What clothes to wear in Lake Como in late October?
 

Hi,
Me and my husband are going to travel to Lake como, Italy and nearby places as to say Bellagio, milan and Interlaken and Zermatt (Switzerland) for a week . Its going to be our first trip to italy and switzerland. My little research says that its going to be really cold in Zermatt and interlaken and one cozy and fury jacket with little layering should suffice in cold weather.
But really confused what clothes shall i pack for Lake Como as the weather varies around 15 degrees C or little less. I dont like dressing up casually to say polo neck shirt and jeans. Please suggest me what to pack up and what are the things which i would be requiring for my trip.
Thanks
Niharika

I live near Lake Como. Today the temperature is about 15° but at the end of the month it will be around 10.The humidity is very high . It might rain, but we don't know...if you are lucky you could enjoy sunny days also in late October.

Are you aware that by the end of the month a lot of places will have closed for the season - hotels and restaurants?

As for Switz - snow can be early or late - but I wouldn't expect it end of Oct except in the highest mountains. And again, a lot of places are closed for renovations, etc - before the big winter season beginning around Christmas.

HI Olivella,

Thanks olivella for your advice. But please suggest me what kind of clothes do i need to carry. If its 10 degrees, then its going to be cold. So i am assuming one thin jacket or one pullover would be sufficient along with stoles to cover your neck. What about the wind speed?

I would suggest layered clothing. That is to say, take thin shirts/blouses, tops and sweaters and wear them one under the other, ending with a light jacket on top. (3 layers max. for this time of year) Then you can add or remove the layers depending how warm or cold you feel according to the weather.

Your suggestion of a thin jacket + pullover + scarves or shawls sounds fine. You can add or subtract these as you need.

I doubt you'd have to worry too much about wind chill in those places at this time of year, but if your thin jacket was wind-proof as well, that's even better.

Hopefully your thin jacket is waterproof too.

yes, I agree with Mathieu and Mimar. Today in Milano and Como heavy rain ...

Thanks mathieu , olivella and mimar for your generous advices.

Would you please advise what kind of weather you had in October. We are heading there soon and would like to know what to pack. Many thanks,

Jim Cantwell

The weather in November is changeable... one day in sunny and next rainy... temperature around 10 degrees ... buona giornata Alessandra

Take a stylish rain coat that you can wear a sweater underneath if need be. My packing list would look like:
Dark colored raincoat, knee length
money to buy a pretty scarf
black or gray pants
black leather boots that are comfy for walking
black or gray skirt
textured tights
Turtleneck that goes with all bottoms
Thin long sleeved shirts that are flexible and can be dressy...or not.
I am not a fan of anything that has to be ironed.
anyway, my suitcase always is filled with things that can be mixed and matched. I also always make sure that there is room for future purchases.
Skip a heavy coat.

The end of Oct was cold and there was snow. Now, it is iffy.

I was there in November a few years ago...bright, sunny cold and windy! I loved it....

Here are a lovely couple of photoblog posts written by someone visiting Como (and a few other places) in November http://julietelizabethblog.com/category/my-life/page/9/

You can easily get weather histories for the Lake Como area including specific towns such as Menaggio at wunderground.com

To SloJan2's packing list I would add a warm sweater or vest for layering. And I'd bring 2 pairs of pants, one warmer, one lighter. Make sure your boots are waterproof.

Historically, as I packed for trips, I tried to cover the range of possible weather. Usually the actual weather's been one extreme or the other. And I bring home items I've never worn. But the last couple trips we really have encountered the full range, and I have been triumphantly justified (this to DH).