Is December A Bad Time To Visit Italy?

We live an hour north west of Venice. There is rarely snow. Like someone else said there are great Christmas markets. Verona does a big festival in late December. The Arena is filled with nativity diplays from all over the world. In addation to museums being ghost towns, hotel prices are great!

I loved visiting Rome in December--it's beautiful and it wasn't too cold! We were in Varenna in March and some of the shops and restaurants were closed (I imagine it might be similar in December) but it didn't detract from the beauty of the area and in spite of the chilly temperatures we still enjoyed our visit.

Wilco - actually a GREAT question. December is NOT May or June, but Italy is still a splendid place to visit that time of year. First of all, the crowds are not here. I can remember wandering the Vatican Museum for hours - all by myself! If you like Museums or indoor activities, then yes, it's probably a BETTER time to visit!

December CAN be cold and rainy but there are many festivals and celebrations that time of year. Christmas is a special time here in Italy, and on through January 6th.

You are correct, the scenery will not be the same, but the friendliness and hospitality of the people you meet will probably be more profound as they are ALSO NOT dealing with the crush of tourism!

I've been in Northern Italy in December and we did not encounter snow/inclement weather until we reached higher elevations... so I think if you dress warmly you'll be fine - I'll defer to Claire on that as that's more her part of the world.

Many folks actually prefer to come to Italy that time of year. Good luck in your decision; I'm sure you'll get plenty of feedback....BTW, I'm still working on my trip to your part of the world (Hopefully next year!).

Ciao,
Ron

Wilco, this is a great question that I asked myself last year when I scheduled my second trip to Italy. I visited Rome, Florence and Venice - Dec 13 - 23. It was cold - no rain. I wore layers and visited uncrowded places. I shoped for scarves, gloves and hats in Florence. I literally had San Marco Piazza all to myself at dusk, I was the only person in the Accademia Museum when it opened one morning, etc. I am trying to schedule that same trip again this December. Some restaurants were closed for a few months which made me explore further. Since it was close to Christmas, there were holiday markets to explore.

You will experience a different Italy, but I don't think you will regret it at all.

I can not wait for the year I get to visit Venice in the winter!!! Enjoy your December visit.

My first visit to Italy was 10 years ago, late November until a few days before Christmas. Seeing and taking part in how another culture experiences this major celebration is a lot of fun. The sights and towns can be more charming without huge crowds of tourists. I feel you get a better chance to interact with local people.

Neither the canals in Venice nor Lake Como were frozen. We didn't run into any snow until we went into the Dolomites, which was lovely. If you like to ski this is a great area to visit. And you have the advantage, on a clear day, of better visibility than summer so the long range views are great. So go ahead and go to the top of the Milan Duomo for a great view. You may get a rainy day or two, when all of a sudden umbrella vendors are everywhere.

From Milan south to Rome the colors are not brilliant as other times of the year, and dawn arrives late and dusk arrives early, but this shouldn't stop you.

Like others have mentioned, the lack of crowds makes travel easier and cheaper. Hotels and many attractions are less expensive too. Some things are closed or close early, but if you do your research well (read, read, read the RS books!) you'll have a great time.

However, if you are particularly sensitive to cold or really want to be in big crowds, winter would not be the time to go.

My wife and I travel to Italy almost every year and never in the summer, always between Sept and March, and we have often been there in December. Some of our most memorable trips to Roma and Firenze have been during Christmas time. We prefer between Dec 18 and Jan 15th or so. The weather can be a bit cold in the north at that time but no colder than, say Dallas, Tx. Roma is very similar to Houston in its winter, particularly the humidity. There is more rain in the fall but mostly in the AM and it clears by early afternoon. We would never travel any other time.

I think of visiting Europe during the fall/winter, and I think "this is the time for the grown-ups"...summer is really all about the young...I don't mind, but it is an entirely different experience...I really like the nightlife of the big cities (or the fall festivals in Tuscany), and although I haven't done it yet, I am dying to visit Venice during Carnevale...(we've done Mardi Gras in NOLA several times...would like to see their version)

I agree with Bill's response as well as the others.
I consider Europe in the winter months to be the "real" Europe and not the Disneyland-type atmosphere you can get in a lot of places in the warmer months. Gone are the seething masses of gelato eating humanity LOL!!! What you get are real people going about their daily business.

Coming from Singapore you might find it a bit cold and damp...I am from a cold part of the USA so find it no different. Besides, as already noted, prices are usually much better.

You can still eat gelato in winter and just think you don' have to worry about wearing shorts!!!

We spent Dec 21, 2006 through Dec 26, 2006 in Florence and it was great! Few tourists, cold and crisp, but not freezing, few tourists, no lines, lots of happiness and conviviality. Then, we were in Venice from Dec. 26, 2007 until January 5, 2008. No, the canals did not freeze, it was cold and damp, but not unbearable. It was a bit more crowded than Florence, but I think there was a big influx of actual Italians who had come to Venice for Xmas. We took day trips by train to Padua and Verona and had a great time. Personally, I like Europe better in winter, when there are fewer tourists and you sometimes get a light dusting of snow!

In 2002, I spent late December/early January in Rome, Florence and Venice. Personally, I didn't think it was that cold (my being from Wisconsin probably had something to do with this). I wore a fleece jacket with a long sleeve shirt or sweater the whole time. Once in a while I brought out my gloves. Like the others said, Venice's canals weren't frozen--but St. Mark's squared was very flooded, and much of the time we were there, we had to walk on plank sort of walkways through the square. It wasn't too bad, but when people stopped to take photos, it was often difficult to get around them. There were still plenty of people everywhere, but it wasn't unbearble as it might be during the warmer months. I would highly recommend going at this time.

I haven't been to Italy in December but have been in late November. It's wonderful then. Less crowded, less expensive, etc. As far as canals being frozen, Venice is on the Adriatic. The canals are sea water and aren't "still" so I can't imagine they would freeze. I was in the Netherlands in October. It's much further north and the canals there haven't frozen over in years. As far as scenery, I don't feel that I've missed too much by going that time of year. Hope you have a great time. I'm going again in November and can't wait!

I am also thinking of going to Rome in December. My boyfriends family lives there & he goes twice a year, once in June and then once in Dec/Jan for the holidays. He wants me to start booking things now for this coming December but I am also worried about the weather being cold & unbearable. I'm from NY so December here isnt a day at the beach & I kinda find it silly to go from the cold to the cold. I'm torn. I want to go because he asked me & wants me there, but I dont want to go & wear layers of clothing & walk around & see the site in cold weather! I did some research online & some websites say alot of shops, restaurants & museums are closed during the Holiday season, so what's the point? Should I go or will I regret it? I wont regret spending time with my boyfriend, but I dont know if I want to see Italy for the first time & not really enjoy it!

In my opinion, you'd have to work pretty hard to not enjoy Italy no matter when you go, and December is, for me, an excellent time to go: not hot, not crowded, not as expensive (but still expensive). There seemed to be fewer pickpockets and the like as well.

Most shops are open, at least in the big cities. It's approaching Christmas and it's just as good a retail season for them as it is here in the U.S.

If you are worried about the weather/temperatures, go further south. Rome in the first week of December was mostly in the 50s to low 60s. It lightly rained two days that I was there and was beautiful and sunny the others. The only time I was cold was when we went further north to Florence and I didn't wear my long underwear or a scarf. You don't need lots and lots of layers, just a few well-chosen ones. I actually got too warm several times and had to take my scarf, etc. off. Don't underestimate how much moving around warms you up.

Does anyone know if the museums and restaurants are closed on December 25, December 26, January 1? I think these days are Italian holidays.

There is no bad time of year to go to Italy. I lived in Italy (near Venice) for several years so have experienced all four seasons and the Christmas season in Italy is a great experience - the Christmas markets, the roasting chestnuts, the cheerful people. Of course it will be alot cooler than Singapore.

My husband and I were in Rome 3 years ago at Christmas and it was splendid - not very cold at all and it felt more like you were among locals since not many tourists are there. The sites were pretty clear as well. I thought Italy in December was absolutely charming and would not hesitate to go back at that time of year.