Hi Everyone,

I'll be in Europe late July early August for 10 - 14 days, some of which I'll be spending in Paris. I know August is not a great time to spend in Italy. I don't, unfortunately, have other travel date options. Is there any way to blunt the impact of the heat and crowds, such as hotels that will keep me away from most of the crowds, best times to see the Uffizi/Accademia/Sistine Chapel? I'm an early morning person and am happy to be up at, even before, dawn, if that helps.

I can navigate Paris well, but I'm not very experienced when it comes to Italy.

Any advice, suggestions and recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

There is a nice Vueling flight we like to take, Orly to Florence at about 7PM.
One thing I would try to avoid is standing in lines by getting reservations or passes. If planning day trips from Florence [Siena, Montacatini, San Gimignano, Bologna, etc.] I suggest a hotel fairly near the station.

There are so many possible places to see that personally I would avoid Rome.

Does it have to be Rome and Florence? I would head for the hills - the Dolomites - and the Lakes. Actually, does it have to be Italy?

I do want to see David and Venus, so I'm afraid that yes, it'll need to be Italy for part of this trip. Two years ago I lucked out by going to Ravello on the Amalfi Coast. It was quiet, stunning, and very few tourists. The other cities on the coast, though, were just jammed. It was very hot, too. I'm trying to figure out a way to find that *Ravello* of Florence and Venice. I don't mind cabbing it into the city and then out, and yes if I could choose my vacation time it'd certainly not be August, but it's either August or miss those destinations and the art there,

Accept the fact that these cities will be hot, humid and mobbed.

Most important is to get hotels with strong AC that are located in a central location (finding them that fit a budget at this late date may be difficult). Planning to cab in from distant suburbs is usually just a waste of time and money - all in the heat.

A central location is better so you can go back to the room and rest in the cool during the hottest midafternoon hours. Also early starts are often good - as is seeing whatever possible during the evening hours when it's cooler - determine hours and open days for the things you want to see most now so you're prepared. Also get advance tickets for whatever possible so you're not stuck standing on lines in the burning sun.

If you've got pots of moolah, consider staying at Locanda Cipriani on Torcello in the Venetian lagoon. I would think even staying on Murano or Giudecca might be fun, with easy dips in and out of Venice proper. There might be other b&bs on the tinier islands that would work. Otherwise, Treviso might fit the bill, but it is a longer train ride into Venice. Padova might work.

For Florence, maybe Settignano? (I think Fiesole wouldn't provide much relief from crowds.) Settignano is just a cab ride away. If you are willing to take the train into Florence, Pistoia is a gem, and Montecatini Alto or Montecatini Terme (with all its swimming pools and music concerts) might be a lot of fun. Otherwise, maybe just locating someplace up in the hills of the Oltrarno with a restaurant nearby is good enough to escape the crowds, and using taxis will make it simple.

If you make reservations for David in the Accademia and Venus in the Uffizi, you'll be more in control of the situation and not waiting on line.

By the way, it is not always hot in the last weeks of July or early August. Sometimes it is pleasant. Heat waves strike unpredictably, so keep your fingers crossed you'll just have pleasant summer weather. However, crowds are the norm, so think about strategies for dealing with that.

Avoiding the crowds in Venice is often just a matter of wandering away from the main drag (St. Mark's to the Rialto). My last trip I stayed out at Sant'Elena, beyond the Arsenale. It was very quiet there (but it was November), I was steps from a vaparetto stop and it was convenient for the Biennale. However, it wasn't quite the same feel as staying in the center. ( http://www.bbvenezia.com/ ) There's a Best Western hotel out there too.

I've been to Venice maybe a dozen times in August, and most of the time I stayed on Lido. It is basically an Italian beach resort, with cafes, casual strolling, and also a beach, 15 minutes from San Marco. It lacks the 'character' of Venice in terms of narrow walkways, bridges, and getting lost - - but as beach resorts go, it is pleasant and convivial, hotels are a lot cheaper than Venice but comfortable, it is calm and spacious, it is bright and colorful, and, again, you are a gorgeous, pleasant, refreshing vaporetto ride away from the tour groups led by people with hoisted umbrellas.

In Venice we always stay in the sestiere (quarter) Canneregio because it is very close to the Stazione St. Lucia, the main train station. The Hotel we like is the Hotel Abazzia, which was a former Carmelite monastery. The property is nice and the staff is excellent.

Someone above mentioned to wander off of the main areas and this is a cogent strategy. We frequently just wander the back streets both day and night. Back in the day Venice after 7 pm was a different place because the day trippers would be gone. Now, however, the cruise lines have built docking areas, so the city is frequently crowded both day and night. Wander the back streets and you will be pleasantly rewarded.

In Florence we tend to stay in an area a few streets away from the train station. Two years ago we spent a week at the Hotel Albani Firenze on via Fiume around the corner from Via Nazionale. The Mercato San Lorenzo is a 5 m inute walk and the Duomo is a 10 minute walk. The hotel receives high marks on Tripadvisor.

In 2009 we found a brand new b&b a 10 minute walk from Stazione Termini in a quiet neighborhood in the Monti section across the street from the Roma Opera House. It's called Armonio All' Opera. We've stayed there 6 or 7 times and now have become friends with the owner, Paolo.

We always travel in July-August, so we just accept the heat. Both venice and Florence are great walking cities. In Roma we use the Metro frequently and cabs when we are tried.

Buon viaggio,

(Did the OP say he/she was going to Venice?)

If you hit hot spells in Rome and Florence, I don't think there's really any great way to avoid the heat. However, you are at an advantage if you're able to hit some of the popular places early in the a.m. For instance, we went to the Duomo in Florence first thing in the morning to do the climb to the top, and there was hardly anyone there. Later in the day, we spotted long lines there.

In Rome, consider staying in the Trastavere. It's one of the less tourist-trampled neighborhoods, but it's still fairly convenient to most of the major sights in the city.

"(Did the OP say he/she was going to Venice?)'

Did you read the title?

Trastevere is a big area. Some parts are not at all touristy, but those parts are not terribly convenient to ths center. The most convenient parts are very touristy, and quite crowded in high season.

If you'll be in Rome in late July on a Friday night, that would be a good time to visit the Vatican Museums. The Friday night visits are not available in August. Otherwise, the Vatican Museums are insanely crowdedin the summer and very hot (with heat generated by human bodies). Be sure to buy tickets in advance at mv.vatican.va . The late afternoon is best.

thursdaysd,

The OP said in a follow up post:

"I'm trying to figure out a way to find that *Ravello* of Florence and Venice."

Read the whole thread.

sandralist:

What is your point? I wasn't the one asking why we were talking about Venice, that was vincenzo, who I was quoting. Maybe you should read more carefully.

synergistic, for Florence I can recommend the VillaOlmi for a stay a short distance from Florence. www.villaolmifirenze.com

It is in Bagno a Ripoli which is 7kms from Florence, the hotel runs a shuttle, takes about 15 or 20 minutes. I took a taxi a couple of times and it was about 20 euros. (worth it to me when I was tired and just wanted to get back to the hotel)

The hotel is a lovely old villa in spacious grounds with an outdoor pool, it was a welcome place to go back to after a busy day in Florence, nice to sit outside and have an aperitif or go for a swim.

If you do end up staying there I can also recommend Osteria Brucia Tegami for dinner…delicious food, you can probably walk from the hotel (we had a car) or it would be a short cab ride.

I also recommend you book the Accademia and Uffizi online to avoid the brutal lines.

Go to those museums EARLY to avoid the lines; you can sleep in at home.

Sorry, thursdaysd, I did direct my response to the wrong person. I meant to address it to v.

Apology accepted, thanks.

Hi Everyone,

This is an awesome community. Thank you so much for your recommendations and suggestions.

I apologize for my confusing wording of looking for the "Ravello" of Florence or Venice. I really meant that if there are little getaways in the crowds and heat, I'm looking for those. When I was traveling in the Amalfi Coast, again in August, Ravello was beautiful, and it stood in sharp contrast to the extremely crowded towns on the coast, such as Positano (also beautiful but the most crowded town of all).

I'll definitely get the museum passes. I don't want to get caught in huge lines. All of your posts are so informative. It seems that even in August the popular places in Italy can be navigated given the right location and the right timing. I like early mornings, so beating crowds that way won't be a problem.

Thank you again!

In all of these cities, the crowds cluster around the four or five "top sights". There is, of course, a reason why these are the top sites, but on a high-season vacation to very popular tourist destinations, there's a lot to be said for seeking out the hidden gems, which usually get little or no attention from tourists.

For example, in the summer there are tremendously long lines to get into the Duomo in Florence, although there's really not a lot of artistic interest inside. Most of the great works of art of the Duomo are now in the Duomo Museum, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo di S. Maria dei Fiori. I believe this museum is still closed for restoration and enlargement, but if it's open, it's a wonderful museum and never crowded. One of my favorite works of art of all time, Donatello's Mary Magdalene, is in this museum.

The Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, near the main train station, also is a repository of Renaissance art that never gets much attention.

The Museum of San Marco, with its wonderful monks' cells, frescoed by il Beato Angelico, has never been crowded when I was there, but I'm not sure I've ever been there in the summer.

I'm not as familiar with Venice as I am with Florence and Rome, but there are some places in Venice that merit more attention than they get. The Ca' Rezzonico was blissfully cool and uncrowded when I visited with my sister in August about ten years ago. I was in Venice a few weeks ago, and visited the Basilica dei Frari, which had very few visitors. May is maybe not as crowded as August, but the Rialto Bridge seemed in danger of collapsing under the weight of the tourists. Some of the Scuole and churches have on display superb art, seen in its original environment instead of on the walls of a museum.