Hello Members!
This will be my first time visiting Italy. I'll be traveling through the 3 main cities, Venice, Florence and Rome. I'll be traveling the first 2 weeks of April. I'm looking for recommendations on packing weather wise for this time period.
Thanks,
Welcome to the Forum!
Layering is your key for this time of year. You'll be experiencing both spring and winter days. Most likely, the mornings and evenings will be quite chilly, so a packable down coat works well. Afternoons could be quite warm. Venice will be cooler than Rome. Rain is very possible, so a knee length raincoat, also packable, is a necessity , or a rain poncho. Don't forget plastic covers for your backpack and suitcase in the event of a downpour; I bring clean plastic trash bags.
The RS tours are informal, so no need to dress for dinner, folks wear what they have had on all day.
There are packing recommendations here on the Forum, I'm assuming you're doing carry-on only. My recommendation is four, five coordinating outfits, max.
This is a great tour, and I'm wishing you a wonderful trip. Safe travels!
Venice can be quite humid or actually foggy, so feels colder than the temperature actually is. I've learned from many Italy trips in winter and early spring (and also from my husband, a very experienced winter camper) to avoid wearing cotton. My favorite travel layers are a cashmere cardigan, a packable down-alternative vest, a packable down-alternative jacket, and a knee-length raincoat (all from Land's End). Be sure to try on your maximum layering --- you don't want to discover on the coldest day that you can't wear them all together. A scarf is a good idea, too. The vest is nice because it helps you avoid that stuffed-sausage feeling of wearing too many layers of sleeves.
Oh, and I never wear long underwear or a warm shirt or sweater as my first (unremovable) layer because you never know if an indoor space like a museum or restaurant (or a vaporetto in Venice) is going to be really cold or really hot, and you don't want to be stuck wearing layers you can't take off.
