While the summer months in Italy are full of hot sunny days, beach-side seafood lunches and relaxing with friends and family, the shift from summer to fall is one of our favorite times of year here. You can visit Italy and have a fantastic trip year round, but for us, Italy in the fall is extra special.
The autumnal season comes with the perfect blend of ideal weather conditions, fun activities and festivals, and wonderful food and drink. Outside of the big-name cities like Rome and Florence (which still have their usual crowds until later in the season) Italy slows down, focusing on the harvests and looking ahead to the holidays.
Southern Italy is still comfortably warm, but even in the north the temperatures don’t start to drop until later in October. You can explore all over the country at your own pace, without dealing with the high season temperatures and visitor numbers.
If you’re looking for ideas on how to make the most of Italy in the fall, here are the top Italian destinations we love at this time of year:
Tuscany
First up we have Tuscany, the region in central Italy that is home to Florence, Pisa, Siena and so much more.
Explore the Tuscan hills
Through the fall months, the Tuscan countryside is absolutely beautiful. The iconic rolling hills get taken over by farmers handling the grape harvest and the colors shift from greens to golden yellows and oranges as the weather cools. In many parts of Italy we don’t really see the autumn colors for long, but in Tuscany you have a good chance of experiencing real fall foliage – particularly from mid October onwards. Visiting Tuscan vineyards is best done in the fall in our opinion!
That grape harvest, vendemmia in Italian, means that it is also time for the many wine and grape festivals that take place throughout Tuscany in September and into October. These food festivals celebrate the wonderful local produce, giving you lots of opportunities to taste the wines as well as other food and drink.
Tuscan towns
The fall is one of the best times to visit some of the other towns in Tuscany. Popular day trips from Florence, during the autumn there are fewer tourists visiting the area and so you can get to know these towns in a more enjoyable way.
Head to Pisa on the train and see the famous leaning tower before going to nearby Lucca to walk around the ancient city walls and see the beautiful cathedral. See more medieval towers in San Gimignano, stretching up to the sky from the ideal hilltop position and try the local white wine, Vernaccia di San Gimignano with a relaxed lunch.
We love Arezzo, which has a fascinating mix of ancient Roman ruins, medieval streets and modern boutique bars and shops, and of course you can’t miss Siena. Siena was once Florence’s direct rival, so has a huge amount of history, culture and excellent food and wine to delve into.
There are so many more Tuscan towns to get to know – you could visit any of them and have a great trip – and autumn really is one of the better points of the year to see them.
What about Florence?
Florence is one of the most popular places to visit in Italy for good reason. All the highlights of world-class art, iconic sculptures, the legacy of the Medici family and the famous Florentine steak, what’s not to like?
Well, for us, trips to Florence are better left to later in the year. September through to late October is still high season in the city, filled with people thinking it should be quieter because the summer is over. If you can travel in November or even into early December, Florence is an entirely different place. Never completely quiet, the crowds thin out and the city feels more real somehow.
Yes, November is Italy’s rainiest month, but trust us, it’s worth getting caught in the occasional rain shower to see Florence without as many people around!
Bologna
Next up on our list of the best places to visit in Italy in the fall is the city of Bologna in northern Italy, the capital city of the Emilia-Romagna region.
Bologna for us is all about the food. The city is filled with things to see and do (check out our full city guide for the details) but whenever we come back, the first thing we’re thinking about is the food.
Bologna is where iconic Italian dishes like lasagna, ragù bolognese and tortellini originated, as well as mind-blowingly good ingredients like Parmigiano Reggiano, balsamic vinegar and mortadella ham. The delicate yet rich egg pasta that is most common here lends itself brilliantly to the flavorful meats and cheeses available, creating a distinct regional cuisine that is one of our absolute favorites in Italy.
When we visit Bologna in the summer, enjoying all this food is more difficult when the average temperatures are sitting around 100°F. Once the cooler weather starts to arrive around the first week of October, you can have a wonderful time eating as much pasta as you can manage! If you’re not sure where to start, join us as we dine with a local who will introduce you to the seasonal dishes on offer when you visit.
Day trips from Bologna
When you visit Italy, we always suggest day trips and excursions from your base location in order to get to know the country better.
Bologna is so well connected that you have a lot of options available to you. The nice weather of the fall months is ideal for making the most of your time in Italy, and unlike in the low season winter months, the scenery around Bologna is lovely in the autumn.
Florence is only around 45 minutes away by train, and even Venice is reachable with a 2 hour trip on the high speed train. However we recommend staying closer to home and exploring the Emilia-Romagna region.
Ravenna is a delightful medieval city with early Christian sites that have some of the most incredible mosaics we’ve ever seen, as well as Dante’s tomb, great shopping and lots of tasty food. Rimini combines ancient Roman ruins with a long stretch of sandy beaches along the Adriatic coast.
One of our top places to go in Emilia-Romagna however is the city of Parma. The city is small but packed with great bars and restaurants along with stunning buildings that are hundreds of years old. This is also one of the best places to taste the local Parmigiano Reggiano and prosciutto di Parma.
Abruzzo
Abruzzo is definitely one of Italy’s lesser-known regions, but one of our favorites. The region of Abruzzo has it all – tall mountains with a winter ski season, historic towns and cities, long stretches of coastline with lovely beaches and a distinct local cuisine.
If you visit Italy in the fall, you have to include a stop in Abruzzo on your itinerary. The contrast of this quieter region with its slower way of life compared to Tuscany or Sicily is stark and allows visitors to see another version of Italian life.
You can explore the cities of L’Aquila high up in the mountains or Pescara down on the Adriatic coastline, go hiking through one of the multiple national parks, sail along the rugged coastline or relax with a glass or two of local wine.
We’ve been getting to know Abruzzo better this year so if you’d like more tips or help creating an Abruzzo travel itinerary, get in touch to see how we can create something special for you!
Traditional Abruzzese food
The cuisine of Abruzzo has been shaped by the history of the region, making it something that is both recognizable as Italian but also very different.
The tradition of sdijuno, a mid-morning snack, originated from the shepherd’s practice of getting up very early and not having time for a full breakfast. Arrosticini, little skewers of lamb or mutton meats barbecued to perfection, were born out of the transumanza tradition, a twice-yearly migration of the flocks of sheep between seasonal grazing grounds.
On May 1 the special soup known as Le Virtù is made in a tradition originating in the time of the ancient Romans and the popular pallotte cacio e ova comes from a time when the people of Abruzzo had to make do with very little.
All of these and more are must-try dishes if you visit Abruzzo, with so many more delicious options waiting for you.
Turin
Our other top choice for an autumn trip to Italy is the city of Turin, capital of the Piemonte region. We cannot say enough good things about Turin, but for some reason it is still one of Italy’s lesser-visited cities, so if you want to escape the tourist crowds this is the place for you.
Turin is packed with history, ranging from ancient Roman ruins to medieval castles, royal palaces of the Savoy family and even a huge museum dedicated to ancient Egypt. The fall temperatures make it possible to maximize your sightseeing time (no queuing in the hot sun!) and there are not that many visitors this time of year.
Make sure to read our Turin city guide for more ideas of what to see and do in the city!
Turin treats
Lots of the traditional Piemontese food is better suited to the autumn and winter months, packed with hearty flavors and rich ingredients, so it’s a great idea to time your visit for the fall. Diving into a big plate of brasato al barolo (beef braised in Barolo red wine) is not really a summer activity, but starting in the fall you can fully indulge!
One of Turin’s most famous creations is chocolate, thanks to the Savoy family’s obsession with it since it was introduced to Europe in the 1500’s. We can’t blame them when the chocolate makers of Turin do such a good job, particularly the combination of Piedmont hazelnuts and chocolate that comes together to make Gianduia.
The other major chocolate treat that is best enjoyed when the summer heat has gone is bicerin, a drink made with coffee, chocolate and milk or cream. The three are layered together to form the perfect pick-me-up – literally heaven in a glass!
Explore Piemonte
Turin is perfectly located to be able to get out into the Piemonte countryside. Quiet and extremely peaceful in the summer, the small towns of Barolo, Alba, Asti and others come to life in September. The grape harvest starts for all that delicious wine and then in October truffle season starts up as well.
If you’re looking for warm weather and sunny day trips this may not be the right place for you, but the rolling hills are majestic in the autumn. Piemonte captures your imagination in a special way, and deserves more time than many visitors give it. So bring your walking boots, join a truffle hunt or explore the vineyards and then finish up with a well-deserved seasonal meal!
Join Us in Italy This Fall
We believe you can visit Italy anytime of year and be guaranteed to have an excellent trip, but there is definitely something a little different about Italy in the fall. Whatever you want to fill your travel itinerary with, we’re help to make your vision a reality so get in touch today to see how we can do this for you.
