Linda Waste

My husband and I are currently planning to visit the Cinque Terre area in Mid-October of this year. We have friend whose mother was born and raised in Italy but now resides in the US. She says the area is a virutal ghost town at that time and that it is cold, windy and ofter overcast. I do value her opinion but would like to hear from people who have been there during that time. Thanks in advance!

Joel

My wife and I were there at exactly the time you contemplate. The weather was divine. We were living in France that year and don't recall that the weather was unusually hot or dry. Can't say what the norm is, but we loved it.

Shane Rudd

as above, My wife and I were there last year in October (end) and yes it was a little fresh but clear and fantastic. Make sure you catch the train to the very end town on the Cinque Terre and complete the walk back along the cliff faces.. Fantasic view/scenery

Linda Waste

Thank you both for the help. Those were exactly the answers I wanted to hear.

Arizona

Weather in the Mediterranean is often quite changeable in October, when winds rise up from the south, waves increase, and sudden storms hit the coasts of Spain, France, and Italy. Quite often, these storms carry sand (yes, sand!) all the way up from the Sahara, borne on stratospheric currents, and the sand deposited when the gales lose force. Once, when off Genoa, our aircraft carrier ran into one of those storms and we had to use brooms to sweep the sand off the flight deck it was that deep.
Often these storms come without much warning, other than a sudden shift in the surface winds, high cirrus clouds sweeping northward, and waves rising and hitting with great force. No time to be in an open boat, let me tell you from experience. Just watch the birds; if they start to cluster in great numbers, you are in for a sudden storm coming up from the south and southwest.