I am trying to make sense and finalize the itinerary for our December trip. We (husband and myself/mid 50's and 25 yo son) fly into and out of Rome. The flights are already purchased so there's no changing them. We arrive December 21 at 10:30am and fly out January 4 at 8:25am - 14 nights. Both my husband and myself have been to Italy several times but this is the first visit for our son. We want him to get a taste of the country, knowing he will over the years return on his own. We want to split the time between 4 different locations - Montepulciano (3 nights), Florence (3 nights), Naples (4 nights), and Rome (4 nights). We plan on having a car while in Montepulciano. All three of us just got our IDP's. With Christmas, New Years, Mondays/Tuesdays that affect museum closures, I'm having a hard time deciding the order of cities. Option 1 - Dec 21-Dec 24 (Sat-Tues) Naples, Dec 25-Dec 27 (Wed-Fri) Florence, Dec 28-Dec 30 (Sat-Mon) Montepulciano, Dec 31-Jan 4 (Tues-Sat) Rome. Option 2 - Dec 21-Dec 23 (Sat-Mon) Montepulciano, Dec 24-Dec 26 (Tues-Thurs) Florence, Dec 27-Dec 30 (Fri-Mon) Naples, Dec 31-Jan 4 (Tues-Sat) Rome. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated!
Posted by
New York, NY
14 posts
as has been mentioned, remember that the Jubilee begins in Rome 12/24 and millions of people are anticipated over the year, so do a bit of research. IMO, I would put some of the Naples or Montepulciano time into Florence & the neighboring towns & hill towns, some things may be closed during your time there so good to have extra days. We were fine spending a few hours only in Montepulciano and it was summer, not too many indoor places to go in winter to pass 4 days there. I could have spent a week in Florence, 3 days in Rome for us would have been more than enough. Perhaps with a car, head to the beloved Lucca, Sienna, and San Gimignano/Orvieto.
Can you leave out Naples and stay between Rome and Florence with the above filling ?
Posted by
OP
FL
83 posts
Our plan when in Montepulciano is to spend the days visiting some of the other nearby towns (Siena, Montalcino, Pienza) and returning to Montepulciano by the afternoon. Also, in Naples we wanted to spend a day at Pompeii and another day visiting the hometown of my husband.
Posted by
Gothenburg, Scandinavia
77 posts
I concur. Leave out Naples as there are some additional reasons; The authorities are very clear the volcano will erupt again, on top of 1 million Neapolitans. They have been offered to relocate but apparently there are no takers (according to Insight Guide Italy). There has recently been a volcano hazard on the Sicilian island of Vulcano too.
INSIGHT GUIDE ITALY (2017 edition):
NAPLES (page 337)
“Aware that 1 million people are sitting on a time bomb and that a major eruption is overdue, the Italian authorities offered to re-house local families, but the take-up from Neapolitans has been minimal”
CATANIA (page 369-370)
“a massive eruption in 2017 forced authorities to shut down Catania airport” --- “the city was covered in 1669 by lava which even advanced into the sea for about 700 meters (2300 ft)”.
Posted by
Calgary, AB, Canada
564 posts
I think I would lean towards your first itinerary. Either way you are spending Christmas in Florence, so I assume you are ok with skipping some museums if closed there. Pompei would be open for you for all of your time Dec 21-24. My only question is public transit on Christmas day from Naples to Florence, but I'm sure you can check if that is available. I would prefer to have the car partway through my trip with Montepulciano and all of those days are not holidays so smaller towns are hopefully open. The high speed train from Rome Termini to Naples is efficient too ( just watch your bags and try not to fall asleep!)
Sounds like a lovely trip. Enjoy
Posted by
SoCal
1168 posts
Avoiding Naples out of a fear of volcanic eruption strikes me as similar to never vacationing in California because of its earthquakes. The risk is less than minuscule.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11785 posts
I would drop Naples and stay in only 3 locations because no matter where you are, half of the 24th, all of the 25th, and to some degree the 26th are “lost days” in that there will be few or no sites open of interest to a traveler. You will be taking long walks, eating, and observing the holidays along with everyone else. I think Rome is best suited to the long stay including Christmas Eve, Day and Santo Stefano (the 26th) as there is much to see just by taking walks. There are precipe (Nativity Scenes) to see including a seasonal display of hundreds, churches galore to pop into, tons of open restaurants, although reservations are advised
Stick with Florence, Montepulciano and Roma. Not sure about order. I would be inclined to be in Rome no later then the afternoon of the 23rd to get settled before things start to close at Noon on the 24th. Perhaps Rome Dec 21-27, Montepulciano Dec 27-31, Florence Dec 31-Jan 3, then a last night in Roma be for flying. I am not a fan of having to go back to a city for one night like that, but I think Roma will be a better Christmas experience. You might want to have an apartment since there will be some hanging-out those days and it’s nice to have a kitchen and a lounge.
Posted by
OP
FL
83 posts
Thank you to all that responded! For me, Naples wouldn't be taken off the list due to the possibility of volcanic activity. I am aware that natural disasters can occur worldwide. We decided to go with the first itinerary. It is not ideal to be traveling at this time of year with holiday closures but, as a teacher, I can only take off certain times of the year. This trip will be different from others we have taken and we know that some days will be "throw away" days as most things will be closed. But, is a day really a "throw away" day when you're strolling around Florence or Rome?
Again, I appreciate those that took the time to respond!