February month long visit to Florence

I would consider spending about week each in Florence and 3 other places, having her join you for weekends. If she's in school, she will (presumably) have little time for you during the week. Take the opportunity to see more of Italy. Bologna is only a half hour train ride away and a very good base for day trips to worthy places - Ravenna, Ferrara, Modena, Padua for instance. Spend a week in Rome. Make reservations NOW for a hotel in Venice for all of you for Carnevale (or in nearby Padua and commute by train) - begins Jan 23, ends Feb 9. The most activity is on the weekends and the last couple of days.

I think Chani has a good idea, but if you are committed to making Firenze a base (which would be fun, too), I think you can find plenty to occupy you both in-and-near Firenze. You could spend 4 solid days and not see all of the museums and churches in the city itself. Use rainy and cold days for those. When the sun shines you can day trip to Siena, Volterra, San Gimignano, Cortona, all of the Chianti, Pisa, Lucca, Arezzo and more. Of course, a car is nice for some of it, but you'll have time and the buses and trains are good options. You just have to research. You can even go to Roma for a (long) day trip as it is only 1 1/2 hours by fast train. Bologna is close, too, as Chani said.

Apartments in Firenze should be pretty reasonable in February. Settling in one place gives you a chance to really know that city and feel a bit "local." We love to do that in traveling.

I also like the idea of having several base cities, but Lauren's idea makes sense, too. I might choose Firenze for two weeks and a week each in Bologna and Roma.

Thank you for all of the suggestions. It is very helpful. Agree it would probably be best to split the time up in different cities. Just thought it would be nice to have a home base for the month where we could spend downtime with our daughter. I think carnevale in Venice would be quite the experience. Definitely have to think this through. I appreciate any and all suggestions :)

Coming in late here but the idea of spending a month in Florence sounds like a great opportunity. Along with being able to do a rare deep dive into a fascinating city, it'll provide an enormous amount of flexibility for both you and your daughter. You'll be able to pick and choose your activities as the spirit moves you (and the weather cooperates), and she'll be able to arrange visits around her classes, homework and social life. Any number of day and weekend trips will be very easy from there so you'll be able to see a great deal without packing up and moving the whole kit and kaboodle.

We've often talked about doing the same in Rome when we're both retired so I'm a little jealous. We may have to save up enough an additional month in Florence!

You can visit Venice as a day trip from Florence if you want to get to Carnivale. It's a LONG day, but if you plan to rent a place in Florence and do day trips, just know it's doable. It's about 3 hours one way, taking the earliest train, you'll probably return at 9-10 at night. My hubby and I did this on one trip to Florence. We arrived about 11AM and left at 6PM. We had a very enjoyable day in Venice, but didn't do much more than touch the surface of the city. That said, if you really want to go to enjoy the festival, it's a good way to experience the joy of being in Italy and getting to be in the middle of the amazing celebrations/costumes and history.

Thank you Kathy. You see my dilemma! I appreciate your input. The weather is definitely playing a factor into this because ordinarily I'd love to spend some time on the Amalfi coast. Just not sure that it's going to be worth spending more than a day or two there because of the time of year. I really appreciate everyone's thoughts, and I hope you get to spend that month in Italy soon too!

Thank you Ellen! Definitely want to get to Venice for Carnevale. Maybe a day trip during the festivities - so we're not dealing with having to get accommodations during a busy time - and a weekend trip to see a little more. I'm thinking that maybe just a small apartment in downtown Florence may be reasonable in February so that a few overnights here and there won't be too bad. Any suggestion for the best area in downtown to stay for this type of trip would be very helpful Thank you.

At the risk of being criticized but knowing my background, are we looking at a couple of helicopter parents? Remember it is the daughter's study abroad program and not the parents. The whole idea behind study abroad is the culture immersion. Not knowing how long her program is I am wondering if tying up four of her weekends is reasonable? Maybe one weekend but four? Wonder if daughter wants them underfoot for a month? I would encourage a multi-city visit along the lines originally suggested by Chani and others.

Frank, at the risk of sounding totally uninformed, what the heck is a 'helicopter parent'?

Sorry Frank - but I do find that offensive and off topic. Just came here for some friendly, helpful travel advice.

A month in Florence sounds wonderful - crowds should be no issue which means no delays in entry to sites and the ability to linger longer in those sites with time windows during the height of the tourist season. Trains are so convenient that travel to other towns can be spontaneous with a same day return to Florence. You have great times ahead!

It's very easy to get to other places from Florence. Day trips can be fun - plus you can always go back if you really liked the town! For long stays I love getting an apartment and just feeling like I live there. I'd stay across the Arno simply because it is more neighborhood-like. Get a good cookbook that tells you what is going to be in season and make meals part of the experience (ok, eat out once in a while!). Have a wonderful trip - I'm sure your daughter will help with the itinerary!

Dear Lizth and Robert
Thank you so much for the advice. I really like the idea of spontaneous day trips and feeling like we are living in Florence-even if for only a month. So I will look into apartments across the Arno. I was hoping to take a few cooking classes as well. Thanks again!

Angelwings, I hate to tell you this, because I think it will just give you more stress, but the only time I spent in the south was in February and I completely fell in love with Sorrento. It's a great time to visit: few tourists and low hotel rates. The only downside is that the ferries between Sorrento and the Amalfi coast don't run in the winter. You can still visit Capri by ferry and Ravello, Amalfi, and Positano are a bus ride away. Visit Pompeii (without the blistering heat and glaring sun) and Herculano, and the National Archaeology Museum in Naples is a wow - all by local train with views of Vesuvius.

I googled it - Helicopter parents: It's the name given to the obsessively protective moms and dads who "hover" around their kids.

Right, but not necessarily the case at all. It's not unusual for parents to occasionally visit their offspring while they're in college? The difference here is the sheer distance and cost of doing so, and exotic location. Heck, mom and dad could very well be footing the bill for their child's (year? semester?) abroad so why shouldn't they benefit a little as well - especially as papa has never been? Their daughter may enjoy playing tour guide during some free time, and be grateful for a few weekend trips that she may not otherwise afford? Just sayin'.

I guess I didn't see any comments in the original post that hinted at 'hovering' such as fears for her safety, health, habits, etc. being motivating factors for the trip; just the request for "thoughts on how to spend a fabulous month abroad."

Hah. Helicopter parents. No way. Angelwings, your daughter's semester abroad is a chance for you to travel! And you're taking advantage of it, period. In all seriousness, though, if there was one thing I'd tell daughter before her departure would be to urge her to assimilate--but safely--and experience the Italian culture and way of life during this unique chance. Too many college students abroad hang exclusively with their own, mock the Italians, and basically set up 'American shop' in a foreign venue. What a waste for them, as well as for the parents footing the bill.

We spent 5 nights in Florence in early March at an apartment a 5-minute walk from the Florence SMN train station, and we wished we'd have had a month. Had planned to take a bunch of day trips--to Fiesole, Lucca, Pisa, Siena, even Venice (2 hrs) or Rome (1.5 hrs)--and never did, opting to just hang out and experience Florence sans a lot of tourists. It was beautiful to get into any restaurant we wanted, visit any museum, although the weekends still got somewhat crowded with tourists. We visited the Mercato Centrale every day for our food provisions, and the CONAD grocery has phenomenal fare at wonderful prices.

Our weather first few days of March was cold and windy--about 45-55 F, but when sunny it was glorious. Don't let that stop you. Pack a fleece and an ultra-light down jacket that folds into its own pocket, hat and gloves and you're good to go.

So...I would base in Florence for the month (what an opportunity!) in a reasonably-priced apartment close to the train station, and take daytrips during the weekend with your daughter, or by yourselves during the week. A blank canvas!

Thank you Chani - No added stress at all! I definitely want to go Southern Italy. My husband and I both have family history there. My father was from Ischia and my husband's grandparents from Calabria. Definitely want to spend at least a couple days in Sorrento and I was hoping we would be able to take the ferry to Ischia for the day. (Where we do still have some family! - this is one of the weekend trips I thought my daughter would greatly enjoy :) Not sure about getting to Calabria yet - I haven't gotten that far. Thank you for your help. I can't tell you how much it is appreciated!

Thanks Kathy. We are all just looking at this as a wonderful opportunity. Heck - if she weren't studying in Florence, it would be much harder convincing my hubby at this point in our lives to take a month to travel abroad. My original thought was that if we had an apartment for the month, it would give us--and her--flexibility. She can join us when we travel--or not-- based on her interest and availability.

Thanks Jay! I took a trip to Italy with my daughter a few years back for her 16th birthday and she fell in love with Italy and the Italian culture. Since then she has always wanted to return as a student. So this really is a dream come true for her. Her dad has never been, and she is so excited for him to experience Italy as well. I was hoping that traveling in February would allow us a lot of flexibility (and reduced rates:) so that even though we have the base apartment in Florence a few overnight trips wouldn't break the bank. Thanks for the advice about what to wear. I know it'll be chilly, but it hopefully it'll beat NY weather in February.

The reason I suggested staying in Bologna and Rome is that it would be very easy for daughter to take the train to join you for weekends. And in-between you'd be able to see more than if you were daytripping from Florence.

It will take you about half a day to get from Florence to Sorrento - fast train to Naples, then switch to the Vesuviana (which may be running every 30 minutes, but maybe only once an hour) for the hour-plus train ride to Sorrento. There are ferries all year (weather permitting, of course) to Ischia, but I don't know where they leave the mainland.

Thank you Chani. I should probably at least narrow down the places that we want to visit and then figure out the best place(s) to stay. Thank you for your guidance. It is much appreciated!