If you could visit Tuscany in May or September, which month would you choose and why? We're going in 2003 and haven't chosen the month.

May--the days are longer and the flowers are all in bloom.

If you aren't planning to stay on the seaside, than I would chose neither, I'd go in November, when the fields are at the top of their beauty. Forced to chose between the two, I would say May for the weather, September for the food.

We've been this September and the weather was great. Maybe we were just lucky?

WE JUST RETURNED - WE WERE IN TUSCANY THE EARLY PART OF OCT. AND THE WEATHER WAS GREAT. THE GRAPE HARVEST HAD JUST BEGUN. THE FOOD WAS FABULOUS. HAD A GREAT!!! ONE DAY TOUR OUT OF FLORENCE TO CHIANTI AREA AND SIENA, ETC. CHECK TUSCANY-TOUR.COM FOR SOME GREAT IDEAS. OUR GUIDE ALEX WAS VERY WELL INFORMED AND SHOWED US SO MANY THINGS WE NEVER EXPECTED TO SEE. ALSO REASONABLLY PRICED. MAY OR SEPTEMBER ANYTIME IN TUSCCANY WOULD BE GREAT.

Depends on what you are doing. I was there for a hiking trip in late May several years ago and some days were uncomfortably hot for hiking

Myriam:<BR><BR>Much depends on what your standards for &quot;great weather&quot; in September are. In Italay we thought that this September simply sucked. It was cold, rainy and depressing. October has had a far better weather, even somewhat warmer than September.

<BR>Alice,<BR>We've been in Monteriggioni from 8th till 16th Sept and we've had 8 days of sunshine and warm temperatures except for rainshower one night. So I guess we WERE lucky!

We were in Tuscany, Rome, Sardinia and the Amalfi Coast between 10-30 Sept and had mostly lovely weather, 25-30C, apart from 2 quick storms in the last week. <BR><BR>Where were you, Alice? Not in the right places, obviously!

October warmer than September? That could not possibly be true. And October is the month that has seen more flood problems in Tuscany than any other. The great Florence flood of 1966? Remember?<BR><BR>Comparing May to September is a harder generalization. September 1 will almost always be warmer than May 1. and conversely, May 30 will usually be warmer than September 30 - - with, of course considerably longer daylight on May 30.<BR><BR>I would personally choose Sep 1-15 first, with May 15-30 a close runner-up. Let price and other convenience factors from your everyday life be the determinant between those two.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

Well, since I live in Italy (and exactly patrt of the time in Milano and part of the time in pistoia near Florence) I have a pretty good feel of the weather in Italy. September, in particular the second part of September, was extremely cold, far colder that usual and saw lots of rains. I remember being in Pistoia exactly four weeks ago and a+having nothing but rain for a whole Week-end (I mean it actually rained the WHOLE time, unless it let off for a little time by night as I saw sleeping!).<BR><BR>Rex:<BR>Well, I do not know where are you right now, but I have spent the whole second part of September dressed just like I am dressed now, and feeling far colder. At night as I left the office, I was shivering despite the sweather and the jacket, while now I even leave the jacket at the office sometimes as I go for lunch. THis year weather has been strange, and Septmber has been somewhat colder than October.

Alice is right. I froze in September and am wearing shorts (at least around the apartment) in late October. I remember last a year a similar early cold snap.