Italy in November (XP from MM)

[sicilygirl]

H and I are traveling to Italy next month for two weeks. He's never been, and I haven't been since I was 16 (~13 years ago). I'm looking for tips/ideas/recs for the trip from the experienced travelers on the board.

We're going to Bergamo first, which is near Milan, to visit a friend for 3 nights. We have two full days. One we'll spend in Bergamo, but the other could be spent in Milan or Venice (or somewhere else close by). Any recommendations on where we should go for that day trip?

After Bergamo, we're staying in Florence for 5 nights/4 days. One day we plan on doing a winery tour, although we haven't booked one yet. One day we are planning on taking a day trip to Volterra because I think it's such a unique looking little town. Has anyone been there? What did you think? Then we'll spend the other two days in Florence. We have an apartment on the south side of the Arno River that we rented, so we want to explore that part of town too.

After that we head to Rome for 3 nights/days. We're planning on going to the Vatican one day, and I booked the necropolis tour for that. We also are planning on going to the Colosseum and want to do the underground tour there, but I haven't been able to get the online ticketing to work so we don't have tickets for that yet.

So that's the basics that we've already planned. Any advice or recommendations on places to see/things to do/where to eat/comfortable shoes to wear?

[neonpink]

I was in Rome last year for Thanksgiving. They say November is the rainy season. I was lucky and didn't have rain while I was there (two weeks). You may want to bring a light rain jacket just in case. It also gets dark early in Italy this time of year. I believe the sunset around 530. Everyone is still out and about and it's a great atmosphere but you may want to get up a little earlier to see things in daylight too. It is one of the safest cities I have ever been in. I got up early one morning left my flat and walked to the Pantheon and the Trevi fountain all on my own. It was so peaceful and beautiful to explore by myself.

You may want to look into the Roma pass, it includes the Colosseum and other museums. Not the Vatican though. The Borghese gallery is one of my favorite museums ever. You need reservations but it's very small and easy to see.

Stay somewhere central especially if you are there for 3 days. I stayed in an apartment where I could walk to the Colosseum, the Vatican, Plaza Navona, and the Pantheon in a few minutes. It really makes the city so much fun to explore.


Definitely wear comfy shoes. I wore a pair of Frye boots, chucks and clark flats. I was happy to have some shoe options. My feet get sore if I don't switch up what I am wearing.

As for eating I had some fantastic street sandwiches in Plaza Navona, and fresh fruit during the market there during the day. Eat Gelato it's amazing.

[sicilygirl]

Thanks neonpink! We're staying in an apartment right by the Spanish steps, so I'm hoping that's a good location. I'm glad to hear y'all had good weather. I'm prepared for rain and cold in the northern areas, but some cool, sunshiney weather would be very nice! And I'll look into the Roma pass for sure.

[neonpink]

Oh If you are there on a Sunday, they close down the street by the Collosseum for pedestrians. It was really cool to walk around there.

Weather wise for me I had a light puffer jacket from Lululemon that I wore that could fold up into itself. I didn't really need a super heavy jacket for Rome.

I hope you have a great time and have good weather.

[sicilygirl]

We will be there on a Sunday, so we'll check it out!

[marytini]

We visited Volterra in June. There was something about it that I really liked, but I can't put my finger on it. We didn't visit any museums or anything while there, just wandered around, picked up some paninis for lunch at a shop, stopped by the amphitheater on the edge of town, peeked in on some alabaster craftsman.
I have a friend who actually stayed the night there years ago and said it was one of their favorite hill towns.
How are you planning on getting there? If you are driving, you could probably visit San Gimignano on the way there or back too.
You've probably seen this, but it might help: www.comune.volterra.pi.it/english/

[laurelle]

The weather in Rome in November is cooler and you will need a trenchcoat or jacket in case of chills. It can rain like mad in November or it can simply be cool with a bright sunny sky. There is no way of knowing for sure.