Italy - Italy in winter

Hi, am planning a trip with family to Italy in winter (Dec-Jan), for 10 days. Tentatively, Rome, Florence and possibly Milan. Now, I know this might not be the best time weather-wise but we thought it might be interesting to see sights and get a feel of Italy without the tourist crowd.

Any tips on winter in Italy? Places to see, things to do that are unique to winter in these cities? Any good writeups/travelogues that you recommend? Our plan of stay is Airbnb, which we have had good experiences with, and travel within Italy will be on trains

i do not know what is an" Airbnb" i have spent a week in venice in jan/feb for 11 of the past 14 years. could not recommend it more highly. haven't been there since jan 2012. do not like Milan. summer winter. it is also pretty cold there in jan. been in rome in jan. 50F in the days. no crowds. great for touring. florence in jan, the crowds are usually manageable. chiantshire in jan is pleasent. the big commercial winerys are still open. most of the small guys are closed. been to montalcino in jan. all wineries are closed up. still had a great time. loved the town and the people. have also gone to bologna every year. is ok, would not go unless i had to.

Its a great time of year to travel to Italy, Rome is 'cold' by Rome standards - but not by say Boston standards.

The only word of warning: Christmas & New Year. A lot of things closed (obviously) and it is a major travel time for Italians - so the trains will be quite full, so reservations are a must. Crowds will be smaller in most places - except Rome on Christmas eve/Christmas day.

I wouldn't invest too much time in Milan.

i do not know what is an" Airbnb"
Airbnb (http://www.airbnb.com)


do not like Milan


I wouldn't invest too much time in Milan.

Thanks slawecki and bdemaria for that piece of advice. Will keep that in mind. Plan is to be in Italy from the 2nd-3rd week of December and scoot out a couple of days before Xmas Eve. Will definitely book train tickets before then. Thanks!

Christmas markets would be unique to this time of the year, but you would need to change destination plans and head to the Trento/Bolzano/Merano area.
There will be similar markets in big cities as well but they can't compare when it comes to Christmassy atmosphere

Airbnb (http://www.airbnb.com)




Thanks slawecki and bdemaria for that piece of advice. Will keep that in mind. Plan is to be in Italy from the 2nd-3rd week of December and scoot out a couple of days before Xmas Eve. Will definitely book train tickets before then. Thanks!

this is one of the times it is worth traveling first class train. you can secure an advance res. i do not know if you can get a res in 2nd class. bdemaria should know (after all, i never travel second class)

we do travel a lot on first class in the non-rocket trains. they take about 10% longer, and are about 75% less expensive. set of 4 seats for the two of us has never been a problem.

this is one of the times it is worth traveling first class train. you can secure an advance res. i do not know if you can get a res in 2nd class. bdemaria should know (after all, i never travel second class)

we do travel a lot on first class in the non-rocket trains. they take about 10% longer, and are about 75% less expensive. set of 4 seats for the two of us has never been a problem.

Depending on the train, you can reserve 2nd class (e.g., Eurostar which have mandatory reservation)

If the trip is in mid December, then booking the train a couple of days in advance won't be necessary. Dec. 8 is a holiday - but it won't generate the same type of traffic as the period around Christmas.

we do travel a lot on first class in the non-rocket trains. they take about 10% longer, and are about 75% less expensive. set of 4 seats for the two of us has never been a problem.
Thanks for tip - it makes sense for us then because we will be in no rush :) Do you know if there is any update on the planned Dec 2012 Rome to Paris Thello overnight train?

Christmas markets would be unique to this time of the year, but you would need to change destination plans and head to the Trento/Bolzano/Merano area.
There will be similar markets in big cities as well but they can't compare when it comes to Christmassy atmosphere

Not sure I quote agree with this. It's easier for small towns to give off more of a Christmas atmosphere because there's not much else in the town itself. Rome has your typical Christmas market in Piazza Navona but the city has some great displays up all around. Florence has a beautiful Christmas market and really embraces the holiday and it's religious essence.

Not sure I quote agree with this. It's easier for small towns to give off more of a Christmas atmosphere because there's not much else in the town itself. Rome has your typical Christmas market in Piazza Navona but the city has some great displays up all around. Florence has a beautiful Christmas market and really embraces the holiday and it's religious essence.

I was in Rome right before Christmas last year and except for those in Via Condotti the displays were not exactly wow, as to the Piazza Navona market it was more funfair than Christmassy.
I do agree with you on the one in Piazza Santa Croce in Florence, it is lovely.

i have not done christmas in italy. but i have done a lot of carnivale. carnivale bambanie(sp?) in bologna runs from dawn to dusk. requires about 10 tons of confetti to be thrown. carnivale in nice has a marching band competition. again parade from dawn to dusk, then a judging after dark. prefer either to venice carnavale.

I have done Rome and Florence in winter and I absolutely love it. It was still rather crowded in Rome when I was there, and I cannot imagine going there in summer now!