Do you think the end of January will be a good time of year to visit cinque terre and the Amalfi coast. My kids will be ending a college trip and I want to meet them for a week to visit Florence, Rome, cinque terre and Amalfi coast. They will not have seen cinque terre or Amalfi coast. Less crowds and cooler weather seemed like it will be good but I'm wondering if there will be snow or other issues.
Thanks
Rachele, January is definitely not a good time to visit the Cinque Terre. There could be some snow (I believe there was this year) and the weather could also be overcast and raining. In addition, many of the tourist businesses will be closed for the season, so it would probably be difficult to even find a place to stay. The trails will likely be closed too. Visiting that area in the shoulder seasons would be much better. The Amalfi Coast would be a better prospect at that time of year, as it should be warmer and hopefully drier. Happy travels!
If you only have a week, skip Cinque Terre; you don't have enough time and the weather wouldn't be well suited for enjoying what the area offers. Don't know about the Amalfi coast at that time. But with just a week, I'd split it between Rome and Florence. I've been to Rome in Jan/Feb a couple of times and it was great. Moderate weather (very much like San Francisco) and virtually no lines.
I've made the mistake of going to Positano at the end of February. Not only was the weather not great, practically the entire place was shut down. I've heard that Sorrento is possibly better in winter, but if I had only one week in Italy in January, I would just divide it between Rome and Florence.