Italy has a famed Mediterranean climate, with warm dry summers and mild winters overall. But Italy is also a country of microclimates, with winter ranging from truly cold weather and extensive snowfall in the northernmost reaches of the country to much warmer weather and mild winters in the south. In a region like Friuli Venezia Giulia, which borders Austria and Slovenia and is home to the sharp-toothed Dolomite mountains, you can get a spectacular taste of winter scenery. Meanwhile, Sicily in the south is located in the middle of the Mediterranean area and receives Africa’s warm desert currents, creating a far milder climate. But while north and south do make a difference in Italian weather, it’s not nearly as pronounced as in the USA.  Venice, for instance, at roughly 45 degrees latitude is on the same latitude as the state of Maine but enjoys a much milder winter climate. The reasons are the tropical currents that flow north towards Italy, the dry desert Scirocco winds that warm the air, and the Alps which act as a stopping point to keep that warmer air over the country.

And of course, since Italian food really means regional food, the offerings for tasting are as varied as the microclimates, from the beans and sauerkraut hotpot with pancetta dish Jota in Friuli Venezia Giulia, to Sicily’s famed baked swordfish, capers, pine nut, raisin, olive and lemon rolls (Involtini di Pesce Spada), to the ‘don’t say you don’t like anchovies until you have tried’ Bigoli in Salsa— a Venetian anchovy and onions sauce over pasta.   

Christmas, New Years and Carnevale (Mardi Gras, Venetian style) are all huge winter events in Italy, as is Epiphany on January 6^th. Add in the opportunity for world-class skiing in the north, swimming in the Mediterranean in the south, far less-crowded accommodations and attractions, and you’ve got a great time to tour Italy—Winter.