Please sign in to post.

Southern Italy December 19-30, 2019

Does anyone have any experience traveling in southern Italy in late December and over Christmas? I need to kill some vacation days and would like to find some place slightly warmer that I haven't been before. I would travel from Naples to far southern Italy (already been to Rome/Florence/Venice/Tuscany). Would museums/tourist sites be open, or would that part of the country just be completely shut down during this time?

Posted by
7731 posts

Expect high temperatures in the 50's and lows in the 30's during that time of year. You can look up the historical averages online for anywhere you want to go to get an idea. Most museums and tourists sites have websites listing of when they are closed during the year, the obvious days being Xmas day and New Years day. The ferries are not running that time of year.

Posted by
26829 posts

I see you're in England rather than North America. Might Sicily be possible? I'd think Palermo would have plenty happening during the holidays, but I haven't checked hours of operation for the sights, and I have zero experience traveling in Europe during the winter.

Posted by
626 posts

I am DYING to see the Luci d'artista in Salerno! Such a pretty light display!

Posted by
15560 posts

I've spent time in Naples, Sorrento and Salerno in February in recent years. Some sights had shorter hours but all were open. So were most shops and restaurants. I'd expect December to be busier with all the holiday travelers. Weather should be very mild. Use this site to find daily weather conditions for the last several years. Paris is the default location.

The only area that seemed to be "shut down" was the Amalfi Coast - seemed that most tourist shops and a good number of restaurants were closed in February, but if the B&Bs and small hotels are open for the holiday business, then probably everything else would be. I think February is generally when they close up for renovations and vacations. Both Sorrento and Salerno were quite lively.