Where to go in October without the crowds: villages, foliage and a sea still warm
Where to go in October without the crowds: quiet villages, foliage in the woods and stretches of sea still warm enough to swim in the south. Concrete, off-the-beaten-path ideas.
Foto: rutlo (CC BY 4.0) — Flickr
Working out where to go in October without the crowds is easier than it seems: the beach umbrellas have already been packed away, the tour buses thin out and prices fall, but the weather stays kind. It's the month when Italy splits in two: in the mountains the woods change colour, in the villages the pace of small-town life returns, and in the south the sea is still warm enough for a swim. Here are three concrete themes for planning a weekend or a week, with destinations where in October you'll often have the place to yourself.
The autumn of the woods
**Foliage and the stag's bellow: the woods that catch fire**
The first reason to set out in October is the foliage. The golden moment for beech woods is between mid-October and early November, and it shifts with altitude: at middle elevations the colours arrive first. The right spot is the ancient forest of Sasso Fratino, in the Foreste Casentinesi National Park, where the beeches are over five centuries old and at dawn you can still hear the bellow of the stag, which runs roughly from mid-September to mid-October. Further north, in the Piedmontese Alps, the loop of lakes at the Gole del Lavì in Valsesia offers golden larches at the foot of Monte Rosa, with trails almost empty. In Umbria, the woods of the Valnerina surrounding the abbey of San Pietro in Valle at Ferentillo combine the yellow of chestnut trees with a Lombard masterpiece. And if it's the deer you're after rather than the peaks, the Bosco della Mesola in the Po Delta is a lowland pine forest you can ride through by bike, home to wild red and fallow deer.
Villages at a slow pace
**Villages at a slow pace, between harvest and chestnuts**
October is also the month of the villages, when the festivals return to a scale that suits the residents. In Emilia, Castell'Arquato in the Val d'Arda ties its medieval squares to the wine hills: it's the season of the grape harvest and the local reds. In Liguria, Triora in the upper Valle Argentina plays its witches card precisely in the weeks around the end of October, when the stone alleys fill with legends and dark bread. In Friuli, Venzone, a medieval village rebuilt stone by stone after the 1976 earthquake, is historically linked to its autumn pumpkin festival (check the dates for the current year). In Tuscany, walking up to Anghiari, in the Valtiberina, means artisan workshops and olive trees turning yellow. And in Piedmont, Garessio in the Val Tanaro pairs its chestnut woods with its thermal waters: a perfect combination for the cooler days. Staying on the theme of warm waters, there's also Saturnia in the Maremma, where the Cascata del Mulino, besieged in summer, can really only be enjoyed at dawn in October.
The sea of the south
**A sea still warm: the south that doesn't close**
October's third ace is the sea. On the Calabrian Tyrrhenian coast the water temperature stays around 22-23°C at the start of the month and above 20°C right up to late October: the Costa degli Dei is perfect for anyone who wants to alternate swimming with excursions, such as the one to the Grotte di Zungri, a hundred houses carved into the sandstone a few kilometres from Tropea. In Campania, the Cilento offers the same formula: from the abandoned village of Roscigno Vecchia you drop down in half an hour to beaches like those of Palinuro and Marina di Camerota, still mild and almost deserted. In Sardinia, the Ogliastra is ideal for those who don't separate sea from mountains: at Ulassai, among the limestone peaks and the waterfalls of Lequarci, you're a step away from the coves of the eastern coast, where in October the sun is still generous.
**How to choose**
The practical rule is simple: for the foliage, aim for the Apennines and the Alps and set out in the second half of the month, checking the state of the colours on the parks' websites (they vary every year); for the sea, head down to Calabria, the Cilento and Sardinia and get ahead of things in the first half of October, when the water is warmest. The villages work any time, and on festival weekends they're at their best. Wherever you go, you'll find the same thing: lower prices, free parking and that silence which, in these very same places, is unthinkable in August. October rewards those who travel out of season.
Practical guides for Alba
Practical info
When is the best time to visit Where to go in October without the crowds?
The recommended time is October, when it is less crowded.
Where is Where to go in October without the crowds?
Where to go in October without the crowds is located in Italy.
How to get there
- ✈️ Nearest airport: CdV Palazzone di Narni ~6 km as the crow flies
Nearest points as the crow flies (source OpenStreetMap): actual times depend on the roads, often mountain ones.
