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6 Reasons Why You Should Visit Rome This Fall

Rome is a city characterised by its historical landmarks like the Tempio del Divo Claudio
Rome is a city characterised by its historical landmarks like the Tempio del Divo Claudio | © Nicole Reyes / Unsplash

No matter what your seasonal preference may be, no one can deny that the autumn is a wonderful time of year to enjoy Rome. Faced with fewer crowds, mild temperatures, a number of cultural events and an array of delectable seasonal delicacies, you’re sure to have a great visit to the Eternal City.

Enjoy a perfect climate

Fall is a truly glorious time of year in Rome. Though the city is blessed with plentiful sunshine and a Mediterranean climate that ensures it keeps a pleasant temperature year-round, the summer can be scorching hot and the winter can be very wet. Starting around mid-September, however, the city begins to change its energy from the languor of summer to the crispness of autumn and you’ll have the chance to experience clear blue skies and dramatically coloured sunsets with less humidity hanging in the air.

Eat delicious autumnal foods

Urlaubstracker / Unsplash

Italians pride themselves on shopping locally and and eating seasonally, which means you’re in for a real treat when you visit during the autumn months. It’s not only peak season for Italy’s celebrated tasty white truffles, but many other tantalizing vegetables are harvested at the end of summer and prepared in effusively comforting and warming dishes to see you through the seasonal transition. From sweet pumpkin and meaty porcini mushrooms to bitter leafy vegetables such as radicchio and broccoli rabe, you’ll find a variety of delicious options that are incorporated into pastas, risotto and stews.

Get a real taste for Rome with these delicious food tours.

Enjoy white truffle season

Although truffles are predominantly sourced and harvested in the north of Italy, this tasty delicacy makes its way to restaurants all over the country. In Rome, head to Ad Hoc, a modest, intimate restaurant that specializes in truffles. If you’re as fanatic about the truffle as Italians are, make sure you hop on the train to one of the country’s many truffle fairs, held in regions such as Umbria, Tuscany and Piedmont. There are also plenty of excursions on offer to hunt for the fall fungi yourself.

Experience local ‘Sagre Di Paese’

Visiting villages and towns around Italy during their sagre is perhaps the best way to experience Italy’s small-town charm. A sagra di paese (village festival) unites each locality with a jovial atmosphere, a weekend’s worth of events and lots of scrumptious local food prepared in countless ways. You’ll find a sagra for essentially any ingredient or food you can think of: grapes, truffles, chestnuts, potatoes, artichokes, asparagus and even bread. Check the calendar to find out where and when the next sagra takes place and enjoy one of the best fall day trips.

Explore the villages around Rome with these village day tours.

Face fewer crowds

Rome is one of the most visited cities in the world, so you’ll always have to battle some crowds at the Vatican Museums or in line to visit St Peter’s Basilica, but fortunately there are fewer visitors after the summer rush and before the Christmas season begins. Autumn is a great time to visit Rome because the city is buzzing and back in full swing after the summer break, giving you a good picture of daily life in the city. Fares are also lower and hotels will often offer low season prices starting in November so it’s a great time to save on both time and money in the city.

Take in the best sights of Rome by booking one of these city tours.

St Peter’s Basilica, in Rome, Italy

Soak in fall festivals

With the return of normalcy to Rome after the summer holidays come a number of noteworthy cultural festivals. The Roma Film Festival takes place each October at the Auditorium Parco della Musica. This year it will be held from October 15 to 25 and will host a number of screenings and retrospectives as well as showing some films from Cannes Film Festival’s 2020 Official Selection. The opera season is in full swing in fall and this year’s first indoor show will be a performance of The Nutcracker at the Teatro Nazionale on 4 December.

Enjoy the best culture Rome has to offer with these theater and concert tours.

Hall of the Opera House, Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, Italy

About the author

Livia Hengel is an Italian-American writer, photographer and traveler with a penchant for la dolce vita and a severe case of wanderlust. Originally born in Rome, she spent her life living around the world in Peru, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Turkey and the US before moving back to her city of birth. She is passionate about all things cultural, existential, stirring and beautiful and is happiest when she is contemplating human nature over a glass of wine or wandering off-the-beaten-path in a new city. When she's not traveling around Italy, you can find Livia eating her way through the best restaurants in Rome or keeping up with Instagram. Livia is the author of The HUNT Guide for Rome and also contributes to Spotted by Locals.

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