Italy in the Fall: Where to Go From September to November

Go north early and south late. In September most of Italy is still warm, from Milan, with average highs of 78°F, to the Sicilian coast. In October the center averages highs in the low 70s and Sicily and Sardinia in the mid to upper 70s, while Italy in November is mild mainly in the far south: Catania (Sigonella) and Messina still average 68 to 70°F, Milan drops to 54°F, and November is the wettest month of the year in Rome, Florence and Milan.

The temperatures in this guide are averages for 1991 to 2020 from official weather stations: the World Meteorological Organization normals published by the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Information and, for Florence, the Italian Air Force data published by LaMMA, the Tuscan regional weather service. Crowd figures come from Istat, Italy's national statistics institute, and price figures from Eurostat.

Italy in September: warm, busy and expensive

September keeps summer temperatures. Average highs are 80°F in Rome, 81°F in Florence, 78°F in Milan and 82°F in Messina, the station closest to Taormina. In Rome the sun sets at 7:44 pm on September 1 and at 7:08 pm on September 22.

It is quieter than August, but far from empty. Istat counted 52.4 million overnight stays in Italian hotels and other lodgings in September 2025, against 85.2 million in August, and visitors from abroad accounted for 63.4 percent of the September nights. It is also the most expensive month for a room: Eurostat's price index for accommodation services in Italy peaked in September in both 2024 and 2025.

The harvest is in full swing. Coldiretti, the national farmers' association, describes Italy's grape harvest as running from July to November, north to south, with September and October given to Prosecco, Sangiovese and Montepulciano. In Ciociaria, the countryside between Rome and Naples, the production rules of the cannellino bean of Atina, a protected designation of origin (DOP), set its harvest between September 10 and October 30. On the western slopes of Etna, around Bronte, the green pistachio, also a DOP, is picked by hand in odd-numbered years, generally between August 20 and October 10. The next harvest is in 2027. In Venice, the Regata Storica opens with a procession of dozens of boats in sixteenth-century style, rowed by gondoliers in costume, in early September. In 2026 it was held on September 6.

Is October a good month to go to Italy?

For most of the country, yes. Average October highs are 72°F in Rome, 71°F in Florence and in Frosinone (Ciociaria), 75°F in Messina and 79°F in Catania. Milan, at 66°F, already feels like fall. Rain increases: Rome gets about 3.5 inches in October, against 2.6 in September.

Crowds fall faster than temperatures. Istat counted 32.6 million overnight stays in October 2025, about 38 percent of the August figure. Prices fall more slowly: in 2025, the October reading of Eurostat's accommodation index was about 5 percent below September's.

October is the month of the late grapes. Coldiretti notes that red varieties such as Aglianico and Nerello wait for late autumn, and under the rules of the Etna DOC, Nerello Mascalese must make up at least 80 percent of an Etna Rosso. On the eastern slopes of Etna, the town of Zafferana Etnea holds its Ottobrata on the Sundays of October. The 46th edition runs on October 4, 11, 18 and 25, 2026, with a market of Sicilian farm products that includes stalls for honey and mushrooms.

Two dates matter in October. From 2026, October 4, the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of Italy, is a national holiday, under a law passed in 2025. In 2027 it falls on a Monday. Europe also ends daylight saving time on the last Sunday of October (October 25, 2026, and October 31, 2027), one week before the United States (November 1, 2026, and November 7, 2027). For that week Italy is five hours ahead of New York instead of six, and the evenings shorten overnight: in Rome the sun sets at 6:15 pm on Saturday, October 24, 2026, and at 5:12 pm on Monday, October 26.

Which part of Italy is warm in October?

The south and the islands. Average October highs, 1991 to 2020:

• Catania, Sicily (Sigonella station): 79°F
• Trapani, western Sicily: 76°F
• Messina, Sicily: 75°F
• Cagliari, Sardinia: 75°F
• Capri, Gulf of Naples: 74°F
• Rome: 72°F
• Bari, Puglia: 71°F
• Florence: 71°F
• Milan: 66°F

Where in Italy is it warm in November?

In the far south, and warm does not mean dry. Average November highs are 70°F in Catania, 68°F in Messina and Trapani, 66°F in Cagliari, 65°F on Capri and 64°F in Bari, against 62°F in Rome, 60°F in Florence and 54°F in Milan. Nights on the Sicilian coast stay mild: the average November low is 58°F in Messina and 41°F in Milan.

Rain varies more than temperature. Catania averages about six days with rain in November, Rome about nine, Messina and Frosinone about eleven. By total rainfall, November is the wettest month of the year in Rome, Florence, Milan and Frosinone.

What Italy in November is like

The country empties. Istat counted 17.3 million overnight stays in November 2025, about a fifth of the August figure and the lowest month of the last quarter of the year. Room prices follow: in 2025, Eurostat's accommodation index for November was about 13 percent below September's.

The days are short. On November 30 the sun sets at about 4:40 pm in Rome, in Milan and in Taormina, so drives and outdoor visits belong in the morning and early afternoon. November 1, All Saints' Day, is a national holiday, and in 2027 it also falls on a Monday. The harvest ends too: in Coldiretti's calendar it runs into November, and the last grapes are late reds such as Aglianico and Nerello.

What is the cheapest month to go to Italy?

For lodging, January. Eurostat's consumer price index for accommodation services in Italy, which tracks prices for the same kinds of rooms from month to month, was lowest in January and highest in September in both 2024 and 2025. Of the three fall months, November costs least: in 2025 its reading was 13 percent below September and 9 percent below October. The index covers lodging only. Flights keep their own calendar.

When is the worst time to go to Italy?

It depends on what you want to avoid.

• Crowds and heat: August. It is the busiest month of the year and Italy's own holiday month. Istat counted 85.2 million overnight stays in August 2025, 53.3 percent of them by Italian residents. Average highs reach 89°F in Rome and about 90°F in Florence, where the thermometer passes 93°F on 24 days a year on average.
• Room prices: September, the peak of the accommodation index in 2024 and 2025.
• Rain and short days: November, in the center and the north.

Planning a fall trip: what to know

• Pack for two seasons. September highs of 82°F in Messina and November lows of 41°F in Milan fall within the same three months.
• If you travel in the last week of October, note that Italy changes its clocks one week before the United States.
• Check opening days around October 4 and November 1, the two national holidays of the season.
• In November, plan outdoor time before mid-afternoon and carry rain gear, in Sicily too.
• Harvest dates move with the weather. Coldiretti reported that the 2025 harvest started earlier than the average of recent years because of the heat, so farm and cellar visits tied to the harvest are best confirmed close to the date.

Our fall journeys

Three of our small group journeys leave in the fall of 2027. Amber Sicily leaves twice in October, from a base in Taormina, with a day on Etna and a last day in Catania. Sicily, the Magic of Jasmine leaves in September from the same base. Ciociaria, a Name That Sounds Like Earth leaves in September. Each lasts eight days, takes up to eight guests and is always accompanied.

For more on the island late in the season, read our guide to Sicily in October and November, and for the grapes of the volcano, our Etna wine guide. If you would rather travel in November, or on dates of your own, design your trip starts with a few questions about how you travel. Within seven days you receive a proposal with real names, and a 30-minute call in Italian or English follows if you want one.