Winter Travelers to Florence Be Aware

Florence belongs to zone D.
Heating can be turned on for a maximum of 12 hours between 5am and 11pm starting November 1 and until April 15.

The maximum temperature is to be set at 20 degrees Celsius (68F) but there is a tolerance of 2 degrees, therefore it is ok to have it a 22 C (71.6 F).

There are no checks done by authorities in private residences, as it would be practically impossible to accomplish, so it is left to people’s individual conscience. Enforcement is usually done only on public entities and businesses.

The heating will probably not be electric, but gas or oil, and in winter that causes air polution, and that would explain some of the restrictions.
But 20C is fine. I have the thermostat in my office set to 20. My wife has hers set to 18. The only place we heat to 22 is the bathroom. In the rest of the house we just wear clothes :-)
(In our AirBnB I can see and set the thermostats remotely btw, so I see what the guests do...)

But maybe the AirBnB has electric heating, and then it is undestandable. Economists have noted that houses in warmer climates tend to be colder than in cold climates. This because the cost of an extra degree of heat is quite higher in houses in warm areas than in cold areas, as there they tend to be fare better insulated.

I feel your pain. I’m always cold. I wear sweaters in August in Washington DC. In the fall and winter, wearing lightweight thermal underwear helps me. We live in a senior community in Northern Virginia. I wear it when we walk to a different building for dinner. Being cold in your own (temporary) home may be necessary, but it’s certainly not fun.

Well, look at it this way? You can always put more on but there's a limit to how much you can take off! :O)
(Our thermostat here in Minnesota is set at 68 in winter.)

That's the problem with not staying in a hotel!

Hotels are allowed to remain warmer. Good to know. Thank you.

https://www.explore.com/1585301/weird-heat-air-conditioning-rule-government-tourist-hotel-know-before-visit/

Many people do find 68 degrees quite comfortable but some do not. I assumed that hotels did not have this restriction but I did want to make people aware so that they could decide to use some valuable packing space accordingly. I have gotten so much good information on this forum (go to Ravenna!) but I had not seen many references to Zone D restrictions here. Just wanted to share my experience.

I spent five nights in a Florence AirBnB in January 2023. The host had a notice posted in the apartment that we could not turn the heat up above 68 due to the war in Ukraine. He said there would be a fine that would be passed onto the guest if we did so. I wasn't sure how that could be enforced, but I didn't turn the heat up per his request.

I'm usually pretty comfortable in cooler temps, but it was quite cold and windy while I was there and even I found that I couldn't get warm enough. I resorted to using the oven instead of the toaster for my morning toast, so that I could crack the oven door open and at least warm my hands over the heat coming out.

Welcome to the RS forum and thanks for this post! Although 68F is quite comfortable to me now as I've built up some cold hardiness, when I lived in FL I would have found 68 quite cold, lol.

For those that need an extra layer, I recommend you look at the 32 Degrees brand of base layer. They are very lightweight but provide just enough of a layer to add some insulation. I can wear the bottoms under my regular jeans. They are very inexpensive and here in North Idaho are available in Costco. You can also go to their website where the prices are a couple of dollars more (but still very inexpensive) and there is generally more choice of color and size.

Good post to help people prepare!

And the hotels do have to do it too. Part of the education that comes with travel. I love it. The articles i read put the reasons first on the environment and second on the war. We dont have the legislation here but they get a similar result by having different rates for different times of the day. Oh, and the cost per KWH is nearly twice that of what I paid in Texas, so we tend to keep things cooler in the winter and warmer in the summer.

68 on the thermostat isn't (necessarily) 68 in the room. Depending on where the thermostat is. And the airflow in the rest of the room and any leaks around doors/windows and such. I used to place cheap thermometers around a room to get an idea of how much it varied from the thermostat.

If you’re in a draughty old building 20C can feel cold. In a modern apartment with good insulation and underfloor heating it will feel comfortable. There are a lot of factors that influence how we perceive temperature.

Italy imported a lot of gas from Russia. The war in Ukraine has caused issues with lack of supply and the cost of all imported energy has risen sharply. UK has the same problem and why we’re now desperately trying to build new power stations.

The same 20 C degree limit (+ 2 C of tolerance, therefore 22 C) applies to both residences and hotels. Only industrial buildings are subject to the lower limit of 18 C (64.4 F), plus the same 2 C degree tolerance.
Therefore being in an AirBnB or a hotel doesn't change anything. The rule is the same. What might change is your ability to control the thermostat and set it at a higher level, in spite of the rule. My uncle tells me that if he's cold in the house, he sets it at over 22 and doesn't give a damn because nobody is going to come to his house and look at his thermostat. Hotels, on the other hand, may have the ability to centrally control the thermostat and the guest in a room may have to live with that setting.

The law setting these limits was promulgated in 2013, therefore the invasion of Ukraine has nothing to do with it.

Roberto, you arent the first to remind me that you cant trust what you read, the internet is full of identical false stories. But I guess it sells advertising: https://www.barrons.com/news/italy-turns-the-heating-down-to-cut-gas-consumption-01662479130

We found out on a RS tour in Italy that it can get chilly at night when no heat is allowed.

When the heat is on at home, it's always set at 70.

Mr. Ê,
The limit was temporarily lowered by 1 degree Celsius (from 20 to 19) in 2022-23 because of the energy emergency following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But it was a temporary measure and now the limit of 20 C was reinstated. The 2013 law is actually the most updated version of the law. Those limits were first introduced in 1993, and maybe nobody here in the Rick Steves’ forum knew anything about it and probably most of you have not been compliant all these years you’ve been traveling to Italy. I keep my thermostat in California at 66 F in winter because I like it cool, therefore I could qualify to sleep in an industrial warehouse when I travel to Florence and be compliant with the 18 degree limit as well.

I keep my thermostat at 18C because energy here so freeking expensive. I pay twice the cost to heat two thirds the square feet compared to 22c in Texas (yes, where the winter temperatures are about the same .... for a few months).

I did want to make people aware so that they could decide to use some
valuable packing space accordingly.

And good on you for doing so! My previous comment was meant sort of in jest 'cause the opposite, meaning an accommodation too uncomfortably warm, has been the more common issue on our travels. Just can't take off any more than the birthday suit, you know?

It definitely makes sense to prepare and pack accordingly. We once stayed in Malta for new year, and there simply was no real heating at all. Not that it was freezing cold - it never gets there - but it was a few degrees colder than I normally find comfortable…

Our thermostat here in Minnesota is set at 68 in winter.

Kate, our default is 67° and that drops to 58° at night (my son-in-law is a fanatic about conserving energy). But I've learned to layer up since we moved and my living quarters have thermal heating in the floors which helps. That said, when the wind chill was 18 degrees below zero recently, we did bump it up a few degrees. 😊

Many people do find 68 degrees quite comfortable but some do not. I assumed that hotels did not have this restriction but I did want to make people aware so that they could decide to use some valuable packing space accordingly. I have gotten so much good information on this forum (go to Ravenna!) but I had not seen many references to Zone D restrictions here. Just wanted to share my experience.

I'm confused. Didn't JS173 post this thread? Or is that you under a different name?

Regardless, I think it's great that you posted this. I was not aware of that and would certainly find it of value if I went to Florence (or any place in Italy). But you will find that people like to talk about the weather, and clothing, and layering, and temperatures, and so on. I always find it interesting to see what other people do, and so I like this whole thread. 😊

Kate, our default is 67° and that drops to 58° at night (my son-in-law is a fanatic about conserving energy). But I've learned to layer up since we moved hand my living quarters have thermal heating in the floors which helps. That said when the wind chill was 18 degrees below zero recently, we did bump it up a few degrees.

Oh my goodness, I think our garage is set at 55:) We are heavy on heating options with both gas and electric (dual fuel) in both the house and attached garage. If all else fails, we can hook up the generator. I'm okay without running the air conditioning in the summer, though.

In case I haven't given this link before, your son-in-law might appreciate his distant cousin's house project in Minneapolis: https://www.nordeastnest.com/ I think they heat the house with the energy equivalence of two hair dryers.

I think this is a great thread, too. We didn't know this restriction until we tried to turn on the heat on a cold, rainy night in Montefalco.

We had a similar experience in Florence at the Bnb we stayed at, only for us, we like our room ice cold at night and in late October we were told we could not have A/C on ( even though it’s advertised that they have AC). Thankfully, there was a large window that we could open to keep it cooler, but that let the mozzies and street noise in!

Oh my goodness, I think our garage is set at 55:) We are heavy on heating options with both gas and electric (dual fuel) in both the house and attached garage. If all else fails, we can hook up the generator. I'm okay without running the air conditioning in the summer, though.

We have dual fuel, too (and solar power,) although the constant texts from MNPower drive me crazy. And like you, we rarely run the A/C, but there are times when my grandson needs it if the heat is really bad, as it affects his oxygen levels. Thanks for the link about the project! I will pass it on to him.

Mardee, this is what happens when you post a response from your spouse's computer! I'm glad so many people have shared their experiences and suggestions. I would also add that merino wool undershirts really seem to live up to their reputation. That and a pair of 32 Degree thermal pants really helped keep me warm as we followed the rules of our host. It was worth it to stay in the shadow of the Duomo. That, and a cozy pair of Christmas print flannel pajamas that have made a wonderful souvenir!