Florence in December - January

Wouldn't a weather page be more useful? I use Wunderground.

Do you trust the sporadic anecdotal experience of a handful of travelers over the plethora of scientific data available in many reliable sources?

https://weatherspark.com/y/69010/Average-Weather-in-Florence-Italy-Year-Round

I don't know what you mean by "bad". The winter is wintery in winter in Florence (I lived there many many years), but some people prefer it because there will be fewer crowds in museums and other tourist venues. Also if you are from the Pacific Northwest you won't find Florence's winter that bad. It almost never snows (at most some sleet some years), and it doesn't rain as much as Seattle (Oct/Nov and March/ early Apr is rainier in Florence actually). Temperatures rarely go below freezing (32 F) even at night, while during the day they are usually in the 50s F.

We were in Florence December 2015 and it was sunny with a high of about 50 Fahrenheit and it was crowded with tourists enjoying themselves just like when I was there in February 2002 and July 2021.

I spent 8 days in Florence in February 10 years ago and it was great, many fewer fellow tourists and some sun, some clouds and temperatures were not bad. I’m a Texan who hates to be cold and walking around with the appropriate clothing I was always comfortable.

We've intentionally gone to Florence the past three years for two weeks at Christmastime, and the weather has been decent, but variable. It can be rainier and chillier than fall or spring weather, but it's never unbearable. We prefer it, because it's not very crowded, and the holiday atmosphere is amazing!

My recommendation is to bring a loose hooded rain trenchcoat, and a thin, more fitted, packable puffer jacket. They can be used individually or layered depending on the temp/weather. Tuck a light nylon shopping tote into an inner pocket so you can check them (as a bag) at museums, or tote them through churches - some places won't check a coat, but they'll take a bag. Umbrellas are smaller until you're on narrow sidewalks bonking umbrellas with everyone passing by.

With this setup, I've moved from Rome to Florence and then to Venice in one trip, prepared for any type of weather comfortably. And photos really "pop" after the stone streets are wet, and the clouds look dramatic.

Thanks, Sea Girl.
What's a "puffer jacket" anyway?
Nothing can be drearier than Seattle during the long months of November through April (or even May), but the idea (for me) is to get away from here to somewhere that is MUCH "nicer" (sunnier if not warmer), not just "roughly comparable" or "not much worse."

That said, now I'm leaning towards Florence rather than Venice, although I think Venice is much more beautiful and has, outside of Rialto and St. Mark's, a less jam packed feeling, partly because there are no cars.

I was in Florence almost 10 years ago, for just two days. I just like knowing what I'm getting into!

Venice is about 5 degrees colder, on the average, than Florence but with less rain and more sunny days, according to the weather charts I've consulted. Being on water, it may feel even more cold, especially if one takes the vaporetto, which I love doing.

Plus, I was there for 23 days until late last month. I usually need a year between going back to a place, no matter how much I love it.

Either way, it requires changing planes in Paris or in Frankfurt...

I'm just worried about not making the connecting flight (through Paris) if I go to Florence...

What's a "puffer jacket" anyway?

Denny, SO many jackets these days are of the "puffer" variety that you may already have one. They generally look like this (linked example below), are lightweight, and many come with compression stuff sacks for compact packing/storing. Some are also water repellent. They're great for traveling during colder weather due to ability to pack down small, and warmth without adding a lot of weight.

https://www.amazon.com/Mens-Down-Jackets-Coats/b?ie=UTF8&node=2476602011

We were in Tuscany/Florence just before Christmas 2015. There's no way to predict what a particular year will be like, but we experienced mostly sunny weather and comfortable temperatures. I did rain one afternoon in Florence, but it was a drizzle and we spent a wonderful afternoon in the Uffizi.

I would not hesitate to go back in December. The crowds were much smaller.

I'm definitely going to Florence for up to 4 weeks in December/January. There is a hilltop hotel with a shuttle to the Piazzele Michelangelo and to San Miniato, about 1-1/2 miles from central Florence. I'm not sure how I'll like walking back and forth, as the shuttle hours have to be arranged in advance.

I'm expecting up to half the days to be rainy/drizzly, but photographs of Tuscany/Florence still seem to show a lot of shrubery and some trees bare with others (cypresses?) a beautiful light green. I wouldn't expect flowers, though.

I actually do have a "puffery" jacket that I bought maybe 8 years ago from North Face. It's very lightweight and looks "quilted" and get be easily squished into a "roller" form.

The second half of my stay, I'll be very close to the Ponte Vecchio, so as to be able to explore the Old City andf museums.

This is after a 4-week trip to Paris in October. I think 6 weeks will be long enough to "recover."

To "predict" the weather, I'm of the "past-is-prologue" mindset. I use timeanddate.com which is excellent for data about past weather going back a few decades. It includes temps, wind, precipitation, clouds, sun etc. for different times of day. I usually go back five years in my research. I've checked it against locales that I've actually been in at that date and time and it is very accurate. Then, of course, I look at real time weather forecasts before I pack. Someone on this forum, I believe that it was acraven, made me all the wiser re: timeanddate.com. Gotta give props!

Being from Seattle, you're going to experience similar weather in Florence in Dec/Jan, perhaps closer to Northern CA. It'll definitely be sweater weather, lined-pants or, thermal underwear are nice to have.

I spent several days in Florence during New Years, temps ranged from high-30s in the evening, to low-50's during the day; two days it rained so that kept the temps above freezing. With all the stone buildings and walkways around, the temps will feel colder than the air. Cafe's facing the sun will be popular. Most everyone will be in insulated jackets/coats (puffers), leather jackets or, wool coats and lots of scarves. Having merino wool t-shirts underneath helps take the chill--off and I don't look like I got off a hiking trail.

My husband's and my actual experience of more than a year (total) in Italy and mostly by choice is November, December, and January is that anything, anything, anything is better than the crowds and heat in summer, and the very slightly diminished crowds and heat in late spring and early fall. I remember being a little cold twice when I foolishly didn't dress for the weather and I remember two days in April in Rome when it rained a lot and kept us to indoor things to do. Partly just good luck, I'm sure! Check a good weather app every morning (my impression is that the European ones are better than ours) and you will be fine.

With all the stone buildings and walkways around, the temps will feel colder than the air. Cafe's facing the sun will be popular. Most everyone will be in insulated jackets/coats (puffers), leather jackets or, wool coats and lots of scarves. Having merino wool t-shirts underneath helps take the chill--off and I don't look like I got off a hiking trail.

Thanks. That's gives me a pretty good idea of what to expect, rather than just imagining or guessing what it'll be like from a month-by-month weather chart.