Marcellina

We will arrive in Turin 21 September, spend time in Northern Italy then head to Rome the first week of October, finishing in Reggio Calabria by mid October. What am I to expect as far as weather goes? I am from Tropical Northern Australia so quite used to heat and humidity. Will this be scarves and coat weather or just jeans and long sleeves or even short sleeves? Thank you in advance for any suggestions

Ackislander

I think really all of the above are possible, depending on the day, but you are moving in the right direction to avoid heavy coats. You may find early mornings cool, and it will certainly be cool when it rains, particularly by subtropical standards, but you are unlikely to experience frost. The one thing to remember is that temperatures drop 5 degrees Fahrenheit for every 1000 feet of vertical rise (sorry, not metrically literate) and wind makes everything colder in the mountains and by the sea.

I went at the same time you are going but last fall and wore cotton-synthetic trousers and a combination of long sleeved shirts and short sleeved polo shirts most of the time. The long sleeves were nice in the mornings or early evenings, and I wore both in layers when I was in the mountains. My wife wore similar fabrics in both skirts and trousers. She was happy to have brought lightweight gloves because her hands are always chilly in the breeze. We each had a light gore-tex anorak in a dark color for rain but didn't have to wear it much. The weather was glorious.

Italians, like their French cousins, seem to deal with weather more by the calendar than by thermometers. On a certain day, air conditioning goes off, whatever the temperature, and on another day, the secret signal goes up and everyone on the street is wearing a heavy jacket and thick (but stylishly tied) scarf.

aliced

We were in Northern Italy (Verona, Padua, Venice) at the end of September/beginning of October last Fall, and it was 90 most every day. Wore my thinnest coolest clothing and only threw on a cotton sweater for evenings out. You just can't guess, but I doubt you'll need jeans.

adrienne

If you're used to heat and humidity the possible cold and damp will affect you more than if you lived in that type of climate. If it's cool and it rains the dampness can be bone chilling. I would bring a bit of everything, including water proof jackets and light weight gloves.

I would wait until closer to your trip to see what the weather is.

mamcalice

We normally travel the last two weeks in September and early October. 2010 was perfect for our trip which started in Florence on Sept. 16 and ended on the Amalfi Coast on October 2. Early fall weather - warm days, cool nights. But every year will be different. Check the weather.com pages for Italy before you leave to see what the trend is and get at least a 10-day forecast.

Marcellina

Thank you, Ackislander so much for the detailed reply! Thank you to all for taking the time to reply - it has helped me greatly. I realise it (the weather)is very changable. Thank you, mamcalice for the weather site.