aestuo

hi there,

my husband & i are heading to italy june 21 - july 5. I know it's a bad time to go but it was the only time my husband could get away and we've been dreaming of italy for years.

so, i'm trying to figure out which route is going to be the least painful, both weather-wise and crowds-wise. these are the options, would love your opinions!

Start in Venice, end in Rome (Florence in between) -
would mean a bit nicer weather (hopefully) still in Venice, not quite hot and sticky as later...but then end in Rome in the July heat and crowds.

Start in Rome, end in Venice (Florence in between) -
would mean hopefully avoiding the worst of the Roman heat and the summer crowds, but then end up hot & sticky and moqsuito-y in Venice.

Maybe i'm over-thinking this? Advice please!

Thanks,

Karen

tuscanlifeedit

Oh that's a hard one. I think I would go north as the trip progresses.

sandralist

Unfortunately, it really doesn't work that way. The circulating air of Italy is totally unpredictable, and you can get a sudden knockout muggy stinky 3 days in early July (or even May) in Venice while Rome is breezy and dry and delightful and you wish you where there. Or you can get summer thunderstorms in Rome (or tornadoes in either place!) while all is well in the other town.

Crowds in Venice to some extent are determined by cruise ship schedules. If the Pope goes out of town in July, maybe that makes a difference, but otherwise Rome is constantly mobbed around all the tourist sights from late March to November. Ditto Florence -- which could be hotter than both Rome and Venice, and will feel more crowded because everybody packs into the same 5 places, plus it has mosquitoes.

The only way to avoid mosquitoes in Venice is to get air-conditioned lodgings and bring bug spray for evening cocktails if you plan to sit outdoors.

Now for the good news:

Last July Italy had a very cool and pleasant July and everybody remarked how happy they were except for the people who run beach hotels and restaurants. Could happen again.

annhig

Hi Karen,

I think that the answer is..who knows?

a way to make it more bearable might be to leave Florence out [it is renowned for its summer heat] and stay by a lake or in the hills at a place with a swimming pool instead. Do day trips, laze by the pool, go for walks in the cool of the evening.

it'll make a nice change from all the art and culture of Venice and Rome, which can be a bit overwhelming all at once, particularly in a relatively short period.

sandralist

Also, just to give you some idea:

Last year in Italy, most of the end of June veered toward hot, until there was a sudden cold snap that actually brought hail and a lot of other precipitation to most of northern Italy. Here's a weather forecast for Venice for last year, June 29, 2014, which predicts storms, hail and the possibility of a tornado.

http://www.meteoservice.net/previsio...9-giugno-2014/

Rome only got the storms and hail, no tornado

http://www.romatoday.it/cronaca/malt...ugno-2014.html

bobthenavigator

Alas, who knows !
But, the flight times are often better flying into Venice and home from Rome.

RM67

You can neither predict nor control the weather. Don't stress about something you have no power over, especially as you gave zero flexibility about the dates. In the nicest possible way, you should be excited to be going somewhere you've always wanted to go, not fretting - it's madness. You should be asking about where to get the best seafood, hire a classic Alfa Romeo, which lakeside village has the best views etc etc - not worrying about mapping a route to avoid mosquitos

isabel

I go to Italy at that time of year often and I love it. Actually I was disappointed at the cool weather in Italy that Sandralist mentioned last July (although my heat disliking companions were pretty happy). The difference between the dates you mention is totally negligible. If you were asking about April vs August it would make a difference but not just two weeks.

And as for crowds - I've been in Rome in November and areas seemed more crowded than in July. I think hotel prices give an indication of how crowded a place will be - they obviously charge higher prices when they feel confident there will be enough people to fill up. Well I stayed at a hotel in Rome last July for 101€/night. I am booked at the same hotel for next July for 104€. I am also going in March and that same hotel is 170€. I actually can't figure out why it's that much higher but it has to have something to do with crowds. And it's definitely a tourist hotel (as opposed to business hotel which might have a convention or something). I have had a similar experience in Venice and when I spoke with the hotel staff about it they said July is much less crowded than May or September.

sandralist

Hotel rates in high summer in Rome are often lower due to heat. Many trade fairs and tour groups avoid Rome in the high heat. As for March 2015, if you are going near Eastertime, that may have something to do with a higher rate.

Venice hotels usually cost less during the acqua alta months, but I think it is also true that May and September are more crowded than July. A very large percentage of travelers to Venice are "empty nesters" who are fixated on the idea that Venice will be less crowded when schoolkids aren't vacationing in summer, so they go before and after (and also because older people have a harder time with heat than younger ones do). But most families with school age kids cannot afford Venice, whereas the retirees can, and that affects traffic flow and July turns out to be lighter.

Leely2

I was in Rome this past July. Yeah, it was hot (I am a weather wimp). But it was still great. I'd let the easiest/best flight schedule determine the order of your visit, as others have recommended above.

nytraveler

Actually Florence is usually the hottest since it sits in a sort of bowl with the heat above it. But expect hot and humid everywhere - and make sure your hotels have good AC that runs 24 hours per day (some modest places charge extra if you use it).

Pepper_von_snoot

Venice will be mobbed in July.

Tsunami of tourists! Cruise ships!!

If you are going to Venice in July, don't stay anywhere near Piazza San Marco or the Rialto!

Nightmare!

And I LOVE Venice.


Thin

geetika

As Sandralist says you can never predict the weather in Italy. We were in Rome and Venice for 10 days last June and it was hot, though the week before and the week after were quite chilly! Anyway, it wasn't too bad and we had a wonderful time, though Venice was rather muggy. In addition DH opened the window of our room in Venice the first evening and we were bitten by mosquitos, he knew better for the rest of our stay

rbciao47

We travel in Italy every summer because of my work schedule and realize the heat is what it is. However, as many above stated, no one can predict the weather...just go and have fun. You could always schedule your sightseeing so that you could return to your air-conditioned hotel around 3 or 4 during the hottest part of the day and emerge around 6 or 7. Just saying'...

One tactical suggestion would be to begin in Venice and fly home from Roma. Apparently, the flights departing from Venice leave really early in the morning before public transportation resumes operation requiring more costly transit connections. When you depart from Roma the flights leave later in the morning and you could use the Leonardo Express, a taxi, or a limo to arrive at the airport. We always give ourselves three hours prior to departure and it works for us.

Buon viaggio,

bvlenci

Last July, we actually had to leave a restaurant (on a roof terrace) before dessert, because I was literally trembling with the cold, in spite of a cotton cardigan. A few years ago, there was another rather chilly July in Rome, but you can't count on it, for sure.

Both Rome and Venice are crowded in the summer, but the crowds are spread out more in Rome. I don't think the Pope's presence or absence has anything to do with it. His schedule is published too late to have any effect on most people's travel plans. In any case, Pope Francis doesn't leave Rome in the summer, except for official visits to other places. Previous popes spent August at the papal palace in Castelgandolfo, but Pope Francis is allergic to palaces.

In both Rome and Venice, if you're willing to renounce a classic visit to all the "must-sees" and instead search for hidden gems, you can avoid the worst of the crowds. I would reserve at least half your time in each city for exploring the lesser-known parts of the city.

Florence is indeed usually hotter than either Florence or Venice, but even that isn't a given. It also seems more crowded, because the historic center is rather small. That last time I was in Florence was in April 2014, and it was already crowded beyond my tolerance limit. For years now, I avoid going there in the summer. It's a wonderful city to visit in the winter.

All other things being equal, I would choose to start in Venice and end in Rome. It's a good place to relax after a long trip. Also, Venice has a small airport, and there are very few intercontinental flights from there. If you're flying to the US, you would almost certainly have a layover somewhere in Europe, which means your flight would have to leave Venice very early. Rome has a lot more intercontinental flights, and therefore more reasonable departure hours.

sandralist

>>Both Rome and Venice are crowded in the summer, but the crowds are spread out more in Rome. I don't think the Pope's presence or absence has anything to do with it.<<

I was thinking more in terms of crowds around St Peter's specifically, for audiences and masses.

>>Previous popes spent August at the papal palace in Castelgandolfo... <<

The last one frequently went on vacation in July, starting in Castelgandolfo, and spending August in the north.

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/sto...ns/0803461.htm

tuscanlifeedit

We are taking an 11:35am flight back to the US from Venice, for at least the third time. Not all flights leave extra early. I've been on those too, but I now find that Venice departure times have expanded to at least one that is convenient for us.

Pepper_von_snoot

Delta has direct flights from JFK to Marco Polo.

#5 bus to and from Marco Polo to Piazzale Roma runs from 4 AM to 1 AM.

The Alilaguna runs from about 5AM to midnight-1 AM from Venice to Marco Polo.


Thin

Dukey1

Several airlines have N/S service from the US to Venice and also to Rome

In July? Venice hot AND humid? For sure.

sandralist

>>In July? Venice hot AND humid? For sure.<<

Except when it isn't. Venice wasn't hot and humid last year. It was mostly in the 70s.