Sicily in October and November: What It Is Really Like

Sicily in October is still warm. On the east coast, between Catania and Messina, average highs run from about 75 to 78°F (24 to 26°C), and the sea is roughly as warm as it is in June. Sicily in November is cooler and wetter, with highs near 68 to 70°F (20 to 21°C), more rainy days and the sun setting before five, but at sea level it is rarely cold.

Both months suit travelers who come for towns, food and landscape more than for a week on the beach. Below are the numbers behind that answer and what they mean for a trip. If you are still choosing a region, our guide to Italy in the fall looks at the whole country.

Sicily weather in October and November

The figures below are the 1991-2020 climate normals reported to the World Meteorological Organization for two stations in eastern Sicily. Messina sits on the strait at the northeastern tip of the island. The Catania station is Sigonella, inland in the Catania plain, where days run a little warmer and nights a little cooler than on the shore. Taormina lies halfway between the two.

• October, Catania: highs around 78°F (26°C), lows around 58°F (15°C), about 5 days with rain.
• October, Messina: highs around 75°F (24°C), lows around 65°F (18°C), about 8 days with rain.
• November, Catania: highs around 70°F (21°C), lows around 50°F (10°C), about 6 days with rain.
• November, Messina: highs around 68°F (20°C), lows around 58°F (15°C), about 11 days with rain.

A day with rain, in these records, is a day with at least one millimeter. Even in November, most days in Catania are dry. Messina receives roughly twice as much rain as Catania over the year, so the northern stretch of the coast is the damper one.

Mount Etna has its own weather. In the mountains of northeastern Sicily, at about 1,850 meters (6,000 feet), average highs fall to about 57°F (14°C) in October and 47°F (8.5°C) in November, and the summit of the volcano is often white with snow in autumn. A day on Etna needs a warm layer even when the coast feels like summer. Our guide to visiting Mount Etna covers the rest.

What is the rainy season in Sicily?

The wet season runs from October to March. At both stations, between 70 and 75 percent of the year's rain falls in those six months, and the three wettest months are November, December and January. July is almost dry: Catania averages less than a third of an inch (8 mm) for the whole month.

Autumn rain often comes with thunder. In October, Catania averages about five days with rain and three with thunder. The practical consequence is simple: keep the plans that depend on clear skies, such as a day on Etna or a boat along the coast, flexible by a day.

Can you swim in Sicily in October?

Yes, if you like water that is refreshing rather than warm. Long-term averages put the sea off Taormina at about 73°F (22.6°C) in October, almost exactly its June temperature. In November it drops to about 68°F (20°C), which is still warmer than the sea in May. On the north coast, the averages for Palermo are close: about 72.5°F in October and 67°F in November.

The air is the limit more than the water. An October afternoon at 75°F is pleasant on a beach; a November morning at 58°F is not, even with a warm sea.

Shorter days, and one week when the clocks disagree

On the 2026 calendar, the sun sets in Taormina at 6:42 p.m. on October 1 and at 6:10 p.m. on October 24. Europe turns its clocks back on the last Sunday of October, October 25 that year, and that evening the sun sets at 5:08 p.m. By November 15 sunset comes at 4:47 p.m., and by the end of the month at 4:40 p.m. The rhythm of a fall day changes with it: outdoor visits in the morning and early afternoon, the evening at the table.

The United States changes a week later, on the first Sunday of November. For those seven days, Sicily is five hours ahead of New York instead of six. In 2027 the dates are October 31 in Europe and November 7 in the United States, worth remembering for calls home and anything booked across the ocean.

What is on in October and November

• The Ottobrata in Zafferana Etnea. Every Sunday in October, this town on the eastern slope of Etna fills its center with a fair of the volcano's produce. In 2026 the four Sundays are dedicated to grapes, honey, apples, and mushrooms and chestnuts.
• Two public holidays. October 4, the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, became a national holiday in 2026, when schools and public offices close. November 1, All Saints' Day, is a national holiday too.
• The Festa dei Morti, November 2. In Sicily, tradition says that on the night of All Saints' Day the family's dead bring gifts to the children. The gifts come with sweets made for the occasion: marzipan fruit (frutta martorana), colored sugar figures (pupi di zucchero) and hard cookies called ossa dei morti, "bones of the dead."

Is Catania a good place to visit in October?

Yes. With highs near 78°F, October is comfortable for walking, and Catania is a city to see on foot. It is Sicily's second-largest city, at the foot of Etna, and its historic center, rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693, is part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing of the Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto. The fish market, the Pescheria, is in the old quarter around the cathedral. Catania also has the island's main airport, which makes it an easy first or last stop.

Where is the best place to stay in Sicily in October?

For a first autumn trip, the east coast works well as a base. Taormina sits about 200 meters above the Ionian Sea, halfway between Catania and Messina and about an hour by car from Catania airport. From there, Etna, Catania and the hill villages of Castelmola, Savoca and Forza d'Agrò are all within a day. Our list of things to do in Taormina starts from the town itself. Further south, Siracusa and the island of Ortigia make a second base.

Which part of Sicily is most beautiful?

Every traveler answers differently, so here is a factual starting point. The east of the island holds three UNESCO World Heritage sites: Mount Etna, listed in 2013, the Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto, listed in 2002, and Syracuse with the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica, listed in 2005. The Val di Noto listing covers eight towns: Caltagirone, Militello Val di Catania, Catania, Modica, Noto, Palazzolo Acreide, Ragusa and Scicli. Around Taormina, Castelmola, Savoca and Forza d'Agrò are members of the association of the Most Beautiful Villages of Italy. For the prettiest town, the list is long enough to fill several trips.

Is the Amalfi Coast or Sicily better in the fall?

On weather alone, eastern Sicily has a small edge. In the same 1991-2020 records, the Capri station, the closest one to the Amalfi Coast, averages highs of 74°F (23.5°C) in October and 65°F (18°C) in November, with a similar number of rainy days. In October that is about the same as Messina and 4°F below Catania; in November it is 3°F below Messina and 5°F below Catania. The larger difference is the kind of trip: one steep coast of towns on the Amalfi side; a volcano, a Baroque city and a string of hill villages on the Sicilian one.

Can I wear jeans in Sicily?

Yes, and in the fall they make sense. Pack layers rather than one heavy coat: a sweater for evenings, which in November drop to around 50°F (10°C) in Catania, a light rain jacket, and walking shoes with a good grip for stone streets and volcanic ground. Add a warm layer and a hat for any day on Etna.

Sicily in October with Italy Authentica

Our Amber Sicily journey runs twice in October 2027, departing October 10 and October 31. It lasts eight days from a base in Taormina, with a day on Etna and its wine, a farm day in the Hyblaean hills and a last day in Catania, at the fish market and in a puppet-maker's workshop. The second departure spans All Saints' Day and the Festa dei Morti. Groups are small, up to eight guests, and always accompanied. For more on the island, see our page on Sicily.