Slippery in Winter?

Great start to 2026 for you two, kinda jealous. I was in Rome end of this past February and did experience rain. My footwear all had good tread on the soles and I proceeded with the usual caution of walking uneven surfaces, plus in wet conditions. I didn’t have trouble but I was diligent about being focused, utilizing what railing or structure that might be available for safety. I might have felt a slipping motion underfoot once or twice but kept to ‘slow and steady wins the race’ and was fine. When walking down steep stone steps I really took my time. Enjoy your travels!

Hiking boots and layered clothing including a raincoat should do fine... Weather.com and Acccuweather.com can be consulted for weather variations in each month for European cities. Florence in January seems to be about 10C-15C daily. Venice floods most often during its winter depending on full moons (January 3 and 4, 2026), tides, south winds blowing water up the Adriatic etc. More common these days than decades ago, and still not too common... Otherwise it may be rainy in Northern Italy and cooler winds can blow down from the Alps. Have a great time.

Thank you both for the great advice! Your clothing suggestions look quite reasonable, and match what we were planning to wear. Would a taking a waterproof parka alone do, instead of taking a separate raincoat? We have only two carry-ons to hold sufficient clean clothing for thirteen nights, and we don’t want to spend valuable time hand-washing laundry in the hotel, so I only can take the parka that I shall take onto the plane.

It will be cold and sometimes rainy but the only possibility it will be slippery is if it snows, which is a rather rare event in all of those 3 cities. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen, but it is very rare. Just worry about cold and damp, especially in Venice. Rome is more like California weather, so be ready to peel off some clothes during the day because you might feel warm otherwise. Florence is only slightly colder than Rome.

Thanks for the advice! It looks like I’ll need to cram a second, lighter jacket into my carry-on for Rome in order to avoid overheating in the parka in places like the Vatican and other museums.

Mid-January could be cold in Venice so it might (or might not) be almost icy during the night in some untread corners and therefore slippery. But you should be fine with hiking boots. I always take a tiny thermometer on my winter trips. If you put it on your outside windowsill before going out it can be useful. Yes, I'm aware you get the 'official' temperature on your smart phone, but there are many microclimates depending on whether places are in the sun or in the shade.

That's good advice about the thermometer: thanks!

In reply to Roberto da Firenze's post above: Unfortunately, I have to assume that I can't take a second, lighter coat along (in addition to the parka that I'll wear on the plane) due to severe space restrictions in my carry-on. (We have to pack for a two-week trip, so I almost certainly cannot pack another coat!) I wonder if it REALLY would be unbearably hot to wear the parka all the time? I am pretty tolerant of discomfort when I have to be. I assume that most museums will have coat checks, but I am not sure about tours/tickets that combine the Vatican Museums, St. Peter's Basilica, and the Sistine Chapel, since they include several places: in that case, I'd be wearing the parka inside, in addition to a light vest with an interior pocket.

you won't need a parka in Rome, probably. Can you leave it at your hotel during the day when you will be at the most crowded sites - and the Vatican Museums are the most crowded of all!!

If it has been cold by Rome standards you may find St Peter's somewhat cooler because of the very high ceiling - nothing to stop the hot air rising.

There will be considerable difference between Venice - including wind and cold, and Venice's churches are like walk in fridges - and Rome..

I would travel with layers.

OK! I suppose I'll have to wear an extra coat under my parka when boarding the plane, ha ha! (I can take it off once I am on board.) Thanks for the advice!

I have a jacket I just use for my (fortunately frequent, never summer) travels. It consists in two layers - inside a fleece which can be worn on its own with a couple of zip-up pockets. Outside layer is a waterproofish jacket type thing with lots of zip-up pockets. Both have hoods. The fleece zips into the outer jacket. It's invaluable for travelling off season because either just the fleece, just the jacket or both together cover pretty much the full range of temperatures unless it gets down to zero, in which case an extra layer below the fleece. Here in europe I usually fly Ryanair and the main pockets can hold an ereader on one side and a half litre bottle of water on the other. It goes in the washing machine after my longer trips and after several years is still perfect. It was from Decathlon here in Italy and cost less than 50 euros.

Thank you for the useful and original advice!

Oh, and just one more thing:
I gather from the above suggestions that the Yaktrax antigrip devices that one typically straps onto one’s shoes for slippery trails would be unnecessary to avoid slipping on sidewalks in Venice, Florence, and Rome in January? (And on a related note, would one need to wear long johns for days-long bouts of walking to and from various attractions in these cities in January?) Thanks in advance for your advice!

Only in the unlikely event of snow (which may freeze into ice at night) will you need that type of stuff.

Temperatures in those cities rarely reach freezing level (0 C = 33 F) at night. Venice is the coldest of the 3, but not by a whole lot. I used to go to Venice every year at Carnival (generally in February) and I remember snow only once (less than one inch). It is generally cold and damp in Venice in winter, at least at night, but you won't need crampons. You are not going to climb Mount Everest. All you need is proper shoes (or boots) that are warm, and good for rain, which can certainly happen any time. Make sure they are comfortable because you will be doing a lot of walking, several miles a day in fact.

In the event of Acqua Alta in Venice, just stay outside of the low lying areas (like Piazza San Marco) and wait it out until the tide goes down. To walk in that you would need waders, which would take a lot of room in your suitcase.

Venice can be cold but beware the wind which can come in open spaces and surprise you. A nylon rain jacket can double as a wind-breaker.

I'll just echo Teresa's caution about wet steps: they can be VERY slippery. As Roberto said, while you're unlikely to have to deal with snow or ice, rain is a definite possibility so take broken-in footwear with grip made for wet conditions. I wouldn't advise Yaktrax or similar that are designed for packed snow/ice as they are damaging to bare stone/concrete and unlikely to be of much help anyway.

I vividly remember struggling up the Spanish Steps in Rome in the rain one day and seeing some folks take nasty tumbles: the smooth, wet travertine was like walking on glare ice!

When I travel to Europe in the winter I take a jacket that is both warm and waterproof, and I wear it on the plane to save space in my carry on. Maybe you can find something that is like that.

To the most recent respondents:
Many thanks for yet another group of helpful responses! I certainly shall keep in mind the potentially slippery stairs (and in Venice, the potentially slippery ). But it is good to know that I shall not need to take the Yaktrax! They are useful for hiking in the parks around Cleveland and in the neighboring counties, but I certainly don’t wish to damage anything with them in the Italian cities.
Am I correct to conclude from your comments that I shall not need to pack long johns? I hope not, since I don’t like to wear them, ha ha!
As far as footwear goes, I do indeed plan to take suitable hiking boots. That raises another question: does the Rome airport require one to remove one’s shoes at security? I ask because I am wavering between two pairs of hiking type shoes/boots. My preferred pair is taller and will require extra time and effort to untie and re-tie, whereas the other pair is shorter, and can simply be slipped on without untying the laces, which would be easier. Since we are going to be living out of two carry-on bags for two weeks, I cannot carry two pairs, so whatever I wear on the plane is what I am going to be wearing every day.
Thanks again in advance!

I have both too so I think I know what you mean the taller ones come up above the ankle and also protect the ankle from twists etc. The 'shorter' ones are still strongly made for hiking but are shorter so you can see the ankle bone? If you can 'see' the ankle bone you don't usually have to remove them at security.

The taller ones would be useful in January in Venice if you get bad weather, otherwise they might be too much - too warm for Rome and for the inside activities in the other cities too? I have never taken them on my winter trips in Italy. Whereas the shorter ones are more breathable and are still waterproof with a good grip. My husband wears 'midi' ones in wintery urban conditions.
You definitely don't need crampons, no-one wears them in an urban context in Italy. Also bear in mind that in case of ice or snow sidewalks and squares and pedestrian areas are cleared and then salted and gritted. The only exception is if it snows heavily maybe for the first day roads get the precedence. In Venice even if it snows, being close to the water its should melt quickly.
You could maybe wear the taller hiking boots but have a smaller pair of trail runners or similar for warmer conditions? Lots of people have to take off boots at the airport in winter, it's only an extra few minutes. I pack very light (5 weeks in Spain last Jan-Feb with one carry on and two very small backpacks), but I have to have a spare pair of shoes....

Long Johns are an interesting thing to think about with the travels you have in mind. We have merino wool base layers for winter outdoor activities, and they are the lightest, warmest thing we have, and we always bring them since they are great way to keep warm under a rain jacket even on a cool wet summer day. I am used to them and like them. My wife has really nice Merino wool 'Base Layer Top" that actually makes a great black winter top for evenings. So for what you have in mind layers versus single heavier clothes are the most flexible approach to take. (And they can be taken off and squeeze down well in a day bag if the days warm up).

I wouldn't base my footwear decision on what might or might not take five more minutes in the Rome airport. I would base it on what shoes will be better for your feet during your days and days of travel and walking.

Greetings!
Thanks for the useful new advice. On second thought, taking off and putting on and tying the taller boots for a minute or two will probably be less of a hassle than I expect, the more so as I can only take one pair of shoes with me ( the ones that I’ll wear on the plane) and the taller boots are really the better ones in terms of comfort and support. I’m not too worried about those boots being too warm during visits to indoor sites like museums, since that sort of issue never has bothered me at all during winter travels before (for example, in Canada), and the boots are not too warm. As for the long johns, I certainly can pack them in case they turn out to be necessary, since as you say, layers can be useful and the long johns won’t take up too much space in my carry-on bag.
Thanks again!

Since you haven't id where you are from I don't what you think cold is. If you are from Florida the down parka with furry hood comes out at 32 but youwait till -20 in Colorado. For us the key to packing light is willing to do laundry along the way. For winter travel we wear one and pack two changes of clothes. We include long underwear, a turtle neck, medium weight sweater, a medium weight down vest, wool scarf, stocking cap (critical, and waterproof gloves. And finally a good, quality, wind breaker/rain jacket We use a waterproof (NOT water resistant) shoe. We use a lugged sole oxford. Use a good quality wool sock and we use sock liners. Warm feet are critical. You don't a high top since you are not hiking in snow. I actually have a flannel line jean-like pants that I wear the majority of the time. We find that our exterior garments do not get dirty/sweaty as fast as during the summer.

We have made three winter trips mostly in France and Germany -- maybe 30 days or more. We were snowed on twice and probably walked around in slush maybe two or three times. Mostly it was just cold -- often in the teens and low 20s. We did not find it slippery at anytime. But we are pretty good at deal with ice, snow, and cold weather. We don't use a down filled heavy parka because it is too bulky and pain to deal with when inside.

PS Typing this while watching IU/OSU so excuse the errors and disjointedness.

Greetings!
Thanks for the good advice. It doesn’t seem like it’s going to be too cold in Venice, Florence, and Rome (compared to Cleveland, where we live) judging from what I have read online and from what has been written in the other comments above. And yes, we do plan on doing laundry when we arrive in Rome, if necessary. The staff at our hotel has assured us that a laundromat is located nearby.

https://weatherspark.com/compare/y/18154~72429/Comparison-of-the-Average-Weather-in-Cleveland-and-Venice

Wow, thanks! That is an excellent tool. It looks like the weather will be quite tolerable, given the clothing that we can take with us.