It almost doesn’t feel cold enough to write about winter in a blog post since this November in Florence has been a sort of freakishly warm. And despite this weekend’s horrific tragedy in Paris and Beirut (and I thank many of you blog supporters who asked about Nico’s family – they are all safe thank you), I really hope that people aren’t scared to travel to Europe. The colder months are actually a fantastic period to visit Italy, while you can’t do much in 90-100 degree heat, even when it’s cold, you can throw on a coat, sling back a cup of espresso, and do plenty before noon. And in places like Florence, there is typically a jovial, excitement in the city before the holidays. Christmas lights come out and panettone in colorful boxes dot any and every store, providing light even when the sun sets quite early. The weekends still fill up in the city, but it tends to be more Italians than foreigners, grabbing hot chocolate with friends and getting a bit of last minute shopping done.
In honor of traveling in ‘off season’ though I am not sure that actually exists anymore here, our COSI blogger roundtable group has banded together yet again (and hopefully with more consistent posting patterns) with this month’s theme of winter. Naturally any time I could offer some tips locally is a worthy reason to write. Especially before Nico and I get married this month on the 28th (yay!) and leave for Thailand & Texas for the month of December. My full events list will be out later this month, but here are just a few ‘before you come’ winter suggestions for Florence, and well traveling abroad itself. Enjoy.
SAVE YOURSELF FROM ANY LAST-MINUTE HEADACHES & GET YOURSELF IN ORDER
Considering how high I imagine airport security to be this winter, a few tips that will avoid you getting a headache while traveling include, check your documents before coming. I’ve heard stories of people not being able to travel because they forget that their passports expired in six months which is typically a no-no for entering a country. Save yourself a headache and renew anything you need to renew, double-check it all. The rules for Italy is that your passport must be valid for at least three months beyond your planned date of departure from the Schengen area. (Six months recommended.) If you travel a lot, check how many blank pages you have in your passport, two pages are required for the entry stamp. You can check out what you need in order to travel to any country in the world (as a US citizen) on this website. I also recommend making a few photocopies of your passport, just in case.
Make sure everything is up-to-date and ready, and if you plan on driving, get an International driver’s permit. I’ve noticed that car rental companies won’t always require that, but if you get stopped by police, you could risk a fine by not having it.
Also when it comes to using your bank card, yes Italy is a lot better than it used to be regarding accepting debit and credit cards at stores and restaurants, you always want to carry cash at the same time. To avoid hiccups, let your bank know you’ll be traveling abroad and check your daily cash withdrawal limit. Also ask if they have any sister banks in Italy where you can avoid ATM (which is called bancomat here) charges when pulling money out.
Not that you need any to come to Italy, I always recommend checking to make sure your vaccinations are up-to-date, something I recently have had to do before going on our upcoming honeymoon in Thailand. Also I would stock up on some medicines such as Ibuprofen, which can be quite pricey in Europe or Imodium. These can all be found in Italy, but it might be nice to have it with you as well.
ITALIAN HOUSES ARE COLD, SO PACK WELL
A comment I have often gotten from friends visiting is just how cold Italian apartments can be, or well the inside of any building. In North America and even other area of Europe, people living in cold climates often have cozy, warm homes — enough to curl on the couch in a t-shirt. Well you can pretty much forget that here. Gas for heating is expensive, and most people don’t have their heat running on all day unless they live in a condominium where its included. Not a big deal really, just be prepared with longer pajamas, fuzzy socks and a sweater or two to wear in the house. I actually walk around with a small blanket to throw over my lap while working, no joke! Or for an organic heater, get a dog, our beagle ginger loves to be my lap-warmer November through March ;-).
When it comes to packing tips, the trick here is layers. November is unseasonably warm but that’s typically limited to sunlight hours, which means until around 5pm (check out a list of average temperatures here). You’ll want to bring a nice jacket, various pants, jeggings or tights and comfortable flat boots (I have more tips here). Also tank tops or shirts under sweaters are always a good idea. This city literally eats shoes, so unless you want to lose a stiletto, I’d stick to flats.
Don’t forget an umbrella, waterproof coat and a few scarves, but you can also get that in the city. I also highly recommend bring a small purse that zips for everyday use. I have a tendency to overload my purses with stuff I don’t really need during the day — it’s best to have a bag that fits money, passport, phone, phone charger and camera that you can strap in front of you and that has a zip.
I typically also bring some hair products, conditioner, makeup remover — which you often don’t find in hotels (not straighteners or anything you will plug in which will ruin here), chap-stick, moisturizer. If you find yourself in need of bobby pins or random things like that, just pop in any H&M which typically sells these items for a low price.