JOrtt

Hi,
Am wondering if anyone can give advice on where you would stay an additional day? Below is our current itinerary:

Arrive in Bologna, rent car, drive to Tuscany- Should we stay 4 or 5 nights? We want to stay in an area outside of Florence where we can experience the countryside. Any suggestions? We thought we would then do a day trip into Florence etc. from our base in Tuscany.

Then: Drive or Train to Naples. My husband LOVES pizza (he is the pizza king of America in my opinion and then thought we would rent a car and drive to a town on the coast. 4 or 5 nights? Any suggestions?

Then: Drive to Rome and spend our last 3 nights in Rome. We will be there right before Christmas and will be leaving on Christmas day.

Thanks very much in advance! -Jacqueline

zeppole

Your time frame for travel -- heading into the the shortest days of the year -- means the possibility of encountering freezing weather and even snow in some areas you are targeting. This winter, there was significant snow in Tuscany the week of Dec. 20. In many areas of Tuscany, you are required by law to put on snow chains in bad weather conditions -- and even with snow chains, most people simply stay off the roads in the hilly regions. Italy has very little in the way of road salt and snow ploughs.

Although the Amalfi coast is less likely to freeze, you may want to think about locking yourself into so much time in a coastal area -- especially a small coastal town where there is very little to do if the weather is not good enough for hiking, and where driving out will be tedious or challenging in bad weather.

Overall, if you can't change your travel dates, I would suggest that you plan a very flexible vacation that you can adjust according to weather. For that time of year, you'll have no trouble getting last minute accommodations or last-minute car rentals.

You might consider starting out in Bologna -- meaning, seeing the town and eating there. It's a wonderful place with miles of porticoes that can handle any weather. If the weather forecast is for clear dry skies, rent a car and head into Tuscany. If the weather forecast is dreadful, head to Florence by train, stay there and use the trains to see Pisa and Siena and Arezzo as well.

Napoli is at its best at Christmas, so you don't want to miss that. Nor would I want to miss Pompeii. But beyond that, even if the weather was clear, I wouldn't opt for more than enough time to do the Amalfi drive and sampling pizza in a few other places like Sorrento, or read this:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/201...y-pizzeri-anna

Finally, if your husband is a pizza lover, you really need to spend more in Rome. The city has some of the finest pizza in the country -- Roman pizza! -- and it also has pizza bianca, which you won't want to miss. Also, for short daylight hours, Rome is filled with all kinds of interest, indoor and out. If you weary of the city and the weather is nice, a train ride to Orvieto, one hour away, will do.

So in general, I would plan a very flexible trip, starting with maybe 2 nights in Bologna, onto to Tuscany for 4 nights, location to be determined by weather, Napoli region 3 nights, Rome for the remainder.

Have a great trip!

SusanP

zeppole gives very good advice.

nytraveler

Agree not to focus too much on Amalfi area - a beach resort in winter with many places closed and ferries possibly not running could leave you with not a whole lot to do. With early evenings a city with more indoor activities gives you more options if you get snow or freezing rain.

adrienne

I find that people who love American pizza will not necessarily like the pizza in Italy, especially in Rome with the thin, thin crust and very light on the toppings. If you ask for a variety of toppings (for instance 4 different items on the pizza), each item will be on a section of the pizza, not sprinkled over the whole pie. The cheese in Italy won't be that oily pseudo cheese that is used on American pizza. I dislike American pizza (other than home made) but I love the pizza in Europe.

Please warn your husband that he won't get a Dominos or Pizza Hut type of pizza.

nancythenice

We were in Italy at the end of October and for the first 10 days of November last year, and were glad we listened to similar advice about staying flexible in order to deal with weather. We had no trouble finding places to stay without reservations. I researched possibilities before we went, and then called the day we wanted to show up. We found some things on the Amalfi Coast were closing down for the winter on Oct. 31.

JOrtt

Thank you everyone for your thoughts on our trip. I am wondering if we should cut our time then on the coast and just stay for 3 nights? So the Amalfi coast is all closed down in December? We were actually wanting to dive while we are there as we are cold water divers and wanted to check out diving in the coast area. Keeping in mind your scenario for the snow thing in the Tuscany area. Which town would you recommend there for this time of year (besides Florence?). We really didn't want to stay in Florence but rather outside of the city. Perhaps Siena? Any suggestions? Has anyone ever traveled to these areas in December? Thanks again for your help! Also, thanks so much for the pizza article!

JOrtt

Adrienne, Oh believe me, he is Italian American and raised in CT, where evidentally is one of the few places to still find authentic Italian pizza in the US. I have suggested dominos on occasion and he was insulted! I have definitely learned a lot about pizza since we got married a few years ago! Has to be thin crust, the sauce has to have a "kick" to it and the cheese has to be fresh.....If anyone ever makes it to New Haven, CT, check out Sallys and Pepe's Pizza; you'll see what he means after having that incredible pie!

adrienne

Isn't it great to know that you married a man with such good taste in food!

JOrtt

Adrienne, ha! Isn't that the truth? Before him, I thought Pizza Hut was good!