Italy In January 2014 - Itinerary and questions

Michele, As you probably know, travel in Italy in January is not "ideal". Some Agriturismo's will likely be closed for the season, and road conditions may be "less than ideal". There's no way to predict what the weather will be like at that time, but looking at recent news reports on the Italian TV networks this week, I wouldn't want to be driving there at this time of year. The "lows" have been running about -4C at the moment, with snow in areas in the north (I believe that Calabria also got some snow in the last week or so). My suggestion would be to skip the car and focus on rail travel to major centres in January. As you'll be driving in Italy, each driver will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. Failure to produce an I.D.P. if requested can result in fines on the spot! You can easily obtain an I.D.P. at any AAA office for a small fee (Passport photos required). You'll also need to be aware of the dreaded Zona Traffico Limitato areas, which are becoming increasingly prevalent in Italy (especially in Florence). Passing through these zones can result in expensive fines! Recent posts here would seem to indicate that authorities in Italy are becoming more aggressive in collecting the fines from foreign drivers and there may also be charges from the rental car firm for providing renter information to law enforcement. Is there any possibility that you could travel later in the year? Good luck with your planning!

Hi Ken- Thank you for your quick reply! Unfortunately, January or August are our two choices so I think we're going for January. We're OK with the cold but I was more concerned about driving in bad weather. Maybe we'll spend more time in the big cities with day trips to Orvieto, Assisi, Siena, etc. Thanks again!
-Michele

Michele: I agree with Ken. I've been in northern Italy in February, but I was skiing in the Austrian Alps. Nothing like Venice on a freezing day with waves whipping up over St. Marks Square. Give me August any day. If you're coming out of Rome, take a train just over an hour north to Orvieto to pickup a car @ Hertz. Their office is 100 yards from the front door of the trains station. I got my Hertz reservation at AutoEurope.com for less than Hertz' prices. And Orvieto is a fantastic hilltop city to stay in. You can drop the car off at Hertz' office @ 60 Sansovino in Florence, which is about 2 miles north of the train station. It's not close to the ZTL, and easy to find. You may have a harder time booking accommodations in Tuscany/Chianti until April. I prefer agriturismos, but many are closed for the season until April 1st.

Since you are interested primarily in Rome, Venice and Tuscany (Florence etc.), I think you should fly into Venice (VCE) instead of using Milan Malpensa (MXP), unless you absolutely want to see Milan. I suggest you do the trip in reverse starting from the north (Venice) then travel south to Florence and finally further south to Rome from where you can depart back to the US. I prefer to fly back to the US from Rome, instead of Venice or Milan, because the Rome Fiumicino airport (FCO) is only a 30 min. ride from the historical city Center, whereas both Milan and Venice airports are further from the city centers and require longer times, which, in case of early departure, force you to find a hotel in the boring areas near the airport the night before the flight. You can fly to Venice from LAX via several options. One way would be via Paris (CDG) with Delta/AirFrance-KLM/Alitalia (all partners with SkyTeam): LAX>CDG>VCE The return could even be non stop with Alitalia: FCO>LAX or still via Paris FCO>CDG>LAX. Instead of CDG you could choose to fly to Venice via Amsterdam Schipol (with KLM and Alitalia, still a SkyTeam code share) Other options include flying to Italy with the StarAlliance partners United/Lufthansa (via Frankfurt or Munich) or with the OneWorld partners (British/Iberia/American) via London or Madrid. Regarding the consideration about the weather given by the posters above, I agree. January is generally cold and lousy. I would use a city as a base for Tuscany (e.g. Florence) and if the weather turns out ok, rent a car or use public transport to visit the small towns from there. I don't recommend farm living in agriturismo in January. You might find yourself stranded in the mile long unpaved driveway mired in mud and/or snow.

Thanks you for the info! We're now trying to decide if we should wait for August! I also appreciate the flight info, I agree that leaving from Rome makes more sense. It sounds like we'll have more options in August but will face more crowds, right?

I've been to Italy twice in Jan/Feb and had a great time. Rome was wonderful... No lines, even at major sites, and I had many places almost to myself. Weather was very much like San Francisco, but a little milder. Orvieto was wonderful at that time IF your interest is the art and scenery... Some restaurants and shops were closed for the season. Assisi, as a major pilgrimage center, should be "open", although I've not been there in winter. A train ride across Italy to Gargano Peninsula was, to my surprise, beautiful in Jan. I've also been to Florence earlier in winter and enjoyed the relative quiet, despite the cold... There's plenty to do indoors. I'd just suggest staying in a very central location. I'd be concerned about driving in the north, unless you are very comfortable w ice on bad roads. But for cities, museums, and even the amazing art in small towns, I found winter a great time to visit. I found those visits to be far more peaceful than my normal timing in the spring or fall.

Thanks for your feedback everyone! We've decided to stick with the original plan and go in January but stick with the larger cities and take trains on day trips to the smaller towns. Being from Southern California, I'm definitely not comfortable driving in bad weather and we don't want to get stuck somewhere with a muddy road. I'll be back once we firm up our itinerary for advice and more questions. Thanks again for all of the responses!