If you have taken this tour did you have issues with mosquitoes or fleas and if so where were you experiencing these issues. Find I get quite a reaction from bug bites. Thanks for any heads up.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
17551 posts
I did this tour in 2022 so right after Covid but that has no bearing on the skeeters, lol.
I also have awful reactions to bug bites and yes I got nailed at the Hotel Serenissima in Venice. It was early October and pretty warm so I had the window open in the evening until the first bite. I just decided heat and stuffiness was a better option than getting chewed.
I had no problems anywhere else either at night or during the day. I am one who also is the person who will get bitten when no-one else is bothered.
I do recommend taking along whatever remedy you use to alleviate the itch and redness from bites.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
18216 posts
Haven’t been on the tour, but having lived in Florence my first 28 years of my life (and visited yearly thereafter) I can guarantee you that there will be mosquitos between April and October (inclusive), especially in summer. In winter it should be better, but even in January there are the occasional bugs that don’t seem to die out. Eat plenty of garlic, wear “Off!” Repellent, and if you have a portable fan, turn it on. With the wind produced by a fan, mosquitos have a harder time landing on you.
Posted by
OP
Vancouver BC
97 posts
Thanks to both of you..Will take some mosquito repellent and after bite. Garlic is a great idea but don't know if it would also keep my fellow travelers away as well as the mosquitoes. Never dawned on me about Florence but it is on a river so makes sense.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
18216 posts
Florence is hot and often muggy in summer, so perfect environment for the reproduction of mosquitos.
The Florentine plain used to be a swamp in ancient times, that is why the Etruscans settled in Fiesole, on top of a hill. Still today, besides the Arno, there are several small creeks and sloughs where water stagnates without flowing.
Posted by
OP
Vancouver BC
97 posts
Thanks Roberto. Never made it to Fiesole but have been to Florence before without getting bug bites. Think with the extreme temperatures things may have changed everywhere. Can't believe how hot it will be as forecasts show high 20's and low 30's
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
17551 posts
Since you posted, I have been thinking about this trip. I looked to make sure but the hotel where we stayed in Florence did have AC so that is probably why I was not bothered at night with mosquitoes. Do you have your list of intermediate hotels? My tour stayed at the Hotel Accademia. Otherwise, wandering around in the day or evening I did not get bitten.