Rain, rain, rain. Now What???

Stop fretting about the weather. You will make yourself crazy. I don't know about flooding in Venice but if you can be flexible then you can always skip it. Bring ponchos and be ready for plenty of stops for a beer. In Prague this summer we had some torrential rain - we still puttered around and made plenty of quick stops in a warm pub for a beer. Our child is younger - 10- but he rolled with it. Kids in there 20s - I am sure they enjoy the trip!

Hi Michael,

1) I'd find some comfort in realizing that the advance weather forecasts many times aren't as bad as predicted. Last January, in spite of rain in the forecast every day, we had many bright, crispy cool days in France. Also, it might be raining in Lafayette Hill so if you had a choice would you rather spend a rainy day in Italy or home?

2) I'd consider simplifying your itinerary to reduce the amount of driving--possibly even deleting the France portion of the trip. Maybe divide the time between Rome, Florence, and Venice with the possibility of stops in other interesting smaller towns along the way (Bologna or Verona, etc.)

3) Or consider day trips for variety--for example bus to Siena from Florence or train to Orvieto from Rome. That way, you won't have to worry about driving in the rain and spending more time in the van than in a city.

4) Keep in mind too that everyone doesn't have to do the same thing--some in your group might want to go to one city and others to another. Meet for dinner to discuss your day!

Just some thoughts! You'll all have a wonderful trip in spite of the weather!

If museums don't excite, there is always shopping! Even poking around in a foreign grocery store can be fun, just to see how different things are. In China, we found vacuum-packed meat and fish sitting unrefrigerated on shelves! And as Sharon says, it's often not as bad as predicted. I've had warm days in February in Ireland when cold was predicted.

I'm sorry to hear the weather forecast is not in your favor, but weather forecasts are not very reliable this far in advance, so I would show up and roll with the punches and not fret about what is predicted. At this point, I would not recommend skipping Venice. Also (and don't hate me for this suggestion), if the weather does turn out poor, maybe focus on the Alps closer to Venice rather than driving all the way to and through France, but I'm assuming you are looking for some warm stuff in Marseille. However, the 20-year-olds might enjoy the après ski atmosphere of the German/Austrian Alps.
Regardless, have fun. I think the places you are going would still offer good times regardless of the weather. Also, download the free audio tours that Rick has for Italy. They really make a "boring" museum visit much more enjoyable, so maybe that would hold your kids' interest in the museums for a couple of hours.

You are booked. Got to go. Surely when you planned this trip you understood that the weather would be less than ideal. Part of the trade off you make when not traveling in July. But keep in mind that it will not rain everywhere every day. I am sure you will have more time of no rain than rain.

Our experience with rain at that time of year in those area is fairly light - more of a drizzle. Bothersome but not enough to prevent outdoor activities but a good rain jacket hat and waterproof shoes are important. The higher humidity will make it seen colder. The days are overcast and short with weak sunlight but the lights and decorations of the holiday make up for the short days.

My one concern would be the flooding in Venice. If there are problems I would not go because you have to walk through it or small little wooden plank bridges and you will be very limited in your mobility in the area. And dealing with a vehicle in Venice is a pain. Save it for a Spring or Fall trip.

Michael,

Given the locations you want to visit, that's a LOT of "windshield time" for a two week trip! As Frank said, "You are booked. Got to go" so you'll have to make the best of the circumstances. Keeping four kids occupied during long vehicle trips would be more of a concern for me.

You'll lose one day in flight times at the beginning and one day in Rome at the end, so will have 12 days for travel. Visiting five locations will only leave a bit more than two days in each location, which will be reduced by travel time between locations. In the same circumstances, I'd seriously consider dropping Marseille and perhaps one other place.

Note that for driving in Italy, each driver will require an International Driver's Permit, which is compulsory. This must be used in conjunction with your home D.L. Driver's can be fined on the spot for failing to produce an IDP if requested. While that might not happen often, it's still a good idea to be prepared.

Also, you may want to check previous posts here regarding the dreaded "ZTL" zones, especially in Florence. Driving through these zones will result in expensive ticket(s), which you'll receive several months after you return home.

Hopefully your rental Van will have proper winter tires, as you'll encounter snow in the French Alps. As you're renting the vehicle in Rome, I'm not sure what will be provided? I'd get the full CDW, especially in winter.

Good luck!

Toss in some rain paints and goretex shoes in addition to the parka/rain jacket and press on.

Thanx to all for your suggestions and encouragement. YES, we will have a great time. I guess I was exaggerating in my mind how constantly bad the weather will be - it was 2am when I reviewed the weather forecasts (and entered my post). Today at 10am, the forecasts don't look nearly as bad! We will prepare for the worst, and enjoy every bit of magic we find.

Grazie & Merci.

1) weather changes - a lot

2) your kids are old enough to wander on their own if they are bored. Tell them to meet you back at the hotel for dinner. If they can't find something interesting to do in the places you mentioned they should have stayed home.

3) chill...

Michael, We went to Scotland for two weeks last year and I got a similar forecast shortly before we left -- rain every day. We had two days of miserable rain, 2 days of brilliant sunshine, and the rest of the days we had a little bit of light showers and some sun. It was fine. One of the rainy days, we were mostly in the car. The other rainy day, we got soaked and were kind of miserable, but it was so bad, it was comical and we laughed a lot that day. The rest of the trip was fabulous. A little bit of showers is no problem at all if you are dressed correctly.

I think you are smart to go to Italy when it is not really hot. I would rather walk around in a drizzle than in 90 degree sunshine. It's better to be wet from a little rain than from a lot of sweat.

It's a good idea to ask this question now, so you are prepared for bad whether when and if.

I think that mostly means hitting your guidebooks (again, now will be better than later) to have some rainy-day contingency plans in your pocket. You know what's best for you and yours.

Offspring "in their young 20s" should be involved in this process and in any case should be responsible for managing their own boredom and expectations.

At the risk of stating the obvious, when the weather is nice you should gather ye rosebuds and go do the outdoor stuff first, since clouds may come at any time.

The only thing I would rethink is if your plans include a short stay someplace where the outdoors are the prime attraction. If it's nasty out the one day you are there you will have wasted that part of your trip. So, budget enough time to accommodate bad weather, or skip it.

Two other points: A weather forecast of, say, 40% chance of precipitation looks bad but is probably predicting a few intermittent showers at worst. It doesn't mean it will rain or snow 40% of the time.

Finally, a rainy day of downtime can be an unexpected boon for a busy itinerary like yours. Go with the flow and have a great time.

If your children are young you might check out this website for children's museum. Www.hands-on-Europe.net

Pamela, the "children" are in their 20's. Don't think they would enjoy a childrens museum.

Rain? The latest pics of Italy I've seen showed gondolas covered in snow. You'll create memories few people visiting Venice would ever be able to share :-)

If it's raining when you are in Rome, go to the Pantheon. Watching the rain come down through the hole in the ceiling is pretty neat.

We have been to Rome & Florence when rain was predicted and generally it's a lighter drizzle. We usually had 2-3 days of blue skys and sun, and 2-3 days of rain. It never stopped us from going outside and touring around.

2 things to watch out for: 1) the street vendors magically pull umbrellas out the second a drop falls from the sky. Just ignore them. 2) the manhole/sewer covers in Florence are EXTREMELY slick when it rains. We saw several people slip and fall. Please be careful.

Above all, have fun! You're in Italy and a little rain is not going to change that. :-)

Hah, that 's the downside of reading these posts on an iphone and then trying to respond... you miss really pertinent facts. I saw the word kids and didn't go back to see the first sentence. ; ) Hey if they are in their twenties, then yikes what will be the problem? Go see a movie, check out a concert in a church or catch a play. Look for Christmas festivals. Check out in door sports clubs. Might meet some interesting locals that way.

Pam

EPILOGUE

To ALL...

The consensus of the responses to this post has been:

1) The weather will probably NOT be a problem, and,

2) Do NOT miss Venice, despite the possiblity of flooding.

Well, the trip is now over, and the CONSENSUS WAS DEAD ON!

We had an absolutely awesome trip, and the weather was just fine. It wasn't perfect, but it was good enough for us to enjoy each and every day of our trip.

And Venice, as advertised, was not to be missed. We DID run into "aqua alta" (high water), but it was merely another unique experience in this truly magical city.

And, as an aside, the benefit of touring Italy in the offseason (no crowds, cheaper prices, etc.), for us, far outweighed the minor inconveniences of less than perfect weather.

As an example, in Florence we really wanted to hit the Academia museum, especially to see Michelangelo's David, but we were unable to make a reservation. It turned out that we were able to walk right in the front door, with absolutely no wait, because it was so uncrowded. Very cool.

Aside #2... In Florence & Venice we stayed in hotels (pensiones) recommended by "Rick Steves' Italy", and we were VERY happy with them.

THANX to all who responded to my initial, fretful post :-). As you predicted, we had an awesome vacation, which will be part of our family memories forever.

Hi Michael!

I love hearing the outcome--thanks for posting! It's wonderful to hear that you had a great time!

Best wishes for future happy travels!

Thanks for the report, Michael. It was fun to read and I'm glad you had such a great trip.