Hello,
I am beginning to plan a 3 week trip to Italy with my husband in the spring.
We will have a car and although we appreciate the larger cities we prefer smaller towns and countryside.
Eg. we did some travelling earlier this year in Spain and France and our favourite stays were in Ronda, Beynac and St. Remy.
We will be flying in and out of Rome and hope to stay where the weather might not be too cold.
I was thinking that we might be able to do 3 one week stays.
I am interested in the Lake Como area but I'm not sure if the weather would be too cold at that time of year.
Also interested in the Amalfi Coast and Tuscany area.
Any suggestions would be really appreciated
We love historic sites, castles, old architecture, museums and scenic areas. Not into hiking or biking etc.
Posted by
Saint Paul, Minnesota
1393 posts
That time of year is perfect for being farther south in Italy and it's great that you can rent a car because if you go to either Sicily or Puglia, a car really helps.
Puglia is the easier to visit of the two, with either a flight from Rome to Bari or Brindisi, or a train to Foggia or even Lecce. We have rented a car at the Bari and Brindisi airports, and near the train station in Foggia.
Read some of what forum members have had to say about Puglia: https://www.google.com/search?q=rick+steves+italy+forum+puglia&oq=rick+steves+italy+forum+puglia&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIGCAEQRRg7MgYIAhBFGDsyBggDEEUYPDIGCAQQRRg80gEJMTQ2MzlqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
One of our trips to Puglia was at exactly the time you are looking at --- it was warm, tourist-free except on Easter Sunday (and then it was Italian tourists), and the early spring food was excellent and surprising. You can stay in a trullo in the countryside or in an apartment in any of the charming towns or at a farmhouse B&B. If you at all enjoy the facades of Romanesque churches, you are in for a treat in Puglia. I would also include nearby Matera on a spring trip --- you can stay in a cave there!
Posted by
San Diego, California
4796 posts
Easter is late March in 2024, so I would avoid Venice and Rome during Holy Week and Easter Monday. Additionally , we have found that sometimes the small businesses and wineries are closed for the Easter weekend and Monday. And most folks are off work Easter Monday, so many areas are packed that day, per our experience. Wish I offered alternatives, but just sharing what we have experienced and hopefully you are more creative than we were.
Have a great trip!
Posted by
Portland
3603 posts
I just want to point out that the weather at your time is highly variable. In 2003 we flew into Rome in early April. The high that day was 35F. Next day reached 40F with rain. Miserable! Be prepared. Pack layers.
The other issue to factor into your plans is Easter.*. Scope out what will be open; and what, closed. I think Italy may be one of the countries that takes the Monday after Easter as a holiday. Also, schools in many countries have spring breaks before and/or after Easter. You will likely run into massive numbers of school groups and families at many attractions. This makes reservations imperative, including for restaurants, when possible.
*I just checked and Easter wiil be March 31. I’d be inclined to go straight to another destination upon arrival and end my trip in Rome.
Posted by
136 posts
re: Rome during Easter. We were there once on Easter Sunday and it was wonderful!! Most of the locals were either seeing the spectacle with the Pope or home with their families. Tons of tourists seeing the Pope. We went to Villa Borghese Gardens and it was EMPTY! Got to walk around and enjoy it almost by ourselves. Then walked to Spanish Steps (same thing, all Romans at church or with their family). So I would consider Rome on Easter if you want to walk around and explore without crowds. Of course most things are closed on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday, but the empty parks and streets were wonderful.
Re: weather. Lake Como will be cold. I'd stay south.
We were in Rome 3 times during late March and lucked out with really nice weather.
Tuscany twice during that time and also the weather was nice.
But bring tons of layers and a great raincoat just in case. I remember another trip in April in Florence and it was wet and cold. But that just made us stay longer in the wonderful museums!