Italy in Winter

Good idea as long as you are happy to spend most of your time at indoor sites and go prepared for the weather. For us, we really enjoy visiting cities in winter and smaller towns and villages in spring/fall.

I think that the best time we have ever had in Florence was early December. It was cold, but we packed accordingly. It felt like we had the city to ourselves. I kept commenting that it felt like a movie set and we were the only actors. They were just gearing up for Christmas and there was a lot of cheer everywhere. I would certainly do it again.

We were in Rome mid November for 2 weeks and it was lovely. All the locals had warm coats on but coming from a colder/wetter climate, it was balmy for us. Only rained one day.

Check out Elizabeth Minchilli’s website and social media. She lives in Rome and says January is the best month to go as it is quieter and often sunny. February is likely a good time too.

We went in late February 2018 it was cold and we actually had snow but we had no crowds and had a wonderful time I’ve also traveled in early March again no crowds.

I'm going to Rome in early December and looking forward to no heat.

Just noting that Rome and Chicago are at the same latitude, so the days will be the same length.

I moved to Rome last year and found January and February to be the best months to enjoy the city. Sure, the days are short, but there are palm trees and the skies are blue! After the Christmas holidays everything just sort of relaxes. I think anyone coming from a place of cold and snow will enjoy Rome in winter. I know I did. Summer, on the other hand, kinda sucks....
Cynthia

Super excellent idea.

I just checked - sunset in Rome is about 20 minutes later than in Chicago in mid-February (makes a difference where exactly you are in the time zone :-). Certainly not a big difference. While they may be the same latitude, the climates are completely different.

Florence tends to be colder (something to do with its topography). I've spent many happy days in both cities in February. I only had snow in Rome and it was absolutely wonderful. It started as rain when I went to dinner, turned to slush when I went home, and the next morning the city was blanketed in snow and the sky was cloudless. Most of the snow had melted by late afternoon. Most of the time was sunny with mild temps (50s-60s) during the day. February is spring break for many European universities, so Florence can be quite full of students (mostly foreign), but nothing like high season tourism. Some sights in Rome seem always to be crowded, notably the Vatican and Colosseum. But many museums are wonderfully uncrowded, hotel rates are significantly lower, and nothing closes, though some sights may have shorter hours. There are plenty of indoor things if it rains.

I'll be in Chicago in October (my home town). PM in late September me if you want to chat about your trip.

Here's the day-by-day (almost hourly) actual weather in Rome last February. You won't see that again until April!

Go for it! I was in Rome in January. I tend to get chilled easily but was very comfortable wearing my silk base layer. Walked everywhere, 8-10 miles a day. Dined outdoors and was very comfortable. Blue skies every day! We enjoyed our evening walks; often walked by the same places during daylight hours and enjoyed the varied views. Fewer tourists (compared to summer)) was also a bonus.