Italy in November/December

As weather is rather hard to predict, focus on cities: Rome, Venice, and Florence offer lots of potential for indoor and outdoor activities. If you have a rainy day, hit the museums and churches. If sun prevails, there are many outdoor sites (Colosseum, Forum, Ostia Antica) and day trips (Tivoli, Chianti, Siena, Laguna islands) to enjoy.

You have, I believe, 11 nights assuming you land on the 28th. I suggest you go to Florence immediately upon arrival at FCO and spend maybe 4 nights there. Then travel to Venice for 3 nights and finally back to Rome for the remainder of the time, 4 nights. You could slow the pace a bit and only stay in Florence and Rome.

I've traveled to Italy during this time of the year. And it is cold. Venice and Florence are freezing in December. So I think you have a good plan to focus on food rather than waiting in line in the cold. The further south you go the warmer it will be. I would focus your trip south of Rome. The further south you go the less touristy it gets. Which means more authentic food, cheaper prices, and warmer weather..... it's a win-win.

Venice can be cold and humid in late fall. I would go to Naples instead. Land - > Naples - > Florence - > Rome. Naples is fascinating, and offers access to Pompeii, Herculaneum, Capri... (you'll have to make your picks, can't do it all with three nights).

The thing about Venice at that time of year is that it is quiet, less touristed, no cruise ships. We love it there in winter.

The south can be as rainy as anywhere else and while it is also off-season quiet there. Capri will be veritably shuttered. Pompeii is, however, a joy in winter: uncrowded and no oppressive heat. Not much fun there when it rains, though.

The days are going to be quite short no matter where you go. I would not want to add cold+damp onto short daylight hours, so I would head south, focusing on Naples and Rome.

Venice and Florence are freezing in December...

That was not our experience in Florence. We were actually there later than your planned trip - mid December. While weather can vary year to year, it was mild an sunny/partly cloudy except for a little drizzle one afternoon.

There were a few mornings when there was frost on our rental car, but nothing that a jacket or sweater couldn't handle. By the afternoon we would be in our shirt sleeves with highs sometimes in the mid 60s. We live in central Georgia so it's not like we are used to frigid temperatures.

You can basically do Rome and south or Rome and north. We haven't been south of Rome but are yearning to go. Tuscany in December was wonderful. Florence was relatively uncrowded and Siena was even less crowded. The hill towns and countryside were charming. We had Radda all to ourselves for an entire morning, we didn't see any other tourists. Even San Gimignano and Volterra were uncrowded.

DougMac mentioned a car. I think that makes a lot of difference when you head out of the city. Having your own wheels insulates you from the weather to a considerable degree. I depend on public transportation and have been very uncomfortable waiting at bus stops or open-air train stations. I avoid cold-weather trips, so my problem has been miserable heat.

You could land at FCO and then get on a plane to Brindisi or Bari and visit Puglia. Puglia is great in November and December, especially the food.

For a country setting, go to Montepulciano. There is an amazing Christmas Market that starts mid-November and usually is open on the weekends until the week before Christmas (then it's open every day). Montepulciano is a great palce to relax, eat amazing food, and shop. It's also very easy to do day trips from Montepulciano to see Cortona, Arezzo, Pienza, Siena, Florence (only 1.5 hour drive).

Let me know if you would like some suggetions for restaurants and places to stay...

My experience in Italy off season has always been in February. My guess is that weather is not better then than at your time. I did have longer days than you will. You can check weather for most towns at timeanddate.com. This link takes you right to past weather. You will be able to see actual daily conditions for any month for the last 10 years. In February, I've had sunny afternoons in Venice at outdoor cafes sipping cold drinks and snow in Rome (it was gorgeous). I've had some cold days and some rainy ones but daytime temps were never below freezing and often warm enough to walk around without a jacket. Gelato is available year-round, if that tells you anything.

You have at most 12 nights which in practical terms is 10 days. You'll use 1/2 day every time you change locations, so with 11 nights, I would chose only 1 or 2 stays besides Rome. With 12 nights you could squeeze in a 3rd, but I'd lean toward adding a day trip from Florence or Rome. There are so many good choices. Florence is the easiest to get to on landing - do take Laurel's advice and not stay in Rome at the beginning. Venice is my favorite city in Italy and only second to Paris for the rest of the world. Bologna has several advantages (lots of portico lined streets to stay out of the rain, few tourists (but lots of foreign students), excellent rail connections to nearby towns for day tripping and a reputation for the best food in Italy. BTW Florence has lots of students and probably more tourists that Venice. Orvieto's historic city center is perched on a hilltop that is riddled with ancient tunnels that are interesting to explore and connected by fast train to Florence, Bologna and Rome. If it helps, the main train line from Venice to Rome goes through Bologna and Florence. The main train line from Venice to Orvieto goes through Bologna.

At that time of year, I would plan on city visits - if you dont have good weather, there's not much to enjoy in the countryside. Venice, Bologna and Orvieto have a quieter vibe and fewer tourists. Any of them would be a good addition to Rome/Florence.

Hi,

My two (2-week) trips to Rome so far have been in the month of December in the last couple of years.

Crowds were comfortable. The biggest draw was the weekend of December 8 -- official start of the Christmas season.

The celebration of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception takes place with blessings given by Pope Francis. He finishes at Piazza di Spagna laying a Laurel Wreath. A lot of Italians come to Rome to celebrate -- many families with wee ones, locals and travelers alike. Had to wait a long time for buses at the end of the night. They blocked off certain streets for pedestrian only.

This year, it will be right on Sunday, December 8!

At St. Peter's Basilica, you will see a gorgeous, hand sculpted Nativity and a beautiful Christmas tree. They should be set up by December 8.

You won't see this -- On December 12 is the celebration of *Our Lady of Guadalupe. Papal Mass for Our Lady of Guadalupe at 6:00 p.m. in St. Peter’s Basilica in the evening —Tickets are necessary

I went last year. Unbelievable and stunning Mass officiated by Pope Francis.*

Also in my second year in Rome, the city was setting up the Christmas Market stalls in Piazza Navona. It seemed successful. Perhaps they will bring it back this year.

Churches and major sites were not that bad for crowds. As I walked by restaurants, there did not seem to be a wait (maybe compared to the peak season.)

I favored a particular restaurant in the neighborhood I stayed in. I never had to wait for a seat -- probably because I went at a certain time of evening before the mad rush. After 8:30 or so, it seemed to be a little wait for some.

If you would like a bit of "Tuscan countryside," take a train from Termini to Orvieto. It is about an hour. A lovely day or overnight trip. Orvieto is in the Umbria region but has resemblance to Tuscany. It is known for its Classico wines.

Florence is about a two-hour ride by fast train.

If you are around The Vatican/ St. Peter's Basilica, walk to the Borgo neighborhood; located northeast of St. Peter's. There you will find shops and some restaurants.

Around the "Square," you may find it to be geared toward the tourist. That is not to say you won't get good food; maybe a bit higher in price? I don't have direct experiences with the eateries along The Vatican Square.

Check out the neighborhood of Trastevere if interested, watch The Roman Guy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v75H2alRIW4

And Monti. The Roman Guy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4XCIANUSXc

The Pantheon (Piazza della Rotonda) is quite lovely. My first trip, as I exited The Pantheon, I came out to professional street musicians. They played haunting melodies, Pink Floyd & a few others.

The Pantheon is active, so when a Mass is ongoing, no tourism will be allowed. One can join the service though. The Church is free to enter and small enough to enjoy and absorb in about an hour.

If you are a tea drinker and want something "unusual," check out namestey -- https://www.namastey.it/home/ -- near The Pantheon.

For weather, my experience -- First year, the weather was below average -- days were sunny and quite brisk with a wind chill. Nights dipped low. I was comfortable with my winter coat, scarf and gloves.

On the day I decided to book a spot to visit the Vatican, it rained lightly; not a cold rain though. Rest of the trip, the days were beautiful.

The second year I visited was a different weather pattern. Unusually warmer temps for a couple of days - up to 70+ degrees. Light rain for a bit then turned sunny and humid. Nights went back to near normal temps. The weather the rest of the trip was close to normal temps. and no rain

I was comfortable with my puffer coat, scarf and gloves when needed. Nights were down to normal or a bit below normal temps.

My trips both years were mirrored and yet temps varied a lot.

We went on an end of November trip to Florence, Naples, and Rome and experienced some rain and cool temperatures. We went to Capri but were unable to go to the blue grotto but had a wonderful time exploring back lanes and Tiberius palace.

We had another trip to Milan, Rome, and Verona in early January. A little rain in Rome but had some fairly nice weather.

Advice would be to be prepared for weather in 40-55 degrees and some rain. Dress in layers. We walked or took public transportation everywhere and had several outdoor activities but were not hampered by the weather.

The lower number of tourists made up for the cooler temperatures. We are from Chicago so the weather was nicer in Italy than back home.