Tuscany - May or September?
 

I went in May of last year and the weather was wonderful. I try to travel on shoulder or low seasons for economic reasons and to avoid the tourist crowds. Does anyone know how September compares? Are there still crowds? Are rates worse than May? My husband MUST coach his baseball playoffs so he just nixed our belated honeymoon in May that I have been planning since last May.

Late September and early October are nice. For one thing, aside from the weather and crowds, the harvest is beginning and you get porcini mushrooms and truffles, etc.

I had always somehow thought of Tuscany as a Fall destination, but then went in the Spring one year and realized how beautiful it is then. It's still nice in the fall but you'll miss those fantastic red poppies and the green in some of the unplowed fields. Nonetheless, you'll survive and get to see sunflowers and, as charnees says, get some dining treats that you wouldn't have in the Spring. Enjoy.

May---the flowers and longer days.

Don't count on sunflowers in September. We were in Tuscany in mid-September two years ago and were surprised by two things in the Crete Senese (southern Tuscany) landscape - all the fields were plowed dirt, and all the sunflowers (that hadn't been plowed)were brown. We still had a fabulous time of course, but the scenery was, tho still beautiful, not what I expected. And the days are shorter, so it was always dark when we went out for dinner. Not so, in May.

May = beautiful green fields and red poppies!

September = brown fields, old sunflowers, but GORGEOUS grapes! They make wonderful pictures as well as eating and drinking...

Any time in Tuscany is good! Buon viaggio and have some Brunello for me, per favore.

We went in September/October and got hills of dirt clods as far as the eye could see. Not what I was expecting at all! I think May would be prettier.

In September if you are into wine it is a great time for festivals and tastings - there are things pretty much non-stop that time of year. Some of the spring flowers and summer crops may be gone, yes - but the grapes and olives are in full force. The Chianti area is beautiful that time of year. I think the rolling farmlands south of Siena may not be as colorful then as mentioned above.

Forgot to add that the weather in September was very nice, warm but not hot, just one day of rain, and we never experienced horrendous crowds anywhere we went, altho it was certainly not off-season. Altho May is my favorite travel month, I wouldn't hesitate to go again in September.

I froze Sept. 08. People were wearing winter coats. I haven't been in May, but am thinking about going this May. You will have more daylight in May if that matters to you. It was dark by 7pm in September.

When we went in September the Italians were wearing long sleeved shirts, sweaters and even coats even though it was in the 80's temp wise. We felt like the odd ones out in short sleeves, but really, it was warm! I think it's cultural that they wear fall clothes in the fall regardless of the actual weather.

One more great thing about September in Tuscany is porcini mushrooms - big, plump fresh ones were everywhere - in the markets and the restaurants, and we had them as often as possible, seeing as how I can usually only find dried porcini back home in the States. Yum!

I agree about the porcini mushrooms- a highlight of late Sept early Oct eating. Cut up in small bites and cooked with local olive oil and added to pasta - perfect - one of the best meals I have ever eaten! Also wonderful grilled on the BBQ with a little salt and a drizzle of olive oil. So simple and delicious. My Italian friends who live in the area say they use the dried porcini for risotto ONLY.

I prefer May for the long days and beautiful green hills, but September/Oct is also beautiful and I have found the weather very nice. Usually sunny and 75-80 degrees during the day. Sunset around 7:00p, sunrise around 7:00a. This has been my experience during 4 trips in late Sept/early Oct.

A picture is worth a thousand words?

Mid-September
http://www.pbase.com/mangoman/image/117781578

And Mid-September!
http://www.pbase.com/mangoman/image/117780690

Definitely a lot of dirt clods, but as you can see, one can find some lovely green vistas as well. Have not been there in May, but would love to go back and see it then.

We only went once in late May and it was so lovely, so lush and as people say, very long days!

May is a perfect time to go and not so crowded as September is.

So the plan is still to fly to Florence on April 29 pending the airfares. Trying to narrow down a base for Umbria and many Fodorites have been suggesting Bevagna. Will the town have any activity in the evenings? Not looking for party crowds, just dinners, drinks, people watching and a laid back atmosphere. But I don't want my husband to be completely bored either.