artnbarb
1000+ Posts
Yes, this will be a pretty vague, subjective post, but I need to talk this out with someone, and who better than my SE friends? I know you all 'get' this, and many of you know our story, so perhaps you'll indulge me and give me some feedback.
Last year we visited Italy in late June. mainly because we wanted to visit England as well, and figured our best shot at good weather in England was during the summer. (The plan was only partially successful - there was a heatwave in Italy, and the weather in England was cloudy and rainy!)
First of all, let me say that we definitely want to spend time in Umbria - we have so many friends there, and visiting them in Umbria feels like going home. I'm guessing we'll spend at least 3 weeks on this trip, more if we can afford it!
We'd also like to visit LeMarche for 3-4 days, and I'm open to the visiting another area, but have no idea where! I don't want to drive all the way to Puglia, like we did a few years ago - too much driving! We've visited Emilgia-Rogmagna, and Piemonte, and the Cinque Terre, among others. As usual, I'm digressing, what I really want to discuss is WHEN to go!
This year we're visiting France during the first 2 weeks in May, and have no plans after that. So - when to go to Italy? Initially we thought we'd go in early September, mainly so we could catch the onion festival in Cannara. One big draw for visiting in the summer are the festas. but I'm not sure we want to risk another heatwave, and September seemed like a reasonable alternative. The days are still long, and most of our friends will still be there, so that's a plus.
I've also considered waiting until after Oct 15 when we can fly using (fewer) FF miles, then taking a transatlantic cruise back home. My reasoning for this, in addition to saving money, is that we could help our friends pick olives, and also take back fresh olive oil on the ship! The trouble with this plan is that many of the cruise lines are bringing their ships back to the U.S. much earlier than they used to, so those bargain cruises might depart from Rome too early for us.
How do you decide when to travel, especially when work and school schedules don't matter? Discuss.
Last year we visited Italy in late June. mainly because we wanted to visit England as well, and figured our best shot at good weather in England was during the summer. (The plan was only partially successful - there was a heatwave in Italy, and the weather in England was cloudy and rainy!)
First of all, let me say that we definitely want to spend time in Umbria - we have so many friends there, and visiting them in Umbria feels like going home. I'm guessing we'll spend at least 3 weeks on this trip, more if we can afford it!
We'd also like to visit LeMarche for 3-4 days, and I'm open to the visiting another area, but have no idea where! I don't want to drive all the way to Puglia, like we did a few years ago - too much driving! We've visited Emilgia-Rogmagna, and Piemonte, and the Cinque Terre, among others. As usual, I'm digressing, what I really want to discuss is WHEN to go!
This year we're visiting France during the first 2 weeks in May, and have no plans after that. So - when to go to Italy? Initially we thought we'd go in early September, mainly so we could catch the onion festival in Cannara. One big draw for visiting in the summer are the festas. but I'm not sure we want to risk another heatwave, and September seemed like a reasonable alternative. The days are still long, and most of our friends will still be there, so that's a plus.
I've also considered waiting until after Oct 15 when we can fly using (fewer) FF miles, then taking a transatlantic cruise back home. My reasoning for this, in addition to saving money, is that we could help our friends pick olives, and also take back fresh olive oil on the ship! The trouble with this plan is that many of the cruise lines are bringing their ships back to the U.S. much earlier than they used to, so those bargain cruises might depart from Rome too early for us.
How do you decide when to travel, especially when work and school schedules don't matter? Discuss.
