December Weather and Holidays in Italy
| Title: | December Weather and Holidays in Italy | |||||||
| Category: | Weather and Holidays | |||||||
| Author: | Daniele Pintaudi | Updated: | Jan 30, 2019 | Views: | 5,781 | |||
| Tags: | december in italy december weather in italy travel in italy december | |||||||
It's all about Christmas and New Year's Eve. Enjoy the nativity scene at the Vatican, or visit Assisi, home of St. Francis. Towns throughout the country decorate beautifully and put on live nativity festivals during which they put on elaborate re-creations of ancient Bethlehem. Discover Torchlight processions, a Gospel Festival, and much more. Browse the wonderful Christmas markets in Rome, Naples, Florence and other cities... and take your picture with Babbo Natale (Santa Claus). You will find Christmas to be much more about family tradition than a commercial affair in Italy. It is the feeling of what Christmas once was.
Moving forward to New Years Eve, Italy is spectacular! Massive feasts are everywhere, and at midnight, the entire country erupts into a spectacular display of fireworks that is seemingly endless in both time and quantity!
Weather in the North (Venice, Milan, Turin, Cinque Terre, etc.)
The temperature range is roughly between the mid 20's to mid 40's (-3 to 7 C). Be prepared for a 1 in 3 chance of rain on any given day.
Weather in Central (Soriano nel Cimino, Tuscany, Umbria, Florence, Rome, etc.)
The average temperatures range between the low 40's to high 50's (6 to 14 C). Be prepared for a 1 in 4 chance of rain on any given day.
At our home-base of Soriano nel Cimino, expect the temperatures to be about 5 degrees cooler than Rome and Florence.
Weather in the South (Naples, Sorrento, The Amalfi Coast, Sicily, etc.)
You should expect temperatures ranging between the mid 50's to low 60's (12 to 16 C). This is actually the rainiest month in the deep south. Expect a 1 in 3 chance of rain on any given day.
How to Dress
Always dress in layers this time of year. You may find days during which a light sweater will be enough, and you may find evenings that require gloves, scarves, etc. be sure to have an umbrella with you in January.
Best Places to visit
Smaller towns in Italy have very little life this time of year. Visiting the countryside of Tuscany can be quite depressing. Most people find that the big cities are the place to be in the winter, with lots going on during the holidays and a very romantic winter vibe. If you could only go to one city in December, we would suggest Rome.
What's Special About This Time of Year
Holidays/Festivals:
The major cities have all kinds of holiday festivals and traditions.
Crowds:
Tourism is up during the holidays, as Italy is a popular places to celebrate Christmas and New Year's
Food:
Winter is the time that all the Italian comfort foods come out. You will find pastas with richer sauces, lots of amazing soups, more fatty recipes, and probably the single best reason to visit Italy in the winter: Italian Hot Chocolate: The rich and thick hot chocolate that is truly incredible. It is something between our hot chocolate and pudding, and leaves every visitor wanting for more and more and more.