ElisaMB

Hi, I'm traveling to Rome, Florence, Venice and Milan next month (November) for two weeks. I live in Alaska and by the time I leave for the trip, the temps in Anchorage will be in the 20's and below, with snow on the ground and winter in full swing. But the temps in Italy will be in the 50's or 60's so it will be a heat wave for me. I also understand it could likely be raining much of the time. Is a light leather jacket appropriate, with a lightweight rain jacket to put over in case it rains? And as for shoes, I was planning on bringing a comfortable pair of black mary jane Naots and merrell mocs. But if it's raining a lot are rain boots recommended? I also have a compact umbrella I plan to bring. I've read that lightweight sweaters are good for November in Italy, but I would be sweltering in Alaska wearing those if it was 60 degrees. I would like to pack as lightly as possible, so any help on what I should pack given where I'm coming from, would be great.

nytraveler

I would never travel with high rain boots. If you have waterproofed low walking booties that could be a good compromise. You need to understand that 50s can be the high and the evenings can be colder - Italy does get snow as far south as Rome - but it;s rare and more likely in Jan/Feb.

I would bring a jacket you can wear rain or shine - not haul a second one around with you and have options with multiple layers - including a couple of sweaters (not super heavyweight).

Dukey1

There are palm trees in Rome (Venice, too) so you know that really cold weather doesn't last very long.

I agree with not bringing any sort of rain boots; waterproof or water-resistant something but not a pair of boots. The compact umbrella is an excellent idea. Some people might suggest a light fleece but layers would probably work as well.

Jean

Only you know how comfortable you'd find daytime temps in the 50s and 60s. (Check the overnight temps too if you expect to walk around late at night or early in the morning.) If you consider that a heat wave, I'm not sure why you're considering sweaters and a leather jacket. Yes, you need a rain jacket and especially shoes you can wear in the rain.

I live in Southern California, travel in October, and prefer to take clothes that I can layer (or not) to accommodate a wide range of temps.

sandralist

You are going to Milan in November? Temps could be much lower than 50s and 60s. You need a jacket that is warmer than a light leather jacket, or you need a very good fleece or down vest to wear under your jacket along with a sweater. You will need warm pants.

I'm not sure what you mean by rain boots. If you mean rubberized boots, they might only be a real help in Venice. If you mean knee high leather boots, why not if you are very comfortable in them? You will be very stylish for sure. But don't wear them into knee high water in Venice.

Otherwise, I would expect Rome to be more or less like Washington DC in November. I would prefer warmer clothes than what you are describing, but I like to be very warm, especially if I am going to spending most of my time walking around outdoors and I'm not from Alaska.

If you pack what you think will be most comfortable you can always buy something very warm very cheaply from outdoor vendors wherever you go in Italy, with the exception of shoes if you have larger feet (and it is better to wear shoes that are not brand new when you travel).

sandralist

You can use this website to look at what the actual temperatures were last November in Milan, each day and night. You can see that the beginning of the month was much warmer than the end, but also that the warmest days often had the most rain. And there was plenty of rain in November

http://www.ilmeteo.it/portale/archiv.../2013/Novembre

If you fool around with the website, you can also see the same information for 2012 and previous years, and you can also adjust it to show you the same info for Venice and Rome.

For Venice, it can matter a great deal whether you will be in Venice during a time of lunar high tides, generally corresponding to the moon cycles. If you don't know how to find out what the lunar tides will be for your Venice travel dates, people here can help you figure that out. If I had room in my suitcase and a pair of rain boots I liked very much, I would be tempted to bring them to Venice in November if I thought there was a greater than average chance of acqua alta (high tides).

nytraveler

Perception of temps depends very much on what you are used to and what you like. I much prefer cool to warm and don;t even wear a heavier leather jacket until the temps are in the 40s - don;t wear a warmer coat, heavy sweaters or warmer pants until the temps are in the 30s.

To me 60s is tee shirt weather - with a light rain jacket in the evening and possibly a cotton sweater if in the 50s in the evening.

sandralist

Here is last November's daily temps for Rome. You can see that for the latter part of the month the daily highs never reached 50 degrees, and nighttimes dropped considerably, and also a couple of very windy storms (and Rome does get wind chill through those palm trees).

http://www.ilmeteo.it/portale/archiv.../2013/Novembre

Venice in the same period actually saw more warmer days (typical because of the lagoon effect)

http://www.ilmeteo.it/portale/archiv.../2013/Novembre

Last year's weather will not predict this years. So you do best to look at these websites 2 days before you leave and face real-time packing choices. Unfortunately, you will only get reliable forecasts for the first few days of your trip. You can't get a reliable forecast for the last days of your trip. Italian weather is just too unpredictable, with its combo of seas and mountains in such close proximity.

bvlenci

When my niece came to visit me from Alaska in early spring, she brought a water-resistant lined shell with a hood, and a wool sweater, and also a sweatshirt, she could wear under it. Or she could wear them separately, depending on the conditions. I would also bring a wool hat, scarf, and gloves just in case; they don't take up much room.

I wouldn't bring a leather jacket. It might not be warm enough in Milan and Venice, it's not easily adapted to layering, and the rain tends to come and go, so you'd be taking that rain jacket off and on all day long.

I also wouldn't bring rain boots. The rain is more likely to be drizzle than downpour. If you should happen to hit acqua alta in Venice, it may not even affect you, depending on how high it is and where you are. If it does affect you, they sell rubber boots everywhere, and they put out elevated walkways in the more heavily trafficked areas. The acqua alta is more likely at the full moon and at the new moon, and especially at the spring and autumn equinox, but it's affected just as much by the wind direction as by the lunar phase. The scirroco wind, a strong south-west wind from the Sahara, is particularly likely to cause acqua alta. If you have a strong scirroco at the high tide during a full moon, the acqua is likely to be very alta! It never lasts more than a few hours.

I think a water-resistant hood is just as important as an umbrella. In a light drizzle, a hood is all you need. Holding an umbrella up for hours, and trying not to poke people in the eye with it, gets tedious after a while, if a hood would have done the job.

I don't recognize the brand names, but your shoes sound fine in principal. (The Mary Janes sound like what my niece brought.) Just make sure they're well broken in and reliably comfortable for long walks over uneven paving stones. Athletic shoes are fine also, despite what you hear from a few self-proclaimed experts.

ElisaMB

Thanks Everyone, I appreciate the helpful responses. I will definitely check the websites you sent sandralist, right before the trip. And leave the leather jacket behind but bring either a light fleece or a packable lightweight down jacket since either can be layered easily. Thanks bvlenci, I might just opt to bring my athletic shoes as a second pair.