Northern Italy in Winter?

Question

We want to go to Italy next Christmas with some friends. We have 4 adults and 3 children (9,9 and 4). We wish to rent an apartment/house in a lovely town, go skiing, eat fabulous foods and have about 1 month. Can anyone suggest places and tell us what the weather may be like? We are from Australia but we have been to Italy 8 years ago.

We wish to see Milan, Venice, Florence, etc

Answer 1

Weather in NI in winter is rainy, gray and cold. If there will be snow and storms, or will be reasonably fine is difficult to say, but for extended visits with small children, walking around cities is really not the best timing.

Have a look here:

http://www.eurometeo.com/italian/climate...

you have all the average temperatures.. If you can, I would postpone the trip to Easter time - a lot more userfriendly for walking around!!

Answer 2

LOL, I beg to differ about the previous poster's view on food!

Austria has some fantastic food, the only "problem" is that it is completely different from Italian food. Comparing the two is like comparing apples and oranges - both are very tasty, but you cannot expect to get the flavour of orange when you eat an apple.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisine_of_...

Answer 3

Rent a place in Piedmont near the ski resorts. The food in Piedmont is better than Tuscany though in the ski resorts it often isn't that great . I would suggest spend some time in a town like Saluzzo - rent a villa and a car and explore one of Italy's best regions and then perhaps a week in the ski resort itself . Also spend a few days in Turin if you are there near Christmas the atmoshpere in the city centre is fabulous with the markets bustling, chestnuts being roasted and some years they have a wonderful open air ice-rink in the central piazza.

The weather is cold in December but it normally isn't grey. Most winter days in Piedmont are clear and sunny - often the problem is that there is not enough snow. Many times the snow only falls late in the winter or early spring.

You are welcome to contact me if you like. I am a foreigner here but love helping others discover this part of Italy that I hold so dear.

Answer 4

Unfortunately "eat fabulous food" and "skiing" aren´t necessarily found in the same area. What is the primary focus of the trip? Better weather and better food will be found in Tuscany where you can rent a farmhouse for a month. Particularly in the off season this shouldn´t be too expensive. Then you might take a week trip up north. I would suggest the Dolomites rather than the Alps. You can get a Dolomite Ski Superpass which would allow you to ski in a number of locations.

Alternatively, if skiing is really the priority then focus on getting a lodge in this area. You could even spend Christmas in Austria. Just don´t expect the food to be on par with Tuscany or even Piedmonte.

Good luck!

Answer 5

Cortina is a beautiful town in the Dolomites where the winter Olympics were once held.  It is rather expensive, but the scenery is just unbelievable and there are lots of activities, restaurants, etc.  They have snow and not so much rain in the winter.  Florence, Venice and Milan can be rainy and are cold but don't have snow often.  I would recommend staying in Cortona for 2 weeks, then spending a few days in each of the three cities.

Answer 6

Temperature often drop below zero with ice and fog. If you go for skiing i advise you Trentino which is very nice and the cold is dry