Trip to Rome in December 2015 - Ideas for jaunts and in city cooking class

Posted by bonzodiva on 10/19/15 02:30 AM

We will be visiting our son December 4th - 17th who has studied at John Cabot University in Rome. We are looking for a good trip in December for the 4 of us. We are all fit and willing to face the elements. My husband and I will arrive on the 5th and then head to Venice and Florence. We will return to Rome on the 9th for a Roma game and our youngest son will fly in on the 11th.

Any ideas outside our 3 days for Rome from the 11th to the 17th? We do look forward to our son showing us his Rome for the days we spend there. Is Cinque Terre still a nice visit in December?

While in Rome, I love to read more about any cooking classes that our family would like as well.

Thanks SO for any ideas!!

Posted by Laurel

Forest Grove, OR

10/19/15 04:48 AM

11852 posts

The Cinque Terre is December is not ideal. I suggest you consider Sorrento. It is on the water, it's less seasonal than the Cinque Terre, and you can see Pompeii, Herculaneum, and the Amalfi Coast as well as Napoli. We did just such a trip on December and really enjoyed it. Rick Steves' Italy guide tells you what you need to know to make this trip.

Another option might be Firenze. Four nights is a nice stay there and also gives you time to see Siena while basing in Firenze.

A few years ago we took a cooking class with chef Fabio. It was a lot of fun!

Posted by Kathy

Minnesota 🎒

10/19/15 12:27 PM

16769 posts

It sounds as if you're already spending time in Firenze (Florence), and I'd agree that December is not a wonderful time to see the Cinque Terre so I could go with Sorrento as well (Pompeii, Naples, Herculaneum, ferry to Capri, bus to Positano, etc.) Much in Capri/Anacapri will be largely closed for the winter but if it's a nice day you can still hike to picturesque spots around the island. The archeological museum in Naples holds many of the treasures taken from Pompeii and Herculaneum, and crowds will be lighter at the ruins themselves - and temperatures more tolerable - than during high season.

That said, I'd also give Rome more than three days; there is SO much to do and see in that one, and there are any number of day trips that are very easily done from there. We've probably spent a total of two weeks in Rome over a couple of trips and merely scratched the surface.

Posted by Zoe

Toledo, Ohio, US

10/19/15 01:35 PM

11613 posts

I like the Castelli Romani near Roma, easy daytrips or overnights. Orvieto is only 70 minutes away from Roma. I also like Frascati, Bolsena, and Castel Gandolfo.