Rome and Florence Trip Mon -Sunday January

Hi Amy - welcome to the forum gang!
Arg, too bad you couldn't have made use of the Saturday - or even flying out on Friday night - before the Monday arrival you're currently scheduled for as it would have made things a little less rushed. But it is what it is. :O)

Personally? I'd skip the whole car rental-San Gimignano-wine tasting thing for the following reasons:
There is SO much to see in Florence that you really need more than a day to see "all the major sights/museums."

As well, you know your teens best but I wouldn't think a wine tasting would rock their boat?

Italy has very strict drink-and-drive laws so unless you intend to have JUST a little taste, best not to take the chance.

Yes, it will be chilly and you could have rain; another reason to plan to be somewhere with lots of indoor attractions.

If you've not driven in Italy before, there's a learning curve that involves some homework.

Leaving anything at all that you do not want to lose in an unattended vehicle is not advised.

You might consider having your hotel store your luggage after check-out on Wed, spend the day in Florence, and take a later afternoon/early evening train to Rome. That'll give you more breathing room to cover ground as, ugh, after trying to sightsee that city at a dead run and THEN try to do an evening cooking class - on your first and only full day - might see everyone too wiped by evening to enjoy the class. But again, you know your family's tolerances best.

Alternately, you could just spend the entire 5.5 days in Rome: lots of see there to keep you plenty busy. Pompeii is a bit of a haul but I'd feel better about you trying to do that one if you had more than just 3 full days in Rome to work with.

Anything in particular your family is interested in that might help us make the best suggestions for your tribe?

Don't drive. Take train between Rome and Florence. Your kids would probably enjoy the Science Museum in Florence that has Galileo's finger.

I’d definitely skip the wine tour and car rental. It’s not the best time of year to visit a winery, and car rental adds needless stress to a short trip. I’d stay in Rome the whole time and do one or two day trips. You could do a food tour or cooking class in Rome.

Pompeii is a very long day trip from Rome. I did it, but it was a lifelong dream for me. Ostia Antica would be much easier. You could do Florence as a day trip or even spend a night there. It depends how much you want to see there.

car pick up at 9am take tour to San Gimignano 10-11am and then taken
to small vineyard for lunch and wine tasting

I read this is they are being picked up by car (private driver) and taken to SG then taken to vineyard.
There is no way they could pick up a car ay 9 and be at a tour of SG by 10.

Either way- I think I'd stay in Rome the entire trip. You only have 6 nights- which is just 5 non jet lagged days- barely enough to scratch the surface.
I would move the food tour to earlier in your visit.
If you want a day trip- head to Orvieto for the day

I spent mid-February to mid-March this year in Rome/Naples/Salerno--mostly in Rome. I see from the climate-summary chart in the Wikipedia entry for Rome that February isn't massively warmer than January, so my experience may be of some help to you. Thinking back to the first half of my trip, and with the caveat that weather varies a great deal from year to year as well as from week to week...

I was very lucky that every day seemed to get up to the monthly-average high temperature, which was in the low- to mid-50s F; obviously, that doesn't happen all the time! What I hadn't expected (not having done in-depth research) was that the temperature wouldn't reach 40 F until about noon. That proved to be a psychological issue for me, on top of my not being an early starter. As Midwesterners, I don't think you'll have much of a problem with the temperature even if it's somewhat colder than average for Rome.

That was my first winter trip to Europe. I normally travel in warmer months with just a lightweight fleece jacket and a waterproof rain jacket. I find dragging a full-length coat around with me on hotel-change days a real pain. Since the southern-Italy trip only involved four hotels, I decided to take a full-length, lightweight (unlined) raincoat. Then, on departure day, I made a last-minute decision to toss my usual rain jacket in the suitcase as well. I was very glad to have done that, because the likelihood of rain on most days was very low. It was easy to wear the jacket for warmth early in the day and then tie it around my waist or (if there had been no rain) stuff it in my purse. On the two or three days when significant rain was predicted, I wore the raincoat and was very happy to have it.

I had a hat and light gloves with me (and I'd make the same decision again), but I don't remember ever using either. I also had a set of merino-wool long johns, which I sometimes wore, being very cold-natured. I often wore a pair of flannel-lined nylon slacks I had bought from Eddie Bauer, because I found the morning temperatures chilly, and it usually didn't warm up enough in the afternoon for those slacks to feel like overkill to me (others would probably have a different reaction). Most folks wouldn't need to pack that way for the great weather I ended up having, but January will probably be colder than late February. I hated the four winters I spent in Michigan and remember them well; Italy's going to be a pleasant change for you, though you may have to deal with rain.

It will get dark very early in January. Sidewalks in some areas of Rome are not in great shape, and lighting isn't always good, so don't count on being able to walk around as fast as usual after the sun goes down.

I read this is they are being picked up by car (private driver) and
taken to SG then taken to vineyard.

You could be right. It was mention of the 3-hour "drive" to Rome that had me thinking they were renting a car for the day. I guess Amy will need to clarify? I would still bizbag the San Gimignano/wine tasting/car to Rome. Yep, could skip Florence and save it for a future trip when you could give it more time, and day-trip Orvieto from Rome. Sample itinerary:

Monday: Arrive in Rome. Get into the city and checked into hotel. Walk until suppertime. You could cover Trevi Fountain and/or Pizza Navona or some other stuff that's fun to see illuminated after dark depending on where you're staying.

Tuesday: Colosseum, forum, Palatine, Pantheon

Wed. Orvieto day trip

Thurs: Vatican museums/St Peter's + Ponte Sant'Angelo (my fave bridge!) Evening food tour.

Friday: Pompeii (do it yourself by rail: bus tours spend too much time on the road) or Ostia Antica, If you do Ostia, you could do the food tour this evening instead of Thursday.

Sat: Shopping, wandering, stopping into random churches, etc; a walking day in prep for a long Sunday flight. :O)

First of all, I want to thank each of you for taking the time to respond to my itinerary. I just really appreciate the help! It is a short trip, but I saw a window of time with super busy kiddos and year round athletes (sophomore and senior in high school and sophomore in college) and took it. I really want them to see Italy and don't see another time until... who knows?! I have a baseball player. lol!

So to answer a few questions back. Yes, I emailed a tour company that has a private driver that picks you up in Florence, takes you to a Tuscan town (San Gimignano) and then to a "small local vineyard for three course lunch with wine" (their words), then 3 hour drive. The younger two kids wouldn't do the wine part. I believe it is 18 and up in Italy to drink wine. I agree we could get the same amazing experience just at a restaurant. After I put this on the itinerary and went down this road as an option... I felt like it gobbled up an entire day. (and day light in the afternoon when it actually would be warm). But, I wanted to make sure before I delete it off the schedule that I am not missing something big. I agree we can do something like this again when the kids are much older and could enjoy a real Tuscan wine tour in our future. That answers that... I will take that out of our itinerary. Plus, I am sure the Tuscan countryside is beautiful, but maybe not as much in January. No worries, not drinking and driving. We have done Napa Valley with a driver and I can't imagine people do it any differently.

Agreed....I thought Rome would be great because of all the possible indoor activities. I didn't want a trip solely based on weather. I get to a beach and we have nothing do because it's not that nice out. I did research the weather that we are looking at 40s in the am and mid 50's in the afternoon. Agreed, I really am trying to book the museums in the morning so the chill is gone. Thank you for all the information on experience of what the actual weather will be. I did a compare cities search and it say Rome is comparable in weather to Oakland, CA. I love the info on the coats and rain gear...all the good details. THANK YOU!

My kids are normal teenagers but, do enjoy history. We took them to London and Paris 5 years ago and they LOVED IT! We used Context Tours for a couple days (family tours) and they loved that! (they were really interested in the WWII aspect of both cities as well) They were much younger then and can do the adult tours now. So they have a little bit of a base in regards to Europe and diving into the important highlights of the museums. I think they are very excited about the food (those tours and cooking class). My youngest son and I were outside of Chicago for baseball this summer and drove into see the Pompeii exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry. It was his idea and he was thrilled! I think that is how we got Pompeii on the list. I chatted with him about possibly seeing a different city, Ostia Antica, that has been preserved. He was excited about that as well! So I think we are pretty easy and don't want to completely put everyone over the edge. They do know I love a good itinerary! I like to to keep us on track and always okay to take things off, but I don't like to be fumbling around in the middle of a street looking to see what to do next. :)

Kathy, thank you for the itinerary you suggested!
I really appreciate all of you!

Don’t kid yourself about Rome weather being comparable to Oakland. I lived in the Bay Area for 62 years, and we never had snow that stuck, just a few flakes a few times in that period. The day after we left Rome the first time, they had enough snow that people were xcountry skiing in the streets.

On another visit, in early April, we landed to a temperature of 32 F. The next few days were also really cold and rainy. Be sure you are all prepared.

Oh really good info on the weather Rosalyn! I will absolutely keep that in mind! I love the real info from everyone! Rome is already saved as my next "Favorite" on my weather app to keep me up to date.

Hi Amy,
Just a quick suggestion. I would stay in both Rome and Florence. If you have your hotel booked in Rome and can change dates I would consider staying the 1st two nights and your last night in Rome, returning to the same hotel on your return. Ask the hotel if they can keep your luggage while you are away and then you can just bring a backpack or an overnight bag. A quick train ride and a new city will keep everyone engaged and I think everyone, including the kids, will really enjoy Florence. I stayed in the Oltrano section which is just over the Ponte Vecchio bridge. It’s an easy walk from the train station, especially with just an overnight bag. An easy return to Rome to enjoy your last night.
Good luck,

Your plans are WAY to crammed with items.

1) Save Florence for another trip. You can't do Florence in one day. Not sure you could do both Academia and the Uffizi Museum on the same day. You certainly can't do both and do the Duomo and tour the city all in one day. You need 3 days there.
2) You 4-5 days to see most of the sights of Rome.

3) At least forget the car rental, take the train if you insist on doing both cities.
4)Days will be short and cold. Have a nice warm overcoat, gloves, hat and good shoes or boots.

I have been to Rome twice for a total of 13 days and still not seen all there is to see.

Thank you for the continued suggestions! I am open to any and all! Any group or private tours or tour guides of Coliseum or Vatican that you found particularly engaging?

Just to mention... The Colosseum is not a difficult thing to understand; it's the Palatine and Forum that most benefit from a guide as they are much more complex sites. I'd suggest one of the 3-4 hour tours that include all three. A couple companies that come up a lot for smaller-group tours are :

Walks of Italy:
https://www.walksofitaly.com/rome-tours/roman-colosseum-tours/

Through Eternity:
https://www.througheternity.com/en/colosseum-tours/colosseum-tour-with-gladiator-arena-floor-and-ancient-rome.html
https://www.througheternity.com/en/colosseum-tours/colosseum-tour-ancient-rome.html

The Roman Guy:
https://theromanguy.com/tours/italy/rome/colosseum-tour-arena-floor

Hopefully, posters who've used any of the above or others not included will weigh in. I haven't posted links to tours that include the underground as there have been just enough last-minute cancellations or date-shifting of those that I've almost washed my hands of them. You can see down into the parts not covered by the partial arena floor, and the tours don't spend a lot of time down there anyway.

These threads have some discussions around recommendations for private guides:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/rome-private-tour-guides-55d9f82d-c7c6-4831-a8fc-76e087547058
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/day-tours/private-tour-guide-in-rome-italy

These sightseeing tickets need to be purchased in advance and may/will sell out early:

• Colosseum
• Vatican Museums
• Borghese Gallery
• Domus Aurea

Edited to add: I should also have mentioned San Clemente. See my later post for explanation.

Review recent threads on the Colosseum to see what's up with those tickets, which are tough to acquire.

Vatican Museum tickets are easy to get when they inintially go on sale, but they sell quickly. They can be sold out for weeks at a time, though tours don't sell out as fast as general-entry tickets. A lot of people recommend spending the extra money for an early-access tour to avoid some of the unbelievably-bad crowds during regular hours. We did have one recent report (VM thread--see post by melmay14) about an early tour that didn't turn out as expected. Here's the official Vatican Museum website: https://tickets.museivaticani.va/home/calendar/visit/Biglietti-Musei . Tickets are shown only through December of this year.

Changes in Vatican Museum ticketing procedures are expected for next year. I have no clue when they'll start selling tickets for January. I'd check the above link every day if I were you. VM ticketing changes

A few secondary sightseeing options related to special interests you've mentioned:

• Museo Storico della Liberazione, Via Tasso 145, is a museum about the liberation of Italy during WWII. It's near San Giovanni in Laterano and not large. Hours were a bit quirky last winter; it was free. www.museoliberazione.it

• L'Inferno Nazista is a new exhibition about the Holocaust in Italy. It's in the Casina dei Vallati in the Jewish ghetto area. I found it well-done. It has explanatory material in English--either posted or in the form of a translated handouts. It's small, but it took me quite some time (2 hours or more, I'd guess) to absorb everything. I can't find a website for this museum; do not click on the Google-supplied link to an article in The Local; that gave me a security alert and is probably virus-infected. It wouldn't be surprising for the museum to be closed on Saturdays, but I don't remember the hours. There are other Jewish-history sights in the area, but they are likely to be mentioned by your guidebook.

• Vicus Caprarius are ancient apartments uncovered recently near Fontana di Trevi. There's an entry fee. I didn't go in. This might be a convenient quick visit for interested members of your family since you'll probably be in the area at some point. (Unfortunately, the Trevi Fountain is always mobbed.)

Weather:

Here's a website where you can find actual, day-by-day, historical weather statistics for most destinations of tourist interest--including Rome and Florence. The data goes back at least 10 years, but checking the most recent 5 years should give you a good idea of the range of weather you may experience. I use this website to see how bad it could be and decide how far off-season I'm willing to travel to any particular area. It also helps with the packing list.

For some reason the statistics for Rome only cover the warmest part of the day (roughly 8 AM to 4 PM); it can be much colder at night. You can see on the (complete) graphs for Florence how sharply the temperature drops in the late afternoon on many days.

Rome weather - Jan 2023

Florence weather - Jan 2023

Use the pull-down box at the right, just above the graph, to change the month and year displayed.

Maybe one of your teens will do a study abroad in Florence in a few years....

...how we got Pompeii on the list...possibly seeing a different city, Ostia Antica...was excited about that as well!

Pompeii can be done as a day trip from Rome, but it will be a long, long day. Ostia Antica is not as large as Pompeii, and is different in some respects. But it is very similar, not nearly as crowded, and can be done easily and quickly using local transit. You should be able to tour the site itself throughly in less time that you will spend in transit to Pompeii.

Tend to agree with poster above about one day not being enough time for Florence. You might want to consider splitting the time between there and Rome and not going to San Gimignano. Or consider spending the entire time in Rome. Just food for thought.

Hi there, sounds like you have some teens who will enjoy the trip and you're asking the right questions. Glad to hear you decided to skip a Tuscan wine tour, that will be much nicer later in the year. Yep, Rome really isn't Oakland. We felt the chill in Rome over NY and we had layers, good hiking boots, gloves, wool caps and were coming from Sweden! You originally thought to take the train after landing & go directly to Florence. If you're going to stay the night in Florence, that's what I would do. It prevents one extra hotel change, arrive a few days later in Rome & only stay at 2 hotels, less time spent moving between hotels. OR better yet, just do a day trip to Florence & stay in Rome. You only have 5 days on the ground, with jet lag! (Have a look at @Pam's thread, "I tried the TimeShifter app", maybe you can use a few of the ideas to lessen jet lag.) https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/jet-lag-i-tried-the-timeshifter-app

I think your kids might like a tour of Ostia Antica as they expressed an interest in Pompeii, if you're not super burnt out on ruins by then. I have not yet taken it, but this is the one on our list for our 2023 NY trip back to Rome - https://www.moreofrome.com/tours/ostia-antica-half-day-tour/

Vatican museums - I would do some reading & look at videos of just how jammed they are & what's involved, see if you can get the early bird tour directly from the Vatican, it's just a few hours, & then peek into St Peters after the breakfast they serve you. You could also skip the massive museums, gasp, and if you're really interested, get into St Peters at 8:00AM when there won't be much of a crowd lining up. There is SO much to see & do in Rome & IMO, I would rather go to the Galleria Borghese, a smaller more manageable museum (that also requires tickets). And there's always the walking around town, having a gelato, peaking into a random church which will be amazing... eating pizza...

Sounds like you'd like some structure, and also some touring, but you've bitten off a long day thinking you will do the Vatican museums, St Peters, AND go shopping plus an evening food tour, I find museum walking much more tiring than, well, just walking. And cobblestones are harder on the feet! You could shift the Trastevere Food tour to the day of arrival, it might keep you awake! HA.

Trevi Fountain is a gem, I never skip it, but if you get there early in the morning it's relatively quiet - A wonderful walk is to start there & wander via Il Tempio di Adrianoon in Piazza di Pietra, to Piazza Navona, stopping off at the Pantheon. (Which now requires tickets, info on forum about the process) & end in Piazza Navona, at the amazing fountain. Hope some of this is useful, it sounds like a wonderful trip!

In my earlier post about sightseeing I forgot to mention that San Clemente, the tri-level church, requires purchase of an online ticket. They don't sell tickets at the church. I'm not aware of sell-outs; it's definitely not something you need to worry about now. Just don't show up without a ticket and find yourselves scrambling to get on online. You might end up having an entry time that requires you to twiddle your thumbs for a while.

Another correction: I said I never wore my hat. I was thinking about the wool hat I took with me, which remained in my suitcase for the entire trip. I always wore the same brimmed sun hat I use for warm-weather trips. It provided a good bit of warmth and blocked wind. I don't think I'd have been happy with nothing on my head in the morning.

There's a walking tour of Ostia Antica available for free through the Rick Steves' Audio Europe app. I thought it was quite good.

I just want to really thank everyone for the amazing details and confirming some of my thoughts! I did some work yesterday at moving our trip back a day and going to 6.5 days. I truly appreciate your input and ideas!
I think I did read that link about the Colosseum. I have read quite a few reviews about travelers’ guides cancelling. It might book that earlier in the trip and if it gets cancelled we could recover a still find another tour.

I am making a spreadsheet with all the ideas and from the forum and making sure I am keeping track of dates and ordering the tickets ahead of time.
I might keep asking questions as I continue. :) I am just taking in all your suggestions and moving on the “must do’s” now!
Best wishes!