3 weeks in Italy

[sonnyg007]

Hello All!, great set of forums you have here. So I find myself with a pressing need to get away from it all. Its always been my dream to travel to europe and I'm planning a trip to leave within the next 2 weeks. I just wanted to know any advice for Italy in February. How's the weather going to be? Cold as hell I bet Since I'm guessing its the off season for tourists this time of year is there anything I should know, like if some places shut down for the winter. Also if not Italy, what other countries are great during the winter?

I'm a 25 year old recent college grad so I like to have fun and meet people, i love to ski even though I'm terrible at it. I would also be interested in seeing the historic sites while I'm there. Any advice at all would be appreciated. Thanks!

[WillTravel]

Italy is great in the winter.

If you are going to visit Venice, decide whether you want to be there during Carnevale or not. (I'm not sure of the dates this year.) Accommodation will be expensive then, of course, but it would certainly be a neat experience. If you go in February when it's not Carnevale, then you can find great deals.

For me, Italy in December and January was not too cold (in 2004-2005), when I visited Venice, Florence, and Rome. You might want to check that your room will have working heat (more of an issue in the south). I think that a lot of attractions will still be busy, but this is a great time to see places that are otherwise very crowded in better weather.

I'd get an Italy guidebook, and decide what to see. The three cities I mentioned, you can't go wrong with. This might not be the best time of the year for countryside travel.