My husband and I have never been to Italy. We would like to go when the weather is nice and we don't need to lug around jackets. We would like to have a relaxing trip, and not move around too much. Which city or cities do we go for a "lay by the beach" vacation which has good shopping and historical charm? Should we go in Nov? Dec? or Feb?

You will not be able to lay by the beach or even do without jackets in November, December or February anywhere in Italy.

And I don't think Italy is the country for what you are looking for. Generally speaking, Italy offers cities with art, architecture and history (and shopping) or seaside resorts (with shopping, some of them also with historical charm).

You might be happier somewhere in Mexico or the Caribbean.

There are several areas that have resort-style hotels, and famous beaches.
Sardinia, Amalfi Coast, Portofino, Capri, Sorrento, are the most popular. Not as much historical sightseeing as the cities and towns in other areas. The Lake District in the north also has resort towns, but these are obviously on lakes, not at the sea. The Lakes give you closer access to the Milan-Venice corridor. Capri and Sorrento are not far from Naples which is not far from Pompeii and not that far from Rome.

I assume that you are not a turtle and are not actually wanting to "lay" on a beach.
If you want to "lie" on a beach, the months you suggest would not be suitable for Europe. You could try the Costas of Spain or the Canaries in May or June.

Oh, I missed the poster's reference to the winter months.
You're out of luck for beach weather in almost all of the northern hemisphere.

The things you're seeking don't line up to well for Italy Nov-Feb. You might want to save Italy for a spring or summer trip or the next obvious idea would be to look at the farther south points like Sicily or maybe Malta and check weather websites.

Seriously Mexico sounds like more what you are looking for!

The best months for Italy are probably June and September.

The best destination for December or February is probably Hawaii.

Frankly, I know q

...people who "lay" on the beach but that's another story. As you've been advised, the months you've mentioned aren't the best for that part of the Med...can you possibly look at other times of the year?

We can go in later months, like March, April or May. I personally wanted to go sooner than later, but I understand the climates. I thought that Italy would have been warmer since it is located south.

Keep in mind, for example, that Venice is north of Boston.

In choosing where in Italy to go, consider your interests. If you are interested in art, culture, and the renaissance, Florence is like a trip back in time.

If you like walking and being out in the country, the hill villages in southern Tuscany are very idyllic. You can walk on old Roman roads from village to village, far from traffic, visit wineries and taste some wine, and visit the charming villages of Montepulciano, Pienza, Montichiello, and Montalcino to name a few. The restaurants and lodging are wonderful and reasonably priced.

Rome is worth a week at least.

All of the above could be done in cool weather, as long as compromise on the jacket issue. I wouldn't recommend Venice. It's very pretty still, but it is now just a tourist park. No Italians live there except the ones that come in to service the tourists. The prices are high and the restaurants are bad.

If you want to lie around in the sun you should go in the warmer months between June and August.. May and September are good months for walking.

If you really want the beach, early September might work. If you just want to see Italy without having to take jackets, May and September are lovely. It is a waste to go to Italy if you don't want to see the marvels of Italy. If this is principally a beach vacation in February, you would be better off in the Caribbean.

Sorry to hi jack this post. Is early May warm enough to do without jackets in Italy (Sorrento/Rome area)?

Hi
> I thought that Italy would have been warmer since it is located south.<

Assuming that you are not a troll, I suggest that you get a couple of guide books to Italy and a world map.

In case you didn't know this... simply search for a weather website. Then put in your destination & see historical typical weather for each month of the year.

Even in early spring I don't think you'll likely find suntanning at the beach weather in Italy.

stevelyon, we barely used our light jackets in March....so in May, you might not need one at all.

This May I wore a jacket most every day. It was a light one and I sometimes took it off in the afternoon, but it was a bit cool.

I think all of this jacket/no jacket stuff can be confusing. Are you from Florida or Boston? Do you go with t-shirt only once it hits 65 (like me) or wear a sweater even when its 70 (my sister in law). If you look at one of the weather sites for averge temps it may help more.

If you go to rome in dec. (we went in Christmas) the temp. should be between 45-55. We spent one day in Ostia Antica and it was about 65 and sunny. The nights were cool but nothing fleece and a long sleeve shirt couldn't handle. You may want to go to Scicily? It would be like Florida in the winter. We did 10 days in Rome and had a blast and now we don't have to go back there and are free to concentrate on the other areas in Italy.