mabyrnes

Looking for any and all advice regarding nine day trip to Milan and Tuscany in late Dec early January. Wondering about weather, what to see and do, advice on staying in apartment? Thinking about flying into Milan, renting a car and then exploring Tuscany from a central location. Have just started thinking about this trip so appreciate any suggestiona. Thanks

sandralist

If you are dressed for the weather in Milan (it is wintry and often snowy), it is fine because there is plenty to do. Just about any road south of Milan that goes to Tuscany has exceptional traffic hazards in winter months, not the least of which is fog. Heading south, it is best to take a train.

Tuscan hills can get snowy and snow tyres or chains can be required if you rent a car. There can be days when it is sunny and dry, but also some terrific downpours. Best to leave most of your trip open, so you can stay in cities if the weather turns terrible and enjoy indoor things and use the trains. Florence is very central to many of the spectacular small art cities of Tuscany. You can see a lot using the trains.

In winter rural Tuscany can be quite beautiful, with green hills and low light. But you can't take foolish chances and you will find that many rural accommodations are closed for winter. You should only head out to the countryside when you know the weather is going to be clear, or when someone else -- a native Tuscan -- is driving

Jean

Besides being faced with driving in poor conditions, think about how comfortable you'd be driving in the dark or how you would structure your days in order to be back at your base town by about 4:30p or so.

You need to think about where/what you want to explore in Tuscany and how far you're willing to drive from your lodging. The region covers an area of 9000 square miles, so there isn't one "central location" for Tuscany. Just a central location to where you want to explore.

asps

Weather could be wonderful with sunny if slightly chilly days or terrible with rain, fog or snow - nobody knows. Fog is a concern between Milan and Bologna, you legally need snow chains on board or snow tires to drive the Bologna-Florence motorway leg during the winter - snow is not so frequent but it is a mountain itinerary. Generally speaking the clever thing to do is travel by train to Florence and rent a car there if needed. Milan to Florence is 1h 45 min by train, double that time of possible hard driving by car.

As you cannot be really sure about weather, you should better base in a city - Florence, Lucca, Siena, you choose - as there are more activities to do after sunset or in case of bad weather. You can even rent a car only for a couple of day trips, after you have checked weather forecast.

jamikins

We spent a week in Tuscany over nye this past year, our trip report and pics are here

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-new-years.cfm

Apparently we were lucky with the weather!

Dukey1

"What to see and do" may or may not be weather-dependent for you in terms of being in a town or city.

You say absolutely nothing of your interests, why you are even thinking of renting a car, or why you have decided on visiting Tuscany in the first place.

Knowing these details would probably net you more helpful responses now that you've learned all about the possible weather patterns.