November in Italy: what's still open, and the rain

November is the wettest month in Milan and still a mild one in Naples, and in 2026 it is also the last month to see Siena's marble cathedral floor, uncovered until November 15.

Siena's floor, until November 15, 2026

Siena Cathedral's inlaid marble floor is uncovered in two windows in 2026: June 27 to July 31, and August 18 to November 15. The extra opening, titled Il Sommo Bene, marks the eighth centenary of the death of Saint Francis on October 3, 1226¹.

For the rest of the year the floor lies under protective covers and you cannot see it. Tickets are sold at Piazza Duomo 7, at the Dear Guests visitor center in via di Città 48, and online. Why it is covered at all is told in a floor you can see twice a year.

November 1, and a closure in Florence

November 1, All Saints' Day, is a national civil holiday under law 260⁵ of 1949, the only one in the month. The next is December 8.

In Florence, Brunelleschi's dome is closed for maintenance from November 16 to 20, 2026. On any other day the climb needs a booked slot that can be neither changed nor cancelled, with last entry at 6:45 pm on weekdays and 4:30 pm on Saturdays; on Sundays and holidays it opens only from 12:45 pm to 4:30 pm.

Milan's wettest month

Milan Linate records 104.2 mm² of rain in an average November on 1991-2020 normals, its wettest month, out of 722.4 mm² a year spread over 73.9² days with at least 1 mm. The city has no dry season: January is the driest month, at 37.1 mm², and there is a second peak in spring and summer.

An older 1971-2000 series for the same station gave about 920 mm² a year. The gap has not been explained, so don't set the two figures side by side.

Naples is still mild

Naples Capodichino averages 57.2°F (14.0°C) in November, with a mean high of 65.1°F (18.4°C) and a mean low of 48.7°F (9.3°C). It is the mildest of the mainland cities in our set, which makes it a fair base for a November week in the south.

That is air temperature, not a promise of dry days. Our sources give Naples no complete rainfall series for the year, so this page says nothing about November rain there.

The Biennale closes November 22, 2026

The 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, In Minor Keys, curated by Koyo Kouoh, runs until November 22, 2026 at the Giardini, the Arsenale and Forte Marghera. A full ticket costs 30 euro and the under-26 reduced ticket 16 euro (2026).

It closes on Mondays except on some dates. The Biennale's calendar is on the Biennale page.

Who is traveling in November

American visitors put 25.1%⁴ of their Italian nights into the low season and 39.7%⁴ into June to August, with July, not August, as their peak. A quarter of that market already travels outside the warm months, so a November trip is the norm for many, not a gamble.

The practical difference is daylight and rain, not closed doors. The weather across the year is compared on weather and seasons.

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