dna

We are making our first venture out of the US ... to Italy. Would you recommend Italy in Mid-June or Mid-October?

sandi_travelnut

October for sure. Cooler temps and smaller crowds.

ellenem

Another vote for October.

ekscrunchy

third for october, as late as possible

dna

My concern about October was fall/winter temps and packing warmer clothing. Is it still reasonable to pack "light" in October?

Also, should be decide to go June (which was original plan) is it too late to book small quaint privately owned hotels?

Rastaguytoday

October is better, not just for the weather.

There is usually a smaller amount of tourists in October.

June is the classic time for schoolteachers to take trips. (Most of my relatives)

JudyADenver

We always go to Italy in October. It's not summer but very pleasant. You will definitely need a jacket in the evening. June can get really hot and too crowded with tourists. You might run into problems trying to book into the quaint little inns for this June. I usually book 9 months in advance. My favorite hotel of all time (Miramare in Positano) books 9-12 months in advance. It would be better to go later and be able to reserve the special hotels.

sandi_travelnut

Been twice in October and I would not worry about a bunch of bulky winter clothes. Make sure you can layer what you have. It will probably warm nicely to the 60-70's F (like when we were there) but in early morning or late evening you might need a light sweater.

lyb

I was in Venice last October...weather was FABULOUS!!!!!!

lyb

and by the way, I didn't even need a jacket at night, in fact, one evening, I was still in my short sleeve top until 10pm -- like I said, absolutely FABULOUS, don't know if that's the norm, maybe I was extremely lucky.

ekscrunchy

What cities will you visit? The climate varies a lot within the country.

CodyC

I've been to Florence, Cinque Terra and Lake Como region in early/mid Oct and the weater was fantastic. Florence was warm day & night. Cooler at the coast at night (light sweater) and much cooler up in the alps. Definitely needed a heavy sweater. Depending on where you're going you might not need a jacket at all. That year the 2nd half of Oct rained. I'm sure veteran travelers can advice better on that.
CC

CRAZY4TRAVEL

My vote would go to October as well. Less crowds and not so hot.

mjs

I also vote for October.

Traviata

dna,

We were in Italy in several locations this past October. It was the most crowded we have ever seen it. Many of the hotels told us they were filled and had more visitors this past October than they had had in June.

anna_roz

In mid-October 2004, Rome was warm and muggy, Venice was drizzly, and Florence was just right, say about 70F. The Tuscan countryside was foggy in the mornings and warm during the day. Of course, keep in mind that weather is sort of like investments, i.e., past 'performance' is not necessarily indicative of the future, and this October it could be totally different.

Having said all that, October is the high season for fungi porcini/mushrooms, which are delicious above all else in this world and which I made a point of enjoying every day in one form or another. So, in other words, October would be perfect!

Anna Roz

annhig

hi, dna,

I'm breaking the mold.

if you can find decent accommodations at such short notice, [assuming you mean this june - if it's next, no problem] I'd go for June - mainly because of the lighter nights.

major towns are now so crowded all year round, that is really not a consideration, IMO.

I would opt for A/C, just in case there's a heat-wave.

regards, ann

Jean

I can reiterate Traviata's comment re crowds in October. In October 2006, we were in Rome and stayed at the same hotel we've used on two previous visits (all in late October). We mentioned to the hotel owner that the city seemed more busy than on past trips, and she told us that October is now her most requested month.

If you're planning to go to any of the lakes in northern Italy, be aware that many hotels begin closing for the season after the second weekend in October. You will always find an open hotel, but it may not be your first/second/third choice.

jabez

I've been there in both seasons and have a slight preference of June because of the longer days.
I like the temperatures better in October, but there is a much greater chance of rain.
Depending on where you stay ,you might find some towns pretty shut down during October evenings. Weekends and larger cities were just the opposite.
The difference of Montalcino at 9pm in Oct. versus June was amazing. Couldn't even find anyplace selling gelato.
Many of the restaurants don't offer al fresco dining during the cooler Oct. season.

nytraveler

June. Longer days, better weather, prettier flowers and greenery - and still not the height of the season/worst of the crowds.

We have done several trips in early Oct and you lose so much evening time it's frustrating.