In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
The 1st of January is usually very quiet everywhere as most people are recovering from the night before, New Year's Eve or "La Festa di San Silvestro".
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
I hope you are aware that it can be bloomin' cold in Rome at New Year but otherwise you will have a great time. PS don't forget it is traditional to buy your wife, mistress etc red underwear at New Year - when in Rome etc!
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
We've celebrated New Year several times in both cities and it's been simply wonderful. Yes, very cold - remember New Year's Eve 1994 in Rome when it was so cold the Trevi fountain froze but just wrap up well and who cares. Getting restaurant reservations for New Year's Eve isn't easy, it's a v popular night to go out so you would have to book in advance and, yes, a lot of shops will be closed on New Year's Day. That said, shops in Florence in particular are now a lot more flexible about opening/closing and in recent years a surprising number especially those tourist related (as so many are) are open on 1st Jan. Florence is fab at New Year with great out door celebrations in several of the major piazzas. I'm possibly biased as I have so many friends there but I would opt for Firenze. If you need accommodation, also ensure you book that early as New Year/Epiphany week is a popular one for Italian tourists. V
ps: how do they celebrate? fireworks, bonfires, open air live music in Florence going on late in to the night/early morning.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
I agree with Violetta, Florence would be a better choice and you will find a larger number of shops and facilities open even if it is a public holiday.
The 1st of Jan is a public holiday so I expect many things would be closed , there would also be a big clean up going on in many of the piazza as most of them have entertainment on at the end of the year with fireworks ect;