Italy Honeymoon in January

Look at the Algarve in Portugal…

Fun activities to do on a honeymoon…. (thinks hard ;-)

Okay, now that I am being serious… January in Italy will not be (1) horrendously roasting hot or (2) disasterously stuffed with tourists. It seems like a perfect time to visit.

But it occurs to me that you will still be the people you were before you got married, so what you find fun won’t change just because you had a wedding.

Are you museum people? Food people? Book store people? Religious people? Antiquities people? Live performances people? There is sooooo much to see and do in Rome. It’s tough to make suggestions without knowing your overall parameters.

Also - why not Sicily in January? Again, you’ll be escaping the roasting heat. What am I missing?

If you like cities and the things you do within them (museums, galleries, restaurants), then cities in January are great. If you want more outdoor stuff and longer daylight hours, postpone. I postponed, and it worked well for us for travel related reasons and not travel related reasons.

In response to @volva, we’re really interested in all of those things. I’d say museums, religious sites, and performances are at the top of our list. We both love history, so just being in Rome and experiencing everything – like the Borghese, St. Peter’s, the Colosseum, etc. – will probably take up a big portion of our sightseeing.

As for Sicily, my hesitation just comes from what I’ve read so far. I’ve seen people mention that it can feel pretty closed that time of year and that it feels shut down almost..., though I’m not sure how accurate that is. What really drew us to Sicily in the first place is that both of our great-grandparents were immigrants from Palermo, so we’d love to be able to see that part of the island.

I generally don't like flying within a vacation, but if you have the option of a flight home from Palermo, I think Rome and Palermo would make a great 10 day trip. Those are just the types of places that lend themselves to a winter trip.
This would also would give you a "taste" of Sicily, and you can plan an anniversary trip to explore more of the island.

If the flight logistics are a pain, then I would stay on the mainland to make the most of your time. Any of the main cities would be good.

How long would you recommend a stay in Palermo?

Also in terms of cities, would you suggest Milan? Or is that more of a working / shopping city?

It really just depends on your interests as to whether to give Rome or Palermo more time, consider any day trips you might want to take, plus make adjustments due to flight times and such.
I would not split ten days into three cities, more so because you have to deduct the travel time to the island, but if you were sticking to the mainland you could tack on Milan if it is interesting to you. There is more to it than the obvious but it is not one that is high on my list so I'll let others reply. If for example you wanted to swap Venice or Florence for Palermo and got an amazing deal on a direct flight, then that is when I would consider flying into Milan for a day or so, but I would not give up any time in Rome for it--that is just an opinion though and you should really base it on your specific interests.

Venice is a place totally unlike any other. It's a great place to get over jet lag and acclimate to a new country. And, considering the stress that accompanies most wedding, it will be a super place to unwind and just enjoy the time together.

Consider flying into Venice and spend about half your time there. Then to Rome for the remainder and fly home. Much easier than doing Rome first.

I've been traveling to Italy since 1999 (15 trips) and concur with TC - into Venice, out of Rome.

For those who commented Venice – I’d really love somewhere to unwind afterward. What are some things to do there in terms of – sightseeing, food, drinks, etc. I assume gondolas are a must.

Another vote for Venice first!
Visit St. Marks, the Doge's Palace, nearby museums, the islands of Murano and Burano, the Jewish Ghetto and get lost in other neighborhoods, the Guggenheim Museum, take in a concert, watch a glass blowing demonstration. If you wish to leave Venice for a day, take a train to Verona or Vicenza or Padua. Many options.
It may not be sunny and warm, but hey, any fog, mist adds to the romantic ambience.
Congratulations!

..some things to do there in terms of – sightseeing, food, drinks, etc...

Consider going over to Murano and Burano. Get an early strart to beat the crowds, have lunch on Murano, and you should be back in Venice by early afternoon.

One evening, go to San Marco and have a sit down drink at one of the places with music. Maybe even a dance or two. A bit expensive, but it is your honeymoon and you'll remember it forever.

For food in Venice. In the Rialto area (on the market side of the Grand Canal) when walking to Piazzale Roma is an out of the way place named Pane Vino e San Daniele on Calle Dei Boteri. Definitely a local place, good food, good house wine, and not expensive at all.

For seafood, our go to place in Venice is also In the Rialto Bridge area. The name is Trattoria Da Marco Valla Fava on Calle Stagneri. It is definitely pricy so you might want to do lunch there rather than dinner. Some of the best sea food ever!! Try to eat inside rather than outside. The place has been around at least 50 years so they must be doing it right.

Love long and prosper!

Thanks for all of the responses! Does anyone have a preference on where to stay while in Venice? Neighborhoods or maybe specific Palazzos? I have no problem staying in a quieter location and walking to the sites.

If your 10 days means actually 8 nights in Italy plus two days of travel, then I'd go with flying into Venice and out of Rome. After Epiphany on January 6th because that's still vacation time for some people and businesses. We found almost all the museum rooms at the Vatican closed one January 4th, for instance, because the guards were still on holiday. Also, one of our sons and our daughter-in-law traveled to Italy immediately after their wedding and have said they kind of wished they'd had a week or so in between --- it's just a lot to plan and have the wedding and then turn around and plan and pack and travel.

Palermo is trickier to fly into and out of than Venice/Rome (we just did it 4 months ago), but it will not be "closed" --- it's a regular city with regular people who eat in restaurants, etc., not a place dependent on tourists or the beach crowd. A museum or two might be shut for renovations or something, but there are LOTS of things to see and do in Palermo. We'd love to go back there (for the 3rd time) in January!

Did anybody mention yet that it's way better to be in a city if the weather is iffy? Plenty of indoor places to go if it's rainy. Also taxis. Rome and Venice (and Palermo) have quieter areas that are amazingly like being in a smaller town.

Hi there! And congrats to you 2!! I think Italy in winter is stunning and totally worth it, and why not going south! With my partner we spent a few romantic days in Rome beginning of February (don't skip villa Borghese, one of the most romantic places in my opinion), then hopped down to Naples (extraordinary and cheap food) and from there to Sicily (ended up in San Vito Lo Capo). It’s quiet in winter, the temperature was still around 13 °C, and you can stroll along that unreal 3 km beach. We found a cozy spot overlooking the sea, ordered the famous couscous and cassata, felt like a dream! We were at first hesitant too, but then read that winter in some places in italy is actually very nice, I got supper exited and we just went hahah! Totally worth it. This is the blog that made us feel safe to travel around that time https://www.ferryhopper.com/en/blog/featured/best-winter-seaside-villages-italy . I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time either way! P.S. in Rome it can get very cold, so get warm clothes with you for sure!

All of these responses have been really helpful. We've adjusted our plans to 10 days (12 including travel). We're now thinking about spending a maximum of 2 days in Venice (relax and acclimate), then heading to Florence for around 3 days, possibly with a day trip to Siena or Pisa. From there, we'll finish the trip in Rome. Some friends have suggested Naples, but if we were to go further south, it would probably be Palermo...though we don’t want to rush our time in each city.

spending a maximum of 2 days in Venice...we don’t want to rush our time in each city.

You might want to consider taking a day from Rome and adding it to the time in Venice. Two full days in Venice will really be short changing one of the world's most unique places. Do some research and see what you thinki. Not throwing stones, just offering food for thought.

I haven't figured out how to direct reply @TC, but yes! Honestly any commentary / suggestions will continue to help us so much. That was just a rough draft that I laid out above. I'm making a list of things we would want to do in all the prospective cities and will probably go from there.