Italy in Late February

Weatherunderground.com will give you a 12 month chart for average temps and precip. You can plug in Chicago to compare. Anecdotal accounts of weather for a narrow time frame in a shoulder season are not something that I, speaking just for myself, would take into account. I was in Chicago once in late Feb and it was sunny, 50's for several days. Therefore? Well ... later in the week real Chicago winter came back. Floods: The floods, if they occur at all, are limited to a small part of the city and they last just a couple hours. The locals are well prepared for this, and they put up walkways above the water. I never have had to walk in flood water.

I was in Florence for one week in early March of this year. Almost every day was blue sky sunny and 50 degrees F. Of course, there is no guarantee what the weather will be like next year, but we were amazingly lucky. We had planned for colder temps and rain. No complaints, however.

If you only have a few days, pick one of the 3. We have been in Rome Florence area in this same time frame on 2 trips and loved it- no crowds to speak of. A fleece should suffice, along with a waterproof outer jacket. Have a great trip!

I agree. Pick just one and enjoy it. Both Florence and Rome have plenty of indoor options if the weather is crummy.

Thanks to all for your replies. I'll just set modest expectations with regard to the weather!

I was there a few years ago at the same time in all the locations you mention and the worst weather, at the end of our trip, was Rome....very chilly and terribly windy. As far as Venice, I expected cold and damp, so we were happy when it was around 45-60, some afternoons warmer. It did mist part of the time and mornings were foggy (great for photography). Be sure to check out the timing for Carnavale (that is when I was there) I would choose Venice over the others in a heartbeat.