Airfare

The airlines I have send me promos are selling Fall flights now. I don't fly over Christmas so didn't look at whether the sales covered that late in December. People who can predict when is 'the best dates' could make their fortune, but there is no predicting. I book when I get a sale notice or when I want to commit to a trip. I then pay the asking price and never look back.

I book tickets 6-9 months out if I am happy with the price quoted, which then gives me plenty of time to organise accommodation, car hire and parking at the airport whilst there is still plenty of choice.

Sign up to a provider that will notify you when there are deals on your chosen route. Travelling around Christmas is usually expensive and if you leave it until late September or later to book a flight, much of the accommodation will have been taken. Those people that I know are going away over Christmas booked their accommodation several months ago.

Are you sure you want to both arrive and depart from Rome? Depending on your itinerary, it might be best to fly into one city in Italy and depart from another. Use the "Multiple Cities" option on airline website. You can end up saving a lot of time that way. And when it comes to vacations, time is money.

Happy travels.

It really is impossible to predict. I type my dates into Google Flights and track the prices once my trip is set, and I usually buy about 3 months before the trip when I see a price drop. Prices tend to increase again within a month of the trip.