italy - november

fairdooes

thinking of travelling to italy this november, probably mid-later.

any suggestions of which place to go out of the three main destinations - florence, rome, venice?

Davey_s2

I've just come on here to see if there's any mention of rome- off there in december and am looking for a good quality hotel in the centre that (of course as always) is as cheap as possible. Going sun to wed so not going on peak weekend time, hoping for the best deal. If I hear of anything I'll put it on here.
PS rome seems to win a lot of votes for being the less touristy but more to see place, and off the beaten track it's quite MSE friendly from what I've read.

innovate

November, Italy - "brr, fog, cold, damp" springs to mind, at least for Northern Italy (incl Venice). Further south (Rome and down) it's probably not that bad, but I'd still pack jumpers and thermals.

Temperature chart

Sunshine and rainfall graphs for various ciites

Quasar

I was going to suggest the Northern Lakes - Como, Garda, Maggiore - as the locations are amazing, but this part of Italy is climactically, geographically (and even ethnically) more Central European rather than Mediterranean, so the cold really packs a punch.

If you are looking for a balmier climate, you would do well to head for Sardinia or perhaps Sicily.

fairdooes

cheers for the advice guys/gals

i'll probably go to rome since i want to be in italy.

also i've read somewhere that alot of the shops and hotels are usually refurbishing around this time... is that true or a google myth :S

VickyA_2

I'd suggest Florence, quickly succeeded by Florence and third choice: Florence!

Ok, so I'm slightly biased as I spent a whole month there earlier this year, but I still need to go back to finish the bits that I missed! It was a wonderful city with lots of gorgeous restaurants, gelato (ice cream) and an obsession with Michaelangelo and Pinocchio.

If you go to Florence, stay in the "Hotel Caravaggio" which is a 10 minute walk from the Duomo (cathedral) and a 7 minute walk from the station, so really quite central.

I also loved Rome, which is just 2hrs on the train from Florence.

Have a lovely time where ever you decide to go. Lucky thing!

PS Make sure that you learn the basics of the language/carry a phrase book with you at all times. Over the course of a month, it was interesting to see how tourists were treated: if they were trying to use even the most basic of the language, they were welcomed with open arms and helped out. If you talked loudly in English/any other language not Italian then they would ignore you and you would be branded as an "American". I'm NOT joking.

hubblebubble

Went to Rome for long weekend, last weekend. Fab place. Was really impressed with it. Loads to see. Walked absolutely everywhere. No where was far from Hotel. Weather good for time of year. I imagine November will be cooler. Stayed in very central hotel -Ottocentro- which found on Tripadvisor.com. Great website for reviews on all kinds of hotels.Hotel was not cheapest, but excellent and well located.
saw colosseum, forum, panthenon, St Peters, sistine chapel, trevi fountain, spanish steps, and shopped lots too!! You won't be dissappointed.
Good luck in your planning.

trisontana

Quasar wrote:

I was going to suggest the Northern Lakes - Como, Garda, Maggiore - as the locations are amazing, but this part of Italy is climactically, geographically (and even ethnically) more Central European rather than Mediterranean, so the cold really packs a punch.

If you are looking for a balmier climate, you would do well to head for Sardinia or perhaps Sicily.

Actually The larger Italian lakes have their own micro-climate. This is due to the large volume of water which retains the heat from the summer and ensures that the winters are not too cold. There are even olive trees growing round Lake Garda, at a latitude and altitude which shouldn't in theory support them. I have been to Garda at Christmas and the weather wasn't too cold at all, with just a dusting of snow on the mountain tops.

popapapa

Hi Fairdoes,

I'm a native Italian from the Northeast and I grew up in Venice.
It's true that our winters are quite bitter and there is a lot of fog around too.
If you are looking to spend a lot of time outdoors I would definetely head for Rome in November as the temperature there never goes under zero Celcius for the whole winter. If you are interested in art, on the other hand, and are planning to go before 6.11.05 Venice holds the fab "biennale" a bi-annual (hence the title) exhibition of modern art (and sometimes history of art) from almost any country in the world..it is also very child friendly with free special guides and art workshops for kids. Have a look at http://www.labiennale.org/en/art/
November is quite foggy and misty but I like it as there are not many tourists about and there is a surreal feeling to the place. Also Venice is quite a safe place compared to Rome/Naples and the food great and you can spend the evening in a local "bacaro" drinking wine and listening to jazzy music.

well I could go on for ages...Do I sound homesick?

nelly_2

Rome's great, we went in August for a week. Stayed at a hotel called the Raddison SAS its right on the train station and the underground so very handy to get around.

And a short walk to the Colloseum and roman forum, the sites are all fairly cheap its the eating and drinking that costs in Rome.

fairdooes

wow... cheers for more advice, i guess i have alot of reading/research to do :P