Italy in Winter (February 2013)

Italy is open for business 12 months a year. Some opening hours may be a little shorter in winter (like Pompeii) and many museums observe a weekly day of closure (like the Uffizi on Mondays or the Vatican Museums on Sunday) however that's true every month, not just February. Yes the train also works 12 months a year.

Alfredo, Which Italian school will you be attending in Firenze? I may add that to my list for a future trip, as I'm trying to improve my Italian language skills. Were you planning to visit Pompeii as a "day trip" from Florence? That's going to be a LONG day! One point to mention is that I believe the Circumvesuviana has been suffering a few "disruptons" lately, so you may need to have a flexible schedule. Be sure to wear a Money Belt! Happy travels!

Alfredo: Pompei is 150 miles south of Rome. You can get there by train from Florence via Rome and Naples. If interested, buses are lined up to go the Tuscan hill towns and Siena across from Florence train station on the south side. They're to the right of the McDonalds' restaurant around the corner. And they're there everyday of the year.

Places that are weather-dependent, like the Cinque Terre, the Amalfi coast, and rural Tuscany, will not be at their best in February. They're not "closed," but some hotels and restaurants may be, and the general atmosphere will not be festive. Cities and their attractions (museums, restaurants, markets) don't have seasons like a resort or beach; while some of these have a closing day each week, they operate all year. This goes for large cities (like Florence) and smaller cities (like Lucca). Of course, for any place you have your heart set on seeing, do check the opening hours carefully. My sister complained that Rick Steves Italy only listed summer hours, and when she went in January (a few years ago) many places had shorter hours than listed in the book. English-language walks, museum tours, etc., may be absent or on a reduced schedule in the winter; of course, if your goal is to improve your Italian, a guided walk in Italian only is not necessarily a problem. You certainly won't run out of things to do at that time, and have the advantage of smaller crowds at the popular museums. Seeing Pompeii from Florence in a day is "possible" but not desirable; you'll spend more time in transit than you will at the site. Consider an overnight in Naples, so you can combine Pompeii with the Archeological Museum (where all the real goodies from Pompeii and Herculaneum are stored - a must see as far as I'm concerned), and maybe see Herculaneum as well. Yes, the transit for these (Trenitalia from Florence to Naples, and Circumvesuviana from Naples to Pompeii and Herculaneum) runs every day.

Thank you'll for your excellent comments/advise. My plan is to land in Roma and the next day, go to Pompei, not from Firenze. The school I'll attend is the Leonardo da Vinci. It has branches in several other cities. I hope I made a good choice. I probably will stay 2 nites in Naples, to see the Archeologic Museum there and maybe other sites. Thanx again!
Alfredo