15-day Italy Itinerary in December
 

Please help! We will be visiting Italy for 15 days (excluding travel into/out of Italy) the last 2 weeks of December. Please give suggestions on our itinerary. Rome-Florence-Milan-Venice are on our list, but we are also interested in the hill towns/country but are unsure of how the weather will be like. Thank you!

Have you been to Italy before? What do you like to do when vacationing? Do you plan to use trains and/or rent a car? What made you choose the cities you've listed? Are there children in your group? We can help you more if you explain more.

The weather in the areas you mention might vary dramatically from jacket and glove weather to very cold.

Hi
Try to arrange your flight so that you arrive in Milan or Rome and depart from the other; that way you won't have to backtrack.

I'd suggest arriving in Milan which has less to see than the other places, so being tired on the first day won't matter as much. After day 2, train to Venice.
Spend at least three days, preferably four. Continue on to Florence where, depending on your interests, you can easily spend 3 or 4 days sightseeing, even including a daytrip to Siena or Tuscan towns if you like.
End in Rome for the remainder of your trip.

Rome is likely to be the warmest, but even Rome can have freezing temperatures, so you will need to bring warm clothes--warm coat/jacket, plus layers are best, just in case weather warms up.Also bring an umbrella and rain boots or waterproof shoes.

I have files on these cities; if you'd like to see them, email me at
[email protected]

Thanks for your replies! It will just be me and my hubby on this trip. Yes, it will be our first time to Italy. The museums would be our main interest, thus the interest in the main cities. We would like to see some of the hill towns too but weren't sure if it will be advisable during to spend time there during the last two weeks of December.

We will be taking the train.

We live in Dallas and the Dallas to Rome flights are usually the cheapest (American Airlines).

Many people would say to skip Milan on this first trip. It is not as charming--quite a modern place and may not be what you were expecting. However, if you are interested in fashion and design, it might be the place for you.

For this first trip, I would suggested Rome-Florence-Venice, split pretty evenly between the three (5-5-5). Try to get open jaw fly into Rome/out of Venice or add a flight between Rome and Venice if you must fly in and out of Rome. You can use each city to visit nearby towns.

Since this will be holiday time, plan your days to change cities around the holidays.

Milan would be where we will spend the least number of days (probably just a day to see the Duomo, Galeria). Would you guys recommend going to Lake Como for a day at this time of year?

Also, any travel agent recommendations to get an open jaw ticket?

From other threads I've gathered that the Milan duomo is under scaffolding right now. I'd check if this is your major point of interest. Also do a search of Lake Como accomodations and restaurants--it may be a difficult season to visit--check on what's actually open.