Hi all,
Thanks in advance for any help you might be able to give me. My husband and I (and my brother in law for part of the time) are going last minute to Italy between Dec 22 eve-Jan 3. All we know at this point is that we fly into Rome and my brother in law is flying OUT of Pisa on the night of the 28th. My husband has been in Italy before but not since college and I was a nanny there for several weeks around Florence/Sienna but as a nanny didn't see much actual "culture".

My *thought* was that we would spend several days in Rome (not sure if it's best to spend Christmas there or not...I'm sure the Vatican will be mobbed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day although might still be nice to see/hear the Pope at Christmas-time). Then after Rome to spend several days meandering up towards Tuscany (thoughts re Assisi, Perugia, San GiMignano, Florence, Sienna, Pienza, Orvieto, Luca, etc??) ending at Pisa on the 28th to drop off my brother-in-law. Then hit cinqueterre (?), Parma/Bologna, Verona, Venice??? Fly out of Venice??

Obviously we are LATE in planning this and know we will probably go back to Italy in warmer weather at some point but want to take as full advantage of this opportunity as we can. We have a pretty good capacity for doing a lot in a day (although I am 6 months pregnant so am slowing down a little bit). We would appreciate ANY suggestions/ideas/thoughts/etc that any of you more-expert-than-I can give!

Many thanks!

Rent an apartment in Rome and stay put for a 3-4 days. Rent a car and meander towards Umbria-- couple of days stay in Assisi or Perugia. On to Tuscany. Rent a place in Tuscany-- have your BIL take a train for Pisa for his departure.

From what I've read on this forum, CT will probably be awful that time of year.

Yes- I don't think CT would be the ideal spot although it is gorgeous in nice weather.

Think about places where winter weather won't be an issue. Bologna is great because of the porticoes covering the sidewalks (and the amazing food and red wine goes down quite well in cold weather). In Florence you could get sunny days that are more mild and spend more time in museums as well. We spent New Years's Eve there once and it was a blast. Venice is enchanting in the winter with smaller crowds and mysterious bands of fog floating around.

How could someone be your brother in law for part of the time?

You say your BIL is flying out of Pisa. Where are you departing from?

Thanks so much for your responses! I think we might throw in the towel on CT then (although I have family in Villafranca--just inland from La Spezia so we were going to try to see them potentially).

Jean--we do not have a flight home yet. We bought a one-way to Rome with the idea that once we plan a little bit we would then buy a flight back (we're living in London for a few months)...but likely from somewhere OTHER than Rome.

Is it hard to rent a car one-way in Italy? My husband seems to think it will be...

Thanks again!

If you are dropping off the car in Italy, it is not at all hard. It's normal. But you should nail it down well before you go, since many people rent cars to travel over the Christmas holidays.

Although I don't think you'll much enjoy le Cinque Terre for reasons of both weather and pregnancy, I would encourage you to stick with your plan to see your family in Villafranca. The weather around La Spezia is likely to be milder than in other places north of Rome.

Were it me, I would take your time in Rome, and then take a fast train to Florence. When you drop off your brother-in-law, pick up a car at the Pisa airport and see the relatives and explore the area. I would stay out of the steepest hills. See Portovenere or Camogli instead of le Cinque Terre. (Parma might be very nice if not too far, although it could be cold. Ditto Lucca).

Fly home from Pisa or Genova.

PS: I just looked up where Villa Franca is. There are some really wonderful nearby towns -- Pontremoli, Sarzana, and the pretty seaside village of Tellaro. There is a michelin-starred restaurant in Aulla, just down the road from La Spezia. The famous mushroom and truffle area of Borgo val di Taro and Berceto are quite close by, and I would pick Parma over Lucca for a day trip. It's even possible you may find a cheap flight out of the Parma airport to London.

Since Villa Franca is in the hills, it will not be as warm as La Spezia -- but no predictions about the weather. It's very changeable in that area. But days will be very short, so if you end up driving, pick a place to stay that is central to your plans, or be willing to switch hotels as you move about with a car.

Have a great time whatever you decide to do!

Sorry for my typo: Aulla is just down the road from Villa Franca.

And I just looked: Ryan Air flies to Stanstead from Parma (if I'm reading the Parma airport website correctly).

(another typo! Stansted)

Villafranca looks so beautiful, now I want to go:

http://www.google.it/images?client=s...w=1057&bih=702