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

> Siena's cathedral floor is uncovered until November 15, 2026, Milan has its wettest month, and Naples averages 57.2°F. Plus November 1 and the Biennale.

URL: https://myitalia.it/plan/november-in-italy
Last updated: 2026-09-11

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, 1226.

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](/stories/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 260 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 mm of rain in an average November on 1991-2020 normals, its wettest month, out of 722.4 mm a year spread over 73.9 days with at least 1 mm. The city has no dry season: January is the driest month, at 37.1 mm, and there is a second peak in spring and summer.

An older 1971-2000 series for the same station gave about 920 mm 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](/events/biennale-di-venezia).

## Who is traveling in November

American visitors put 25.1% of their Italian nights into the low season and 39.7% 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](/faq/weather-and-seasons).

## FAQ

### Is November a good time to visit Italy?

For cities and museums, yes, with an umbrella. Milan has its wettest month, 104.2 mm on average, but Naples averages 57.2°F (14.0°C), Siena's cathedral floor is uncovered until November 15, 2026, and the Venice Biennale runs until November 22, 2026.

### Is November 1 a holiday in Italy?

Yes. November 1, All Saints' Day, is one of the national civil holidays set by law 260 of 1949, so offices and many shops close or keep holiday hours. It is the only national holiday in November; the next one is December 8.

### When can you see the floor of Siena Cathedral in 2026?

From June 27 to July 31 and from August 18 to November 15, 2026. The uncovering, titled Il Sommo Bene, marks the eighth centenary of the death of Saint Francis. Outside those windows the marble floor is under protective covers and cannot be seen.

### Is the Florence dome open in November?

Not from November 16 to 20, 2026, when Brunelleschi's dome is closed for maintenance. On other days the climb needs a booked time slot that can be neither changed nor cancelled, with last entry at 6:45 pm on weekdays and 4:30 pm on Saturdays.

### Does Milan get a lot of rain in November?

Yes, it is the wettest month there: 104.2 mm at Linate on 1991-2020 normals, out of 722.4 mm a year spread over 73.9 rainy days. Milan has no dry season, and its driest month is January, at 37.1 mm.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nel 2026 il pavimento a tarsie marmoree del Duomo di Siena e' scoperto in due finestre: dal 27 giugno al 31 luglio e dal 18 agosto al 15 novembre 2026. La scopertura straordinaria, intitolata 'Il Sommo Bene', e' legata all'ottavo centenario della morte di san Francesco (3 ottobre 1226). Per il resto dell'anno il pavimento resta coperto da protezioni e non e' visibile. | [Opera della Metropolitana di Siena](https://operaduomo.siena.it/news/il-sommo-bene-scopertura-del-pavimento-del-duomo-di-siena-2026/) | medium | 2026-11-15 |
| Milano Linate, normali 1991-2020: 722,4 mm di precipitazione annua distribuiti su 73,9 giorni con almeno 1 mm; massimo a novembre (104,2 mm), minimo a gennaio (37,1 mm), con un secondo massimo primaverile-estivo. Non esiste una stagione secca. | [WMO Climatological Standard Normals 1991-2020 - serie trasmessa dall'Italia (stazioni del Servizio Meteorologico dell'Aeronautica Militare), archivio NOAA NCEI accession 0253808](https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/6.6/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Italy/CSV/Milano_Linate_16080.csv) | medium | 2032-12-31 |
| Napoli: normali climatiche 1991-2020 della stazione Napoli Capodichino (90 m s.l.m.). Temperatura media annua 17.1 °C; mese piu' freddo gen (9.2 °C di media), mese piu' caldo ago (26.2 °C di media). | [WMO Climatological Standard Normals 1991-2020 - serie trasmessa dall'Italia (stazioni del Servizio Meteorologico dell'Aeronautica Militare), archivio NOAA NCEI accession 0253808](https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/6.6/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Italy/CSV/Napoli_Capodichino_16289.csv); [ISPRA - Sezione Climatologia Operativa, applicazione 'Valori climatici normali'](https://valori-climatici-normali.isprambiente.it/) | high | 2032-12-31 |
| L'americano non e' un turista estivo: il 39,7% delle sue notti cade tra giugno e agosto e il 25,1% in bassa stagione; il picco e' luglio, non agosto. | [Banca d'Italia, Indagine sul turismo internazionale](https://www.bancaditalia.it/statistiche/tematiche/rapporti-estero/turismo-internazionale/) | medium | 2027-07-31 |
| Le festivita' civili nazionali italiane sono fissate dalla legge 260/1949 e successive modifiche e comprendono, oltre alle domeniche: 1 e 6 gennaio, 25 aprile, lunedi' dopo Pasqua, 1 maggio, 2 giugno, 15 agosto, 1 novembre, 8 dicembre, 25 e 26 dicembre. | [Camera dei Deputati](https://www.camera.it/leg17/561?appro=app_festivita_norme) | medium | 2029-12-31 |
| La 61a Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte della Biennale di Venezia, intitolata 'In Minor Keys' e curata da Koyo Kouoh, si tiene dal 9 maggio al 22 novembre 2026 ai Giardini, all'Arsenale e a Forte Marghera. | [La Biennale di Venezia](https://www.labiennale.org/it/arte/2026/informazioni) | medium | 2026-11-22 |
| Per salire sulla Cupola del Brunelleschi a Firenze e' obbligatorio prenotare uno slot orario che non e' ne' modificabile ne' cancellabile (2026); gli ultimi ingressi sono alle 18:45 nei feriali, alle 16:30 il sabato, e la domenica e i festivi si sale solo dalle 12:45 alle 16:30. La Cupola resta chiusa per manutenzione dal 16 al 20 novembre 2026. | [Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore](https://tickets.duomo.firenze.it/it/support/faq) | medium | 2027-06-30 |

## Other languages

- it: https://myitalia.it/it/organizza/november-in-italy.md
- es: https://myitalia.it/es/planifica/november-in-italy.md
- fr: https://myitalia.it/fr/preparer/november-in-italy.md
- de: https://myitalia.it/de/planen/november-in-italy.md