Please don't worry yourself, mossies are highly unlikely to be a problem that late in the year. See another post elsewhere on the subject of the weather in Florence third week of October. Hopefully it'll be sunny and mild but it's fall so could just as easily be chilly and damp. Weather will certainly be warmer in Roma but even there in October I'm sure insects won't be an issue.

Yes, there are still mosquitos in early October!!! Go prepared. They love tourists!

It's been a dry summer, and the Arno is very low, but there are still mosquitos.

The traditional way of dealing with them here is to leave windows open with no screens in them and to burn nasty little tablets of who-knows-what in nasty little gizmos that wobble in the electic outlets.

Two alternatives - bug spray and air conditioning.

I prefer the latter. Find yourself a hotel with air conditioning controlled by you.

George, with respect as I rarely, if ever, disagree with anything you write, forget the A/C and electric operated devices, my years in SE Asia have taught me that the only way to effectively eradicate mossies is by setting fire to one of those round green wheely coil things that are sold all over India and other points East. You light one of these about an hour before turning in, the room is subsequently filled with a fog so dense you can barely find your way to your bed. But once tucked in under the blankets you are guaranteed a mosquito (and, as an additional bonus, cockroach) free night. Admitedly, you and all your clothing will stink of mossie killer the next morning but at least you won't be bitten! I'm wondering if somewhere like Pegna stocks them...

We had a bit of a problem with mosquitos during our stay last part of june this year. In Florence there were no screans in windows but with a fan only one of us was bitten. The people who mosquitos never bother in US bothered them in italy and vice versa.

We all noticed them in tuscany but my cousin used something called "spirto" that completley squelched all mosquitos immediatly and for the night. It was perhaps homemade? was in a squirt bottle and it stung a little as we rubbed it on. Almost like alcohol. She told us to shower at the end of the night to wash it off. The bites were also much different. My daughter who never gets bites here got swelling bites there. After a few days they got used to them and they were just like bites you would get here. I never got a bite. We did not use bug spray. Don't think it's healthy here or there but who knows what that "spirto" was.

I think the biggest problem was walking through grass? We all had a bit of a reaction to grass, except the kids who did not roll throuth it but did play quite a bit in it. seemed us adults got some very strange red rash up to ankles that looked like red raised rash. At first we thought it was bed bugs but I doubt bed bugs woud bite only on the ankles so we figured it was grass??? never figured it out. It went away w/out intervention and was mostly just embarassing.

Did see several other persons with the same sort of rash. Only one in our party had the rash so bad that she was thinking people would shun her but the other two adults had the same rash only on inner ankles and to a much lesser degree.

Mine came and went in the same day. Still have no idea what it was. Went to the pharmacia for the others and he gave them something that worked. You really should not worry about mosquitos. They and the rashes did not bother us to any extent that they affected our vacation. Have fun.

We had the biggest problem with mosquitos in the county side outside of lucca. Thats where we got the spirto that worked great.

As in the States, I'd advise you to bring with you insect repellent that contains DEET. There are some now that are very pleasantly scented (and even contain a moisturizer). I've encountered mosquitoes the size of helicopters on warm days in November in Lucca/Florence! I'd not shower it off, the little devils love to get at you while you're abed....and I've had 'em defy air cond. and closed windows!

Catie:

Thanks for the kind words. Anche io.

However . . .

I find it impossible to forget a conversation I had tanti anni fa with a toxicologist at EPA. When I asked him what effect standard, over-the-counter insecticides have on the human nervous system, his response was, "about the same as that on the nervous system of mosquitos."

So where are all these mosquitoes? They usually don't like paved, built-up areas so are they really in the historic center of Florence or just near the Arno and other areas with water and vegetation?

Between the Arno and the Mugnone, there's quite a bit of water in Florence - even in August.

A lot depends on how much rain there has been and how much wind there is. Right now, there hasn't been much rain, and there is a good breeze, especially at night.