Italy in Winter
 

My husband and I are taking our honeymoon in Italy this winter. We will only be there for 8 days (Jan 1-Jan 8 - travel on the 31st and 9th). I have been to Italy once before and saw Rome, Venice, and Florence, but only for a couple days each, he has never been. I'm not sure what cities are good to see in the winter. I know we for sure want to do Rome, but not sure about any others and if we should try to do 3 or only stick with 2 due to the short time. Any advice is very welcome. Also, we are hoping to do bed and breakfasts, so please, if you have any recommendations, that would be great!

What kinds of things are the two of you interested in? Art, history, food, shopping?

Here is something a bit unusual, but it was actually our plan for last year (although we did not do it). Spend 3-4 nights in Rome, rent a car, drive down early to Naples, see Pompei and Paestum, drive back up to Naples, take the overnight ferry to Palermo, Sicily. Rent an apartment in Castellemare del Golfo and spend 2-3 days visiting the great sites there. Fly back from Palermo.

Just a thought. That lets him see ancient and renaissance Rome, Greek ruins, things from various other civilizations and to experience a couple of divergent cultures, all in one trip.

dave

I'm not sure the Naples to Palermo ferry operates in January. Sicily isn't a bad idea, though.

Even though you've been to Rome/Venice/Florence, your husband-to-be hasn't. I'd pick two out of three. Fly into one and home from the other.

What's your lodging budget?

I have already booked the tickets and we are flying into and out of Rome, so we have to work around that as well. If I had planned it better, we would've flown into one and out of the other.

I'd like to try to stay at about $100-150/night (or of course less if possible!).

Any thoughts on Pompeii in the winter? I'd love to see that, but I don't know if it will be too cold or not in January?

Venice is gorgeous in winter, with fogs etc. But it's not terribly close to Rome, travelwise. Still, a romantic time to see it.

I've also heard people on these boards say they LOVE Florence in winter: small or no crowds, no lines, cosy restaurants.

For my money, two main cities would be enough in a long week. meanwhile you could visit a smaller town or two outside Florence. You could have 3 nights Rome, 4 Florence, and then back in Rome your last day/night.

You'll love wherever you go, just a matter of keeping it easy and fun.

On your budget in Rome, I'd recommend Casa LaSalle, a monastary "inn" near the Vatican that has had some nice comments here on Fodor's. Twin room for just 80E a night. And doesn't seem to have the "early lights out" that the convents have. http://www.casalasalle.com/uk/chi_siamo.php

Rome is not so big for B&Bs but someone will doubtless know of a few - stay tuned. I know of a couple but they are both quite outside the center of the city.

Hi

My wife and I went to Rome a couple of years ago and I have posted a trip report with pictures and links on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com/rome_italy.htm :d I have also made a similar report from Venice on http://gardkarlsen.com/italy_venice.htm . We went to Florence in July this year and I'm still working on that trip report. Get in touch if you have any questions or comments...and have a great honeymoon :d

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

B&B Best Vatican is within your budget and just right for a honeymoon. They also have a "Best Pantheon". We booked through Venere.

You might want to consider an apartment rental. We found that in Rome they gave much more value for money than hotels and you could certainly find a studio or one BR in your price range.
I think you should stick to two places with only a week for your trip.

We were in all 3 cities last January, towards the end of the month. Of the 3, Florence was by far the coldest, too cold to enjoy.

Florence would certainly be the most convenient given that you have to return to Rome. I think this might be a case where I would forego reservations in the 2nd city. Stay in Rome the first few days. Then, if weather allows, go to Florence. If Florence is too cold, head to Venice. Venice was cold too---it even snowed while we were there (bellisima!). But we didn't feel the cold as much as in Florence.

Given the time of year I don't think you would have any problem w/ last minute reservations. In fact, there were some incredible hotel deals when we were there! Take along a pre-selected list of Florence/Venice hotels and check with them the day before leaving Rome.

I agree with the idea of limiting your trip to two cities, and I suggest you fly into one of them and back from the other. To save money, I suggest renting an apartment. As a final suggestion, if you want to keep in touch with people back home you should get a calling card if you'll have easy access to a phone or look into the problem of using your cell phone in Europe.

To answer your Pompeii question, we went to Pompeii in winter (early March) several years ago and had a wonderful time. The site was nearly empty so we could really get a feel for the city without fighting the crowds. Its fascinating and definitely worth a visit, especially if you have the time.

I love Rome in winter; all three of my visits have been during winter months (December, February and March). Its great because crowds are virtually nonexistent, no waiting in long lines, and the weather has been fairly nice (nothing a turtleneck and light jacket couldn't handle). Most of the restaurants have heaters so you can still eat outside. I have absolutely no desire to visit Rome during peak travel season.

We were in Florence in early March a few years ago and found the weather to be quite nice, especially when compared to Vienna, our first stop on that trip! Again, crowds were at a minimal.

Tracy

suelynne, the bestbb vatican looks nice = only drawback, shared bath. But for julesmarie, here's a link.
http://www.bbvatican.it/eng/home_eng.html

bedabdbreakfast.com has a pretty good list for Rome. (including the above) Look for some you like, Jules, then pop the names in the search field here and see if anyone has mentioned them.
http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/rome-italy.html
http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/rome-italy.html

Italy is great in the winter. For 8 days I would do Rome and Florence. Great time of year to go. Bring waterproof shoes and rain gear as it may rain or snow in both places. The Temps weren't all that bad, 50's during the day and 30's at night. It did snow 6" our first day in Florence. I've been both places in the winter and loved it. you could do a half day side trip to Ostia from Rome. We had a car in Florence so I'm no help there. We stayed at the A Teatro B&B which we had to our selves and the room was HUGE with a big bathroom. Enjoy

julesmarie,
When my husband and I were there in February of 06, we based ourselves in Rome for 8 nights.
We took two day trips by train, one to Venice and one to Florence. (Venice was comfortable and sunny.Florence was cold and windy.)
I know some people might not consider what we did a good use of our time but we loved it! The train rides were relaxing and so enjoyable!

I agree with Vttraveler - a small apartment in Rome would be a good way to go. Easily much cheaper than a hotel, and with a kitchen, you can shop in the little neighborhood grocery stores for breakfast foods and snacks, fresh fruits and wine. We did that when we were in Rome in March a couple years ago, and then when we took the train to Florence for a couple days, we didn't have to lug all our stuff along with us.

A good place to stay in Florence is Hotel Gaia - it's right across from the Medici chapel and close to everything, also within walking distance of the train station, and the owners are very helpful and speak English. They serve a nice breakfast, included in the price of your room.

My husband and I rented an apt. in Rome this past January. The weather was wonderul..anywhere from the high 40s(in the morning) to the low 60s during the day. Here's our trip report and a link to images. It describes many walking "tours" that we created that take you all over the city.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34933984

We went to Florence four winters in a row: 02 to 06. Sometimes it was cold, but we took layers and were comfortable enough. I love Florence in the winter because you can see and do everything, eat everywhere, walk everywhere, with no crowds or lines. And Tuscan food is perfect for winter: papa al pomodoro, bistecca Fiorentino, oh my!

I like the idea of Rome and Florence. You can easily do both, and it will not be stressful, nor will you waste time in transport on a short trip.

Also, very romantic in Florence in the winter.

The last two times I've been in Tuscany in early January:
- the first time, daytime temperatures in Florence were freezing all day, with a wind chill to make it still colder
- the second time (OK, it was Dec 29), transport throughout the region was disrupted for two days by freak snow, and the local A+E (emergency room in American) was packed to the gunwales with people who, like me, had slipped on the ice and broken something.

Very beautiful, very bracing and certainly not to be missed. But Tuscan weather's not easily predictable, so if you decide on Florence be prepared for a wide range of possible climates.

Flanneruk is of course totally correct. Tuscan weather can be extreme and is hard to predict. I wear winter shoes to go to Florence in the winter, and a winter coat, and gloves and a hat and scarves. Warm jeans or cords for my legs. There are times when I don't need all these things, but there are times when I'm glad I have them.

There is a lot to do indoors in Florence, which is why it seems to me to be a perfect place. If you like art and architecture, you will have more to do than you can fit in.

Hi,

I understand that Florence would be a logical choice along with Rome, but I vote for Naples or Sorrento along with Rome. The weather will be better and the cities are not that far apart. I would go to Pompei because it will be cool and not crowded. Stay south and the weather will be better and it will be a great trip.

Yipper