While over twice as many holidaymakers will enjoy a holiday in Italy across the Summer months than during the Winter months, the Winter season is a great time to explore Italy. After all, you’ll be avoiding the crowds, getting much more for your money and there are even activities to be enjoyed in the Winter that you just won’t be able to take part in during the Summer. But, if you’d like to holiday in Italy this Winter, where are the best places to go? Here’s the Bookings For You team’s three favourite places to spend Winter in Italy, hopefully providing you with the travel inspiration you need.
Lake Maggiore, Italian Lakes
Perhaps not the first idea that comes to mind for a Winter holiday in Italy, but Lake Maggiore is actually a great option if you’e looking to escape abroad. With a range of ski slopes surrounding the lake including the 21 runs on the Mottarone above Stresa, the pistes of Cardada above Locarno or the smaller slopes at Passo Forcora, there are ample opportunities to get your fix on the slopes. Not only that but, head slightly further afield from the lake and you can also easily access the more well-known ski resorts of Airolo, St Bernadino and the Aosta valley (Pila) and Alagna.
There is much more on offer besides skiing though. Whilst you’ll find the frequency of boats that criss-cross the lake less in the Winter than in the Summer, they still run regularly enough to enable you to explore Lake Maggiore’s lakeside towns and villages. Winter is also a great time to enjoy hiking and mountain biking in the incredible countryside that surrounds the lake. Or for a more relaxed pace, head to our favourite lakeside lido at Locarno. Here you’ll find indoor pools as well as a hot outdoor pool that remains open even in the snow! Or alternatively you can enjoy a similarly relaxing experience at Splash and Spa at Monte Tamaro.
Each evening, you can head back to a cosy Italy villa rental to wind down and chat about your day. Why not treat yourself and enjoy the services of a personal chef to whip you up a real treat of a meal? Or enjoy one of the many incredible restaurants around the lake. Lake Maggiore has its fair share of Michelin starred restaurants to enjoy as well as more traditional family fun restaurants serving authentic local fare.
Sicily
There is no bad time to holiday in Sicily but a Winter break on this Italian island is certainly to be recommended. As in the Italian Lakes, in the more mountainous areas of Sicily, snow can be quite abundant in the Winter months from November through to the end of March. Sicily boasts two main ski resorts on Mount Etna – Piano Provenzana-Linguaglossa on the north side of the volcano which is home to 5 pistes, and Nicolosi on the south where there is one piste. Both offer both alpine and downhill slopes.
And yet, head to the lower ground and you’ll find temperatures far more temperate for your Winter holiday in Italy, often around 12 or 13 degrees. As I sit writing this on a cold January day in the UK, it’s currently 15 degrees in CefalĂą, Sicily! Perfect temperatures for exploring Sicily’s many attractions including the incredible ancient historic remains of the Valle dei Templi or the amazing collection of mosaics at the Villa Romana del Casale. And Sicily boasts so many fascinating towns and cities to explore too from Palermo to CefalĂą and from Taormina to Siracusa.
And all this sightseeing can be enjoyed with the backdrop of a number of festivals to participate in too. As an example, February is carnival month throughout Italy and Sicily is no exception, the most famous being that in Acireale. And there are lots of food festivals (sagra) over the Winter months too such as the Festival of Santa Agata.
Tuscany
Think of Tuscany and you usually conjure up images of sunshine and days by the pool. However, we love to holiday in Tuscany during the Winter. Tuscany is home to some of the world’s most famous cities – Florence, Pisa and Siena to name the most famous. However, Summer in Tuscany’s cities can be stifling hot and climbing up the 300 steps to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa or the 463 steps of the Duomo in Florence is not something we would encourage at that time. Instead, we are firm fans of exploring all these cities in the Winter months, when you’ll find far fewer crowds and a much more pleasant temperature to explore in.
In fact, we think Winter is a great time to visit any Italian city. Spending 48 hours in Milan, Bologna or Rome all come high up on our wishlist of places to spend a holiday in Italy this Winter.
And trust us, there is nothing more wonderful than a day spent exploring the sights and then coming home to a roaring log fire in your Tuscany villa rental.
Inspired to holiday in Italy in the Winter? Then take a look at the Italy villa and apartment rentals available from award-winning Italy villa rental experts, Bookings For You.