Traveling to Italy

I'll be there for the first two weeks this October. Stop back for my trip summary from Venice, Florence and Rome.

It is a delightful time of year to travel. Cooler ( but not cold ) temps and smaller crowds. Have a great time!

Thank you for the answer. I will look forward to your follow up.

Bob, thanks for the information. I am sure we will enjoy the trip. It has been delayed for a number of years.

i went in early to mid october 2009...it's a bit chilly up north (venice, etc) so bring a sweater, it's beautiful in Rome. but it is the rainy season...the time i carved out to go to the cinque terre was basically completely ruined by rain. the boats between towns won't run in rain, and we were concerned about hiking on slippery surfaces, so all we did was read. everywhere else was great though.

The many times I have visited Italy was either in may or oct. Summer months are just too crowded and hot. Last oct did a village italy RS tour and had good weather with only rain during the last 3 days in Cinque Terre and Lake Orta. The tour was from oct 4-17.

My first trip was in October 2009 - great weather, never needed a jacket and I was glad to have AC in Florence and Milan - wish I'd had it in Venice. My second trip was in February - and even then there were crowds in many places in Rome. For weather conditions, see the "trip planner" link at the Weather Underground site - wunderground.com - where you can get data for the past 12 years or so for just about any city in Italy.

Thanks to everyone for the great feedback. We will continue to make our plans.

October is a wonderful time to visit, everything will be less crowded, transportation is a little easier, and the oppressive heat is a distant memory. My only caveat to this thought is that the color(flowers, leaves,fields) is a little dull. Obviously the the weather can be a little cool sometimes, but if you arrange your trip from north to south, you should be fine. Enjoy!
Ciao, Jeff

I was there October of last year. It was still pretty crowded esp in Rome but I've never been there in the summer so don't have any comparisons. When we went to Pompeii, our guide told us that this time of year is great as the place is wall to wall people in summer, plus it's very hot. The weather last year was mild, we walked around in jeans and t shirts and a light jacket for evenings and mornings. Be prepared for rain esp if you heard north to Venice. If you dress in layers, you should be ok. Bring an umbrella or a light raincoat. I brought 2 or 3 pashminas that I could use either as a scarf or a wrap. They sell them all over Rome so you can always buy one as a souvenir.