I've read previous threads and RS's advice, but I'd like to ask my "when to travel" question a little more specifically. If you were spending a month in Rome and had flexibility, what would you pick: the month of October, the month of November, or half October/half November? And, of course, why? Beyond major considerations such as weather and crowds, any less-obvious reasons, such as the changing of the leaves; holidays; seasonal delicacies; annual fairs/events, etc.?
Posted by
4353 posts
I would choose half October and half November--to get the tail end of warmer weather/longer days, then perhaps a bit of respite from crowds. No telling if that would be effective or not, but I have always heard October is quite busy (was planning to go in October one year but it got axed). I would be very excited about fall foods like mushrooms and radicchio.
Posted by
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
2712 posts
I was just in Rome the first week in November. There were plenty of people there, and the weather was glorious — sunny and around 70. You can’t count on having weather that good, but you can probably expect less people than October. I would say later is better to avoid crowds. If it’s cooler, that would be fine with me.
Posted by
lexington, il
4105 posts
If daylight hours are of concern, October. italy turns it’s clocks back the last Sunday in October.
Posted by
Los Angeles by way of Providence and Rome
557 posts
Here's a report from on the ground: November is typically a rainy month, but this year the first two weeks were glorious, and the last few days have been cloudy, showery and cool. There are fewer crowds in November, but I love October and the weather is more dependably sunny and bright without being hot. The days are noticeably shorter in November. Christmas decorations are beginning to go up, and restaurants have heaters now for outdoor dining.
Hope this helps.
Cynthia
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
13927 posts
How heat tolerant are you? Your profile doesn't reveal your location so I can't guess if you hail from FL or MT. I found mid-Oct in Rome to be quite hot for me but I do not tolerate heat. I thought it might have cooled off some but it was still in the low 80's when I was in Rome the middle of Oct.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15154 posts
October.
Warmer days, less wet (at least in the first half of October), and longer days since it's daylight savings until the last Sunday of October.
End of October/early November is statistically the wettest time of the year.
Don't be fooled by this year's weather. It was unusually warm this year in October/November, but there is no guarantee that next year it will be abnormal weather like this year.
Posted by
Chicago
1944 posts
We spent a week in Rome in late February and found it extremely temperate--40's to 60's and only a sprinkle of rain. On my bucket list is as much of an entire winter basing in Rome as I can handle, at least a month. Good, cheap lodging and excellent, cheap food will make me a happy guy. I really think my wife & I could exist as faux-Romans quite happily that time of year for 100-125 Euro/day, including where we stay, food/drink, and transportation.
But we don't count on anything weather-wise. From that week in Rome, we stayed 5 days down in Sorrento and it was monsoon-like, and chilly as heck. So you never know!
Posted by
Midwest
467 posts
Just got back. Daughter is studying in Rome this semester. We were there two weeks. One last week in Oct and one in Nov. she said crowds were much bigger in Oct vs Sept or now in Nov.
Don’t underestimate the difference when the time changes in Nov. They changed a week earlier than the US. That earlier darkness really changed how cold it felt. Also less daylight to just explore.
If it was me I would pick Oct. The chance for better weather supersedes all else. We had one day of rain. Very lucky but Rome is best seen outdoors. We had the gear but still was not as great as the other days. Yes it can rain in Oct too