this forum.

I wonder if Ken really purchased his expensive camera equipment or if he regularly pilfers it dressed like a gypsy from unwary tourists while in Rome. :-)

Thank you so much for all the great replies! You've convinced me to start shopping for a rainproof jacket. I had tried searching the forum on the topic but must not have used the right words; I'll try again to find the thread that discusses rain gear further.
I just finished reading Dark Water about the 1966 flood in Florence and that too has me thinking the more rain protection the better!

Jennie,

I love my Marmot precip jacket. It's really light weight, has a hood, and keeps me super dry. I got a great deal on sierratradingpost.com. If you sign up for their emails, you get extra % off too.

@Roberto,

I can assure you that my camera gear is all legally purchased, at great expense on a meagre budget. Besides, I don't think I could pass for a gypsy.

We just got back from Italy in May...we were in Venice for 3nights and it rained everyday. This was the very first trip to Italy (out of 11 previous) that I packed a compact umbrella. I will ALWAYS bring one with me. I always bring my Marmot rain jacket - not matter what month I'm in Italy, or Europe.

While the rain jacket is a must, the umbrella saved us. It's so hard to tour with just the hood of the jacket on. You can't see! Even if the hood fits great, you are getting rain on your face if you are looking anywhere but down. The umbrella allowed us freedom to continue walking around Venice in the rain, enjoying all the sights, and kept us just a touch dryer .

Yes, your pants will probably get wet, but if you can keep your body dry, you will be more comfortable.

FYI, we were going on a hiking trip after Venice, so had our hiking boots with us. We ended up wearing the boots because they were water proof. my girlfriend didn't want to wear hers because they didn't look good with her cute outfit, and she was walking around in soaking wet $150 white sneakers...

I'm glad you asked this question on the board, and glad you have listened and will take a rain coat with you...even if you don't have to use it, it's like travel insurance....good to have if needed.