We're planning our first trip ever to Italy to celebrate our 25th anniv. Have to travel over Christmas and New Years. Thinking about Florence, Rome and Pompeii. Any suggestions? What weather will we likely encounter. Trying to book a villa for six. Any ideas? Could really use your ideas and help. Taking my wife, 2 daughters (17 and 21) and two of their friends.

Spent last Christmas/New Years in Rome, with side trip to Paestum & Pompei. From what I understand, it is normally the rainy season, but it never rained once while we were there.

Daytime temps 50-60(f), nights in the low 40s-upper 30s.

If you do Rome over Christmas, whether religious or not, be certain not to miss the Christmas Eve midnight mass at the Pantheon.

While you will hear that most attractions are closed Christmas & New Years, also remember that much of the beauty of Rome is outside, so it never closes, same with the churches.

Dave

For the villa, I suggest Villa Elena in Guardistallo, its a small Tuscan town but its also very close to Florence, Pisa, and the coast. Never stayed there during the winter so you might want to check out their website and see what their policy on guests during the winter holidays is.

http://www.villa-elena.com/eng/seconda.htm

I was in Venice, Florence and Rome for Christmas/New Years 2004. Very rainy and the highs were in the 40's for the most part. The last few days in Rome were warmer. I was w/ my 16 yr old son, my husband and my parents and the weather never slowed us down. Layer your clothes and bring thin, silky "long-johns" for extra warmth.

Congratulations on your 25th Anniv! I give you credit for booking this early as Rome is a tremendously popular holiday destination. I would suggest flying into Rome, train on to Florence for a couple of days sightseeing and then established youselves in a home base. I would check the site holiday-rentals.com. I have booked villas with them and have no complaints whatsoever. Check out the ones that advise of close bus/train stations into Rome. That said, I imagine teenagers will, at some point, want to go on their own, so maybe you can look into a large apartment in Rome, which will make for easier logistics. Best of luck! Enjoy the planning and Italy!!

Hey Cheesehead! Just for giggles I checked the site holiday-rentals.com and did a search for Rome city centre rentals, 3 bedrooms minimum, 2 bathrooms, available during the Christmas holiday season. The search came out with some properties worth taking a look at; Property No. 73115, 70229, and 9547 (lovely!). Hope this helps!

I was also in Rome over last Christmas & New Year's. As Dave said, the weather was gorgeous. Blue skies and sun every day. Many afternoons, you didn't even need a coat when out in the sun. (I'm not saying this was normal!) Of course, it cools down considerably at night. I also went to the Pantheon for Christmas Eve. If you do that, really dress warm. It felt like a cold north wind coming in through the oculus.

There are a lot of special presepi (nativity scenes) in Rome at that time. You do have to plan for restaurants on Dec 24, 25 & 26. Not many open.
Have a great time!