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Christmas in Florence and Christmas Markets

Christian

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Hi all! We're playing with the idea of a trip to Florence and Rome in mid-December. Since we have never traveled to Europe in winter, I have a few question.
1-How is Florence in December and at Christmas time? Will it be much different now because of COVID? Same question for Rome.
2-I kinda know what to expect in terms if temperature (being Canadians, we're used to much colder winters!), but what about rain? I read somewhere that it can be grey and rainy in December.
3-Will Christmas Markets be open (in both Florence and small Tuscan towns) or did COVID ruin that as well?

Thanks!
 
Hi, I'm keeping an eye on this post because I'm thinking of a trip to Bologna and Florence mid December too!
 
Y'all might want to keep your eyes on this website :
According to this, the dates for Florence Christmas markets have yet to be announced.

The Mercato di Natale Firenze also has a Facebook page, but it looks like it's not really active :
 
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We spent mid-December 2019 in central Italy (got that trip in just in time.) Except for one day it was in the upper 40's to upper 50's. We never had rain but its snowed (heavy wet snow) about 2 inches one day in Maranello. By the next morning it was gone.
 
weather in Florence seems to be very similar to weather here in the Boston area. Here's hoping the Christmas markets are in full swing! I'll keep on eye on the link above that @joe shared!

Mindy
 
You know the other thing about the rain, I used to hate if it rained when I was on vacation. However, as I've gotten older I've just seemed to roll with the punches. Kind of like if life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

I try to go prepared, but even if I am not, I did learn some good advice from Rick Steves. He said you don't have to pack everything. If you need something while you are there, just buy it.

When we did the UniWorld cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam it was in the 90's in Budapest. Later when we got to Germany it was unseasonably cold and in the 40's-50's. People, including my wife, had to go out to stores to buy some coats. It was really funny seeing some folks from Florida who were totally unprepared. :D
 
Thanks for the help! I booked our trip today! Florence for 11 nights and Rome for 7 nights. The reason why I worry about rain is because I've been to places where I got lots of rain and I find it hard to deal with, after a while. My first and only trip to New York was nothing but rain. Same for New Orleans, where we got REALLY heavy rain for four days straight (in August, which was a bad idea!). Oh and I am a Canadian who has never seen Niagara Falls on a sunny day! Ugh!
 
Christian: Cannot predict how much rain will fall in December, but this could turn out to be your opportunity to focus on indoor activities in both Florence and Rome: there are LOTS of museums and churches to visit.
 
Good point. We haven't been to the Uffizi in well over a decade, so it's definitely in our plans! ;)
 
Thanks for the help! I booked our trip today! Florence for 11 nights and Rome for 7 nights. The reason why I worry about rain

Although the climate crisis is making it harder to rely on historic weather averages, the data in the weather archives for Florence suggests that rain should not be a major worry for December : only about a 25% chance of rain on a given day, with average amounts being around 2-3 inches.

F R 1.png


FR3.png

I love rain, except indeed when we're on vacation in Italy.... :)
 
It's fine. We'll be OK and...in Italy! Now I have to figure out all the new travel complications (documents, COVID test, etc.). Ugh.

But hey, it's SO worth it!
 
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It's fine. We'll be OK and...in Italy! Now I have to figure out all the new travel complications (documents, COVID test, etc.). Ugh.

But hey, it's SO worth it!
I returned about a month ago from Italy and found that it wasn't as difficult traveling under Covid regs as I'd anticipated. A Covid test booked with a reputable lab that specifically does an international certification was not hard to find in my area. I was only asked to see it once upon entering Portugal, my entry point. Before leaving the US, the EU asks for a "locator" form to be filled out online. They agency managing it responds almost immediately with a return email and you are listed somewhere in the ether. That's it!!!
https://www.euplf.eu/en/home/index.html (this is the information you'll need). Again, I was only asked to see this once upon entering. You may be asked by your airline to fill it out again before returning to US.

I was asked for my vaccination card before entering any indoor venue, always with a mask. To return home, tested I found a pharmacy in town (ask in your neighborhood, hotel, friends, etc.), made an appointment for 3 days before departure, got tested and certified.

There were two options for testing when I was in Orvieto. One was a lab which gave results in 24 hours, 80 euros; the other was the doctor connected to the pharmacy, rapid test under 15 minutes for results, 20 euros. I chose the pharmacy and not seemed to mind the discrepancy when I entered the US. Hope this is helpful and you won't feel bogged down by the process. Have a fantastic time!

Cheryl

www.italianexcursion.com
 
I returned about a month ago from Italy and found that it wasn't as difficult traveling under Covid regs as I'd anticipated. A Covid test booked with a reputable lab that specifically does an international certification was not hard to find in my area. I was only asked to see it once upon entering Portugal, my entry point. Before leaving the US, the EU asks for a "locator" form to be filled out online. They agency managing it responds almost immediately with a return email and you are listed somewhere in the ether. That's it!!!
https://www.euplf.eu/en/home/index.html (this is the information you'll need). Again, I was only asked to see this once upon entering. You may be asked by your airline to fill it out again before returning to US.

I was asked for my vaccination card before entering any indoor venue, always with a mask. To return home, tested I found a pharmacy in town (ask in your neighborhood, hotel, friends, etc.), made an appointment for 3 days before departure, got tested and certified.

There were two options for testing when I was in Orvieto. One was a lab which gave results in 24 hours, 80 euros; the other was the doctor connected to the pharmacy, rapid test under 15 minutes for results, 20 euros. I chose the pharmacy and not seemed to mind the discrepancy when I entered the US. Hope this is helpful and you won't feel bogged down by the process. Have a fantastic time!

Cheryl

www.italianexcursion.com
Cheryl, great information, thank you for your "inside scoop"!
 
I returned about a month ago from Italy and found that it wasn't as difficult traveling under Covid regs as I'd anticipated. A Covid test booked with a reputable lab that specifically does an international certification was not hard to find in my area. I was only asked to see it once upon entering Portugal, my entry point. Before leaving the US, the EU asks for a "locator" form to be filled out online. They agency managing it responds almost immediately with a return email and you are listed somewhere in the ether. That's it!!!
https://www.euplf.eu/en/home/index.html (this is the information you'll need). Again, I was only asked to see this once upon entering. You may be asked by your airline to fill it out again before returning to US.

I was asked for my vaccination card before entering any indoor venue, always with a mask. To return home, tested I found a pharmacy in town (ask in your neighborhood, hotel, friends, etc.), made an appointment for 3 days before departure, got tested and certified.

There were two options for testing when I was in Orvieto. One was a lab which gave results in 24 hours, 80 euros; the other was the doctor connected to the pharmacy, rapid test under 15 minutes for results, 20 euros. I chose the pharmacy and not seemed to mind the discrepancy when I entered the US. Hope this is helpful and you won't feel bogged down by the process. Have a fantastic time!

Cheryl

www.italianexcursion.com
Thanks Cheryl! I did some research based on the useful info I got from this great Forum and found a place where we can get the PCR test done in Rome after Christmas. I'm starting to relax a bit, now! And am SO looking forward to our trip!
 
Hope that your trip goes as planned. It was so stressful waiting to see if our September/October trip to Italy and Egypt was going to happen or not.

My son and his new wife just canceled their deferred honeymoon trip to Germany and the Christmas markets there due to new Covid restrictions. Am seeing new restrictions in Italy for the unvaccinated, but the new variant popping up in Africa makes me nervous about how Europe will react. The threat of lockdowns is already percolating in Austria.
 
Hope that your trip goes as planned. It was so stressful waiting to see if our September/October trip to Italy and Egypt was going to happen or not.

My son and his new wife just canceled their deferred honeymoon trip to Germany and the Christmas markets there due to new Covid restrictions. Am seeing new restrictions in Italy for the unvaccinated, but the new variant popping up in Africa makes me nervous about how Europe will react. The threat of lockdowns is already percolating in Austria.
Thanks Alpinista! It aslo makes me VERY nervous. This is a trip we cancelled twice. Every time we bool it again, the numbers are low in Italy and then suddenly explode! The new variant is extremely concerning.
Crossing our fingers...
 

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