Was planning a trip to Florence, Siena, and a bit of the Tuscan countryside for the second half of October and discovered I could save a lot of money if I delayed by 2 weeks. I’m fine with colder, wetter weather in the cities but am concerned that the Hill Towns and rural areas may not be very nice ( for traveling) at that that time. Hoping some of you can weigh in with your advice. Thanks!
Posted by
Maryland
897 posts
You can go to Weather.com and ask about Siena, Italy. It seems that average temperatures in Mid October are in the 60's and in Mid November in the mid-50's. Of course, one cannot predict the rains, and there has been recent high variability across Europe.. You can check trip reports on this site from folks who have travelled at that time for their individual experiences.
Posted by
🏝️ Hobe Sound, FL⛱️
3256 posts
I took the Best of Tuscany tour last year that started in Florence on October 31st and the weather for the entire trip was excellent. Nights in the high 50’s, days in the low 70’s, not a drop of rain! Spent a few days in Torino after the tour and the weather was the same. Perfect time to visit.
Posted by
3122 posts
I've been there at that time of year. Weather was actually warm enough in Tuscan countryside to sit out sunbathing. However, on my last day there was a violent hail storm.
What is nice, in addition to lower prices, is a less crowded tourist atmosphere -- but you likely will still see big bus tours of retirees, so if you get behind such when buying a museum entry ticket or trying to get a seat in a restaurant you may still have a bit of inconvenience.
Posted by
Saint Paul, Minnesota
1529 posts
November is our favorite time to be anywhere in Italy (well, October would be nice, too, but we can't stand not to be at our cabin in October). I would not describe it as cold ever, but note where we live. We were in Florence once the first week of October, and in Tarquinia, Volterra, San Gimignano, etc and then in Liguria in the first two weeks of October last year and they were all darned full of tourists (mostly from Europe) --- I don't think October is much of a shoulder season any more. So, yeah, give November a try!
Posted by
Park City, Utah
53 posts
We traveled this area with our 18 year-old son at the time in November (the 10 days around Thanksgiving). It is cooler and we had a little rain, but nothing too bad. Crowds were light (except Rome first was still swamped with people, surprisingly). Do it!
Posted by
Rural Georgia
2181 posts
We spent a wonderful 10 days in Tuscany in December, just before Christmas. Most days were sunny with a high of low to mid 60s. There was frost a couple of mornings but the day quickly warmed up. We just carried a light sweater or jacket and most afternoons that was too much. November should be fine, there will still be colorful foliage.