Villages and small towns in Europe in winter

Fabiana, I can only speak for Provence and the French Riviera. On the Riviera, which is quite populated, a lot is open, and the sky and light are beautiful. You won't find cafe tables along the beaches or beachfront restaurants open, but the major sites are open. Villages in the back country/Provence will have fewer restaurants open, very few tables outside, and fewer shops serving tourists open. Some flowers might be in bloom and fountains will be flowing. Sites to visit, such as monasteries, will be open but with shorter hours. However, be prepared for "le mistral" a strong, chilling wind that blows out of the Alps and down the Rhone Valley a few days each week that makes being outside physically challenging and quite disagreeable on those days.

Our first trip to Sicily was a late December/early January one, and we loved it. We didn't limit ourselves to small towns, but the ones we visited were "alive." After all, people live there. The weather was fine; just one rainy day out of 9 or 10, and daytime temps in the high 50's to low 60's. Plenty to see and do. BTW, January 6 is a big holiday for Italians. We were in Taormina, and the festivities added to our fun.

Andalusia has a very mild winter with sunny tee-shirt weather possible but you should expect light rain. Ronda is stunning and worth a visit. It can be done as a day trip from Malaga or Marbella or Granada if you are basing in any of these cities. The bigger cities have more going on in the winter than the smaller villages and a lovely time to visit as no crowds. The Basque country in the north will most likely be wet and possibly cold as it has ocean exposure. Barcelona and Costa Brave is mild in winter but colder away from the coast.

We spent part of October 2012 in France. On our second night on the Mediterrean coast, the mistral winds started. However, the next day, the sky was clear blue but the temperatures were cool. We had also experienced lots of rain and some snow during the third week of September in the Italian Dolomites. We found many of the small hotels (Logis brand) begin to close in October. The same thing was applicable with the small town restuarants in Provence, shortened hours or closed. If you are staying along the coast or in the larger cities, there will be hotels, restuarants and tourist sites open, albeit with shorter hours. I think it would be fun to travel in the winter as long as you have the proper clothes and footwear. You would be with the "real" people in the smaller towns but may experience closures. Anytime you are there, have fun! I envy you!

We've experienced lots of closures of restaurants and tourist attractions in small towns in France starting in October, but its never been more than a minor inconvenience. One year we spent a week in a small Alsace town in December, and there were 5 restaurants in town. They took turns with opening, so there was generally just one or 2 open each night.

I did a day trip to Positano on the Amalfi coast in February of this year. It was dead. Tons of shops were closed up for the season. Restaurant choices were few and far between. I wouldn't recommend making the effort to go there if it isn't already on the route and/or a long time dream.

I've been to Italy twice in February (2010, 2012) and haven't found any places "shut down." In some smaller towns, some hotels close for the month, but there are rooms to be had a bargain prices. I would expect about the same for January, though not so many closures. I was in Sorrento for several days, charming - unlike stories I've heard about tourist season, there were more locals out and about than tourists. Boutique shops, restaurants, etc., were all open. Places like Pompeii were a pleasure to visit - relatively few tourists and no burning sun or searing heat. Florence is pretty busy - many students there. The outdoor market seemed to be busier in February than in October and lots of sales in the pricier shops. Verona and Ravenna were wonderful - few tourists, many locals, enough open restaurants. . .