Hi everyone, this is our first trip to Europe...I apologize if this has been asked and answered in the past! Now that the major planning is complete for our trip (Rome, Tuscany, Venice, Florence), I am beginning to think about wardrobe/packing. (I have loved the threads about packing light and that is definately an area I can improve upon, LOL!)

My question centers upon your OWN experience in those cities in late Sept/early Oct. Is it true that we can experience lows in the 50's (f) and then warming to around 78f during the days, if "Fall" follows the norm.?? If you had it all to do again, would you pack differently for a late Sept. trip to those destination cities??

In addition to my "travel outfit" I had been planning to pack 2 travel-knit gauchos, 2 capri and one cotton slack with assorted T's, sleeveless shells and a couple of "jacket-shirts", plus a light jacket in case of a cool evening/early morning...thoughts??

Does one need to have a jacket that repels water in case of rain?? (I will have a very small travel umbrella in our daypack.) Thanks in advance.

I can tell you that when I was there in mid-Sept. '06, I packed pretty much the same thing you are planning on taking. I brought a rain jacket and a denim one(that I didn't think I would need), but I ended up wearing the denim a lot. It got chilly at night and it would have been nice to have more than my one jacket.

If I was going back the same time of year, I would take out some of the hot weather clothes and bring an extra pair of long pants and a couple of long sleeved shirts. Maybe a sweater as well.

Regarding rain, we had a downpour one evening in Venice and I was soaked to the bone! I recommend having an extra pair of shoes just in case. I'm glad I did, because the ones I was wearing were still wet the next day.

Enjoy! Don't stress about the packing too much either.

Hello lovesroses, twice I have had to buy clothes while in the Region of Veneto (where Venice is located) due to the weather changing overnight from warm (hot actually) to a bitter cold along with rain and electrical storms (quite dramatic) sometime in the middle of September. If you haven't made all of your arrangements I would visit Venice first and than work your way south. The weather in Italy has not been "normal" these past years so I wouldn't know what to count on. Layering and bringing a few items to wear if cold and rainy is what I would do. Have a wonderful trip in beautiful Italy!!

I wouldn't be so worried about the temps - but it is defiitely rainy season. Be sure you have a sturdy umbie - that won;t collapse at the first heavy rain, a waterproof jacket (hood is a good idea) and 2 pair of walking shoes. As noted above, in the fall you're likely to run into some heavy rain and shoes won't dry completely overnight.

Loveroses,

My last trip was Sept 11 - 30. Amalfi Coast (beginning) was extremely hot and humid. Glad I took light weight cotton tees & skirts, linen tops and pants. Staw hat very important!

Rome was perfect with blue skies and nice breeze during the days, thunderstorms and rain at night. Glad I had loafers, umbrella, rain jacket.

Tuscany - hit a COLD snap, light sweater wasn't enough and had to buy another light wool (real shame). Freezing wind for 2 days, then warmed up a bit.

Friends who were there roughly the same time, visited Rome a week later and spent 3 days there completely drenched with pants wet up to the knees!

Hope this helps, buon viaggio!

Dear sherhatfield, LoveItaly, nytraveler and Dayle,
Thank you so much for your replies--I feel much more comfortable about packing now, and we'll just let Mother Nature have her way, LOL; we'll be prepared! I may decide to stick in my rain jacket, if I'm under the weight limit (that would be a first gt

sherhatfield and nytraveler, I am taking another pair of walking shoes along!
LoveItaly, unfortunately, our plans, etc., are made and we will be in Venice on Sept. 30-Oct. 1...so we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed about the weather.
Dayle, I wish we could travel to the Amalfi Coast, but couldn't fit it in this trip. From the pictures I've seen it looks absolutely beautiful. I hope we don't hit the rain in Rome like your friends did...
I keep picturing us sharing a bottle of wine in the sun-drenched gardens at our hotel, Santa Catarina, in Tuscany, so I sure hope the weather cooperates. Thank you all for your encouraging words and well-wishes! gt;

Check out http://www.worldweather.org/ for information on your destinations. (Below current conditions is a chart of averages for temps and rain.)

According to World Weather, Sept has the fewest days of rain of any month in Venice, with the ammount (66 mm or about 3/8&quot in the middle for the year. August and Nov are the rainiest (or snowiest? in Nov's case?) months, but venice doesn't record terribly high precip.

In Rome, the driest months are May/Jun/Jul/Aug, and although the precip picks up in Sept, it's on a gradual slide from there to mid-winter, then on a slide back down till May.

I've had really HOT weather in Sept and even Indian summer in October, absolutely gorgeous without a drop - in fact, with nary a cloud for two weeks.

Rome is nearly the same latitude as Providence RI or Chicago, just above Omaha, New York, Salt Lake City. For my money, most places in the middle of the northern hemisphere are pretty dandy in April/May and Sept/Oct. But changeable!

Lucky you, have fun!

<<I've had really HOT weather in Sept and even Indian summer in October, absolutely gorgeous without a drop - in fact, with nary a cloud for two weeks. >>

I mean to say I had that weather around Rome and in Umbria!

Hi tomassocroccante, I didn't realize Omaha was the same latitude as Rome (I'm an Omahan). I love our weather here in the Fall, so, hopefully, unless it's very unseasonable, it should be beautiful in Rome gt; I agree....pretty dandy weather in April/May, Sept/Oct (usually, ha).

Thanks so much for the website--I have bookmarked it for future reference.

lovesroses, I'm a former Nebraskan in NYC for 30 years. While latitude doesn't tell everything about temps, weather or climate, it's an interesting indicator. Rome is just south of 42degrees; Omaha slightly north of 41; NYC slightly south of 41.

Of course things like coastal streams, mountains, altitudes etc influence climate a lot, and places at the same latitude can be very different. In Nebraska the winters can be unrelenting; in NYC we get frequent mild breaks due to the gulf stream. Generally, though, we in that "temperate zone" that means we may have extremes but we also get lots of not so extreme weather! And central Italy is pretty similar - with its own peculiarites obviously - like those fierce hot winds of summer. (The sirocco blow up to Sicily and Sardninia from Africa - are these the same winds that hit Rome?)

Consider: most of Europe is above the 49th parallel, the northern border of the 48 continguous US states. Paris is just south of 49, like Winnipeg, Manitoba or Vancouver BC. Cairo is at about 30, like New Orleans and Houston. Tokyo and Nashville are both near 36. Moscow and Glasgow are both in the 56-57 area = north of Ketchikan, Alaska.

BTW, lovesroses, I was in Omaha a few years ago just before that freak, mid-October snowstorm - the one that destroyed thousands of mature trees when their branches, still full of leaves, were heaveily weighed with wet snow and came crashing down.

So, as every bride knows, even in the "best" months anything can happen!

I would not bother with the capris personally and I don't take all cotton clothes as they wrinkle.

I have been several times in September and will be 3 weeks behind you this fall with similar itinerary.

I will pack microfiber slacks (easy pack, no wrinkles, easy dry) for day, nice black slacks for evening; 3/4 sleeve T's, ribbed silk black turtleneck, a few twin sets, low heeled boots for evening and two pair walking shoes for night. Throw in a printed pashmina for cool days and to dress up basics for evening.

I bring a lightweight, unlined leather jacket, car length.

As far as I know you can still carry the jacket separate from carryon bags - or wear it onto the plane - so it doesn't actually have to be packed, per se. If it's one you can also make into a plane blanket, you're one up!

Thank you all for your great suggestions!

tomassocroccante, how were you lucky enough to be here (Omaha) for that Oct. storm??!! I am a native Omahan and that is the worst snowstorm in terms of damage done to mature trees in my lifetime (and as I'm retired--that's a few years, LOL). My elderly parents (at that time) were without power and of ill health, so we had to try to make it 8 miles to their home to get them out (wheelchair and all) in the snow/ice to our home until power was restored to their neighborhood....and then the cleanup began...took days and days....an ugly, damaging storm indeed! You're right about the "best-laid plans"! We are never in charge of Mother Nature--I just want to be prepared for the most likely weather conditions.

With the unseasonably hot weather they have been having lately, wouldn't it be wonderful of they had just a mild Indian Summer when we are there??! gt; You know, with all the beauty that will surround us, I think we will be able to
"make do"!

kfusto, I agree about the microfiber vs cotton. I tend to get hot, if the days would be in upper 70's, so I do better in cotton slacks. (I do all microfiber if I am traveling in the winter.) Perhaps I will only take one capri and exchange the other for a microfiber slack. gt; Thanks you for your help and have a wonderful time on your trip.

tomassocroccante--you're right about just carrying on the jacket, and that way, I could add a few items to the pockets as well. I just don't like to have lots of "stuff" to stow...we shall see. Thanks for the suggestion tho'.