We plan to travel through Italy in the last half of March. Should we get reservations ahead of time for places to stay, or is it likely that we'll easily find accommodations as we travel? We plan to spend a few days in Rome, Venice, the Cinque Terre, and several days in the small hilltowns of central Italy. Thanks.
In the larger cities, I would suggest booking ahead. You will be more likely to get the prices you want in the areas you want. Also remember than although you are off high season the larger cities will still be popular destinations even then. Small places can be done either way, although I like to get accomodations nailed down before we get there I dislike messing around with finding someplace during the trip.
The usual advice given re Venice accommodations is: reserve in advance any time of the year and especially for a stay that includes either of the weekend nights, Friday or Saturday nights. Venice is not the place to show up without reservations.
Always reserve when you can when travelling thru italy.Thats just a good rule of thumb
You can probably get by without reservations in the CT but definitely make reservations for Rome and Venice. Venice is always busy and Rome usually has some events in March take will make rooms hard to find.