Years in the past, I made a decision to go to Rome in the course of the Christmas holidays. I had been to town a number of instances throughout super-heated summer season days when each museum cease felt like a go to to a steam room.
In December, issues couldn’t have been extra completely different. Skies have been overcast and grey, and the air was chilly. I needed to layer a sweater underneath the skinny jacket I had delivered to get me by way of the week. Empty streets left me feeling a bit of misplaced in a metropolis I believed I knew.
On my first day of touring, I walked to the Pantheon, pulling on gloves to thrust back the chilly as quickly as I stepped inside the two,000-year-old stone constructing. I had visited in summer season, however I had by no means seen the contours of the constructing from wall to wall and the small print within the huge dome. There have been at all times too many individuals.
I seemed on the shaft of sunshine streaming by way of the oculus and lingered inside, amazed at my luck of getting the place virtually to myself.
By the third day, I had warmed to the chilly. A go to to the at all times busy Colosseum was quiet and gradual paced. Folks-watching from the highest of the Spanish Steps revealed locals, who appear all however invisible throughout excessive season.
After I was able to rejoin the world, I went to St. Peter’s Sq. on Christmas Eve. I needed to see what it felt wish to be on the Vatican on the largest Christian vacation of the yr — and so did hundreds of others. It was a lovely and memorable spectacle. I felt grateful for having are available in winter, figuring out a quieter and extra reflective Rome was ready for me on the opposite aspect of the river.
What about you? Are you sport for experiencing among the Mediterranean’s hottest cities within the off-season? Right here’s the excellent news: Winter within the Mediterranean may be milder than different locations,. Certain, climate may be chilly but it surely’s additionally changeable climate, so don’t let that cease you. It’s additionally a good time of yr to indulge your self in artwork and tradition (to not point out great cafes, wineries, boutiques — January is a giant sale time in Europe — and different easy pleasures).
Since that first winter go to to Rome, I’ve gone again a number of instances and wish to share some locations the place you possibly can particularly savor artwork and uncover cultural gems.
Florence
The factor to do in Florence is immerse your self in all the pieces, whether or not it’s artwork and structure (the capital of Tuscany reportedly comprises extra artwork per sq. mile than anyplace else on the earth), wine tastings, fantastic eating or searching for excessive style and leather-based items. The small, walkable and picturesque metropolis — whose historical past takes you from Roman instances to the Renaissance and past — by no means disappoints.
The classics:
Begin your tour of Florence within the Accademia Gallery as a result of it homes certainly one of Michelangelo’s most well-known works. Irrespective of what number of instances I’ve seen the sculpture of David in pictures, nothing ready me for the size and great thing about seeing it in individual. And don’t skip out on the remainder of the museum. Its Museum of Musical Devices contains some uncommon items that belonged to the highly effective Medici household. You’ll be able to hear what the devices sound like once they’re performed, due to multimedia shows. One of the useful objects: a tenor viola made by Stradivari within the late Seventeenth century.
While you’re prepared, transfer on to the Uffizi, which may be overwhelming for the quantity of artworks inside. I encourage you to craft your technique earlier than you get there! “The Beginning of Venus” is at all times on the highest of my checklist (in winter months there could also be a break from the crowds). Botticelli probably by no means dreamed folks within the twenty first century would nonetheless be in search of out his shy goddess of affection rising from a clam shell. Tempo your self within the galleries full of famed Renaissance artists. Don’t miss “Primavera,” additionally by Botticelli, or Caravaggio’s disturbing depiction of Medusa, and likewise wander into random galleries and spend time discovering lesser-known gems.
A really completely different, far more modern basic in Florence is the just lately transformed Gucci Backyard. The Gucci style home has lengthy been based mostly in Florence, and this complicated, that includes altering displays of how Gucci reworked style previously many years is kind of intriguing. On my go to, the curated shows function one on Gucci’s signature loafers by way of the many years, one other with a whole lot of purses, and a 3rd that showcased robes and tuxes as worn by a mix of celebrities all through completely different many years. Additionally on web site is the Gucci Osteria and a bookstore and boutique. This can be a bit difficult to seek out (probably on goal) as a result of the doorway is unmarked, simply observe that it’s #10.
Different key websites:
You can’t go to Florence with out visiting the 600-year-old Duomo, the huge, ornate church formally referred to as Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral within the metropolis middle. I like to recommend taking the virtually 500 stairs to the highest of the wonderful dome by Brunelleschi, a feat of structure that provides views of town. While you’re prepared for some retail remedy, head to the Florence Leather-based Faculty, the place college students apprentice in all elements of leatherworks. The reward store options handmade items that vary from luggage, together with messenger luggage, to gloves and jackets.
I like “home museums” as a result of they typically depict how a household lives, from the rich to the on a regular basis individual. Casa Martelli gives a glimpse of aristocratic life in Seventeenth-century Florence. The design of the home is as fascinating because the artwork inside: murals that flip rooms into countryside retreats and lavish halls adorned in shiny colours.
Favourite discoveries
Situated within the coronary heart of town, Florence’s Mercato Centrale. The house, positioned within the historic San Lorenzo Market, has solely simply celebrated its tenth anniversary. There are two flooring; on the bottom degree you’ll discover the extra typical meals stalls that you just see in markets. Season allowing (I used to be there in March which isn’t an plentiful time of contemporary foodstuffs), you’ll discover flowers, contemporary fish, butcher retailers, domestically grown greens and wine (plus a couple of alternatives to purchase souvenirs). Extra rewarding is the ground above, which is a festive meals corridor, the place yow will discover freshly ready dishes starting from roast hen to something made with truffles. There are a couple of retailers right here, too, and so they promote pricier, artisan-styled reward objects (like 36 euro ceramic pitchers of olive oil).
In the case of locations of worship, there’s no lack of them in Florence. The Orsanmichele not often makes most vacationers’ lists and it ought to. It’s housed in a 14th-century market the place rich retailers of the day competed to make this the best church round. The consequence: beautiful sculptures of saints outdoors the constructing and an ornate, over-the-top tabernacle inside.
In the event you’re craving a very nice, actually native Florentine lunch, the very best meal of my most up-to-date journey in March 2024 was Il Santo Bevitore. It’s on the “different” aspect of the Arno (simply cross the Arno through the Ponte Vecchio bridge, take the primary proper, and it’s about three blocks down in a neighborhood referred to as Santo Spirito. The menu is small, seasonal and thoughtfully chosen. Similar goes for the wine checklist. I bought fortunate on a Tuesday afternoon and scored one of many final tables; it’s a locals’ place so be sure that to ebook yours forward.
Have to know:
Count on daytime excessive temperatures within the 50s F and lows within the 30s and 40s F in January by way of March. Cruise ships dock on the port of Livorno, about 75 miles away; chances are you’ll wish to ebook transportation to and from the ship by way of the cruise line. Different locations to go to within the area embrace the medieval walled metropolis of Lucca and the ever-famous Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Barcelona
On my first go to to Barcelona, I believed I might spend most of my time hanging out on the seashore in Barceloneta, strolling alongside the famed Las Ramblas boulevard, consuming limitless plates of tapas, and biking round metropolis streets. They have been tons of enjoyable — and but what struck me was how immersed I grew to become virtually accidentally, within the metropolis’s Roman and Gothic histories, and its structure, from historic to modern. I hope you, too, will come to grasp the sweetness and fiercely impartial character of this metropolis.
The classics:
The primary one is simple: architect Antonio Gaudi! It’s straightforward to fall in love with together with his work, no guidebook required. I stepped contained in the architect’s La Sagrada Famiglia cathedral and surrendered to his very private tribute to the glory of God. Symbols of nature abound. Impossibly tall tree-like columns line the nave. Rays of daylight pour in by way of stained-glass home windows that act like a coloration wheel, setting all the pieces aglow. No Roman Catholic Church can put together you for such a singular, creative triumph of religion and faith. It stays a piece in progress (Gaudi died earlier than he might end the cathedral); town is predicted to finish it in 2026.
A half hour’s stroll as much as Carmel Hill led to Park Guell, one other Gaudi creation. Sit peacefully on the serpentine bench inlaid with tile mosaics that snakes round the principle sq. and people-watch. From right here, you possibly can look down on what was presupposed to be a neighborhood of posh homes set into a big park. Just a few of the homes ever bought constructed (Gaudi lived in certainly one of them, and it’s now a namesake museum), however the gateway, winding footpaths, plaza and different remnants of the deliberate neighborhood stay. The massive mosaic lizard is a must-see. I fell for the large, concrete chicken nests resting atop columns that lined a footpath.
Subsequent Gaudi cease: La Pedrera, initially referred to as Casa Mila, which was commissioned to deal with a household dwelling and residences. The nine-story stone constructing seems to defy gravity with a floating, undulating facade. To stroll inside is to witness Gaudi’s genius at work. I couldn’t discover a straight line in sight. It was controversial for its design when it was constructed on the flip of the twentieth century, ultimately fell into disrepair and was restored within the Nineteen Eighties.
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On a strolling tour of the Gothic Quarter, you’ll discover remnants of historic Roman partitions and a cathedral that serves as a counterpoint to Gaudi’s modernist creations. Formally referred to as the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalie, the church displays layers of time intervals. It was began within the 1200s however the huge gothic facade was constructed 500 years later. Essentially the most stunning web site: 13 stay geese that wander within the cathedral’s backyard and cloisters. The variety of geese is a residing tribute to St. Eulalia, additionally one of many metropolis’s patron saints, who saved geese and at age 13 was martyred and crucified. She’s buried inside within the crypt.
Simply behind the cathedral is the Museum Frederic Mares. It holds a little bit of all the pieces, which is a part of its appeal. The namesake Mares, a sculptor, collected issues he appreciated, which included all the pieces from thirteenth and 14th century Spanish sculptures to trendy mundane objects comparable to eyeglasses, canes, pipes, umbrellas and different objects that gave him pleasure.
Favourite discoveries:
Housing one other fashion of artistry is Mercado de la a Boqueria, Barcelona’s fabulous, sprawling market. It’s positioned about halfway up Las Ramblas and the coated market has one thing for almost everybody. You’ll be able to choose up freshly made picnic fare, baked items and juices, purchase contemporary fish, meat or produce, and/or stomach as much as a cafe-bar for seafood cooked proper in entrance of you. Different choices (I selected all, in the end): splurge on decadent pastries and sweet, and even purchase fancy meals items on your mates at dwelling.
Towards town’s park-like Vallvidrera neighborhood is CosmoCaixa, a science museum complicated. “Flooded Forest,” which re-creates a small patch of the Amazon rainforest, is an exhibit inside a glass-walled exhibit. Right here chances are you’ll encounter an occasional rain bathe amid indigenous crops and creatures that embrace piranha and caimans. While you’re prepared for a nosh, head to Caelum (Latin for “heaven”), a bakery with loads of buzz. It makes a speciality of drinks and desserts made by monks and nuns from round Spain. The cafe opened a couple of decade in the past within the Gothic quarter and serves all the pieces from tea biscuits and cider desserts to beers made by Trappist monks.
Have to know:
Count on common each day temperatures within the mid- to higher 50s F, January by way of March. Cruise ships dock simply outdoors of town middle and also you’ll must taxi into the guts of Barcelona. Warning: Pickpockets are rampant in Barcelona, notably on Las Ramblas. Go away fantastic jewellery, fancy cameras and most of money in your cruise suite or lodge room secure.
Good
Do you know that a couple of years in the past, UNESCO designated Good because the “winter resort city of the Riviera?” A part of this pays a nod to its geography, bordered by the Mediterranean Sea and the mighty Alps. It’s additionally as a result of town is full of cultural and historic museums and monuments and its local weather is comfy. The truth is, Good-in-winter hasn’t been a secret since no less than the 1860s, when snowbirds, having found town was fairly good in cooler months, created the La Promenade des Anglais (the English Promenade).
Classics:
The Musee d’Artwork Moderne et d’Artwork Contemporain, Good’s modern artwork museum, showcases a group that spans from the Nineteen Fifties to at the moment, together with pop artwork, realism and extra. Don’t neglect to take a look at the rooftop exhibition house which has implausible views of town. Painter Henri Matisse was certainly one of Good’s legendary residents. Musee Matisse homes one of many largest assortment of his works (Musee Matisse is quickly closed from mid-February – late Could in 2024).
Marc Chagall was one other of the various artists who referred to as Good dwelling, and Musee Nacional Marc Chagall honors his dreamy, surreal works. Don’t miss the on-site bookshop, which along with carrying Chagall’s work in varied types (from books to prints to notebooks) additionally showcases jewellery and cultural artifacts.
Often known as Citadel Hill, the Parc de la Colline du Château has fabulous views of the ocean and metropolis from its perch about 300 toes above the Mediterranean. You’ll be able to hike as much as the park on the high — or take an elevator.
Different websites:
Vieux Good, town’s outdated city, is a fabulous warren of historic streets and homes, with galleries, boutiques and cafes. The Charles Nègre Images Museum affords non permanent monographic exhibitions and thematic exhibitions that vary from outdated images to digital photos.
Favourite discoveries:
Winter in Good, which has culinary influences from Italy in addition to France, is a good season to tuck into consolation meals, like daube niçoise (beef stew) and pistou soup (garlic, basil, olive oil however no pine nuts as with conventional Italian pesto). Drink hearty purple wine from the area.
On the boutique perfumer Molinard, in outdated Good, you possibly can take a category on mixing your personal signature scent.
Have to know:
Temperatures in Good from December to March common within the mid-50s F. Star Legend docks within the charming village of Villefranche; you possibly can take a take a ten minute prepare to Good’s Good-Ville cease, join a Windstar shore tour or ebook a taxi.
Rome
Throughout historic instances, the capital of Italy was the primary metropolis on the earth to notch a inhabitants of 1 million residents. These days the variety of folks within the metro space has quadrupled, but town stays near its historic self. Cafe-lined piazzas, Renaissance fountains, stylish style boutiques, landmark artworks and impressed eating places underscore the hyperlink between previous and current.
The classics:
The Colosseum is the biggest historic amphitheater on the earth, holding greater than 50,000 folks at a time. It was accomplished in 80 AD. I attempt to think about the rows and rows of seats stuffed, and followers cheering on — the lions or the gladiators? Greater than a decade in the past, scientists found traces of purple, inexperienced and black paint on the Colosseum’s partitions, suggesting the constructing had extra vibrant colours of their day.
The town has about 200-plus fountains, with the Trevi Fountain being some of the standard with guests. It’s an 18th century Baroque rendering of Oceanus within the middle, standing amid tritons and a chariot pulled by seahorses. Put your again to the fountain, toss a coin in and make a want (such is the custom). To see extra of the world’s treasures, cross the river into Vatican Metropolis. St. Peter’s Cathedral, middle of the Catholic world, and the Sistine Chapel within the pope’s quarters subsequent door are must-sees.
Or take pleasure in a straightforward stroll amongst Piazza Navona, Piazza Farnese and Campo de’ Fiori and the Spanish Steps and simply soak within the environment.
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For a whole departure from Rome’s historic and Renaissance previous, go to the museum dwelling of artist Giacomo Balla, referred to as Casa Balla. Up to date items of furnishings and art work are on show all through. Balla might not be a family identify however this oh-so modernist dwelling affords a little-known cease for design lovers. I perpetually advocate the Galleria Doria Pamphilj to mates visiting Rome. It’s a household dwelling full of frescoes and statues that stand guard over closely mosaic flooring. As a result of so few folks know in regards to the museum, I really feel like a private visitor, stalking the halls of the grand constructing that’s been dwelling to the Doria Pamphilj household because the sixteenth century.
Favourite discoveries:
The Capuchin Crypt, affectionately referred to as the Bone Church, lives as much as its creepy moniker. Nobody fairly is aware of why the brothers of the Capuchin spiritual order saved the bones of hundreds of members that have been buried between 1500 and 1870 — and adorned 5 chapels with creative shows of their skulls and scapula. The rooms are named for elements of the physique (Crypt of Skulls, Crypt of Pelvises, and many others.). The Capuchins, by the best way, really feel it’s not an oddity however somewhat a method for folks to replicate on their very own mortality.
If you wish to get a pleasant overview of town, head to division retailer Rinascenti, which has a captivating alfresco bar and cafe on the roof.
Have to know:
Daytime temperatures in January by way of March are in excessive 50s to low 60s F which will drop into the excessive 30s to the low 40s F at night time. Cruise ships dock in Civitavecchia, lower than 50 miles away. (Categorical prepare service to Rome takes about 40 minutes and Windstar affords a “Rome by yourself” motorcoach switch from ship to metropolis and again. )
Athens
Few cities have given as a lot to the world as Athens. The town’s tenets of philosophy, literature, artwork and structure unfold all through the West throughout classical instances. The traditional world continues to tell the current, a vibe you possibly can really feel even on an informal stroll across the metropolis.
The Classics:
The Acropolis is town’s hottest vacationer attraction and certainly one of its oldest. I’ve walked the grounds of the long-lasting fortress on a hilltop and thought in regards to the crumbling buildings wrecked by struggle, rocked by earthquakes and reimagined by rulers who tore down outdated shrines. I’ve additionally seen trendy renderings displaying what the spectacular assortment of buildings would have seemed like in its day.
Visiting the Acropolis helps me higher admire the Parthenon and Temple of Athena Polias, whose pillars are constructed of feminine statues, referred to as caryatids. The close by Acropolis Museum, which opened 15 years in the past, affords context to the greater than 4,000 artifacts discovered on the web site. It’s an excellent place to study in regards to the Acropolis and adjustments over the accompanying historic eras, from the Greek Bronze Age to the Roman and Byzantine eras.
In order for you a extra colourful understanding of the sweeping function that artwork and antiquities has performed in historic Grecian historical past and past, you may spend all the day at The Nationwide Archeological Museum. Its items span the intervals of geometric, archaic, classical and Hellenic intervals, and what resonates for me is the best way these items inform tales about life in these explicit eras. Ensure that to cease by the museum’s cafe, which options displays of extra modern creative expression.
Different key websites:
On a transparent day (in winter or in any other case) Lycabettus Hill, which, rising some 1,000 toes, is the best level in Athens. It affords breathtaking views from metropolis to sea and you’ll climb up, take the tram, or rent a taxi. And Syntagma Sq., the central sq. of town, has a beautiful location. It’s bordered on one aspect by the Greek Parliament and on one other by the start of town’s key procuring district. Close by is the Benaki Museum of Greek Tradition, which showcases artwork from historic to trendy instances.
Favourite discoveries
A whole lot of eating places in Athens provide views of the Acropolis however certainly one of my regulars there, due to its excellent views, day and night time, and outside seating, is the GB Roof Backyard Restaurant, atop the historic (and fairly stunning) Grande Bretagne. You’ll be able to have a meal or stomach as much as the bar (or higher but, snag a bar desk on the balcony), sip rose, snack on gourmand Greek tapas, and simply breathe. Athens’ Central Market is one other excellent place to sip or snack, in a extra boisterous environment.
Ilias Lalaounis was a jeweler who created elaborate and beautiful gold jewellery with themes impressed by historic Greece. It’s value taking a bling break to swing by his workshop, which has been became a jewellery museum. Inside are shows of his yellow gold creations in addition to some Olympic torches he designed. While you’re able to fast-forward in time, head to the museum run by the Basil and Elise Goulandris Basis. The couple collected 180 works of latest and trendy artwork that features impressionists Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh in addition to modern artists Francis Bacon and Roy Lichtenstein.
Have to know:
In January by way of March, count on daytime temperatures within the excessive 50s F and lows within the mid 40s. Cruise ships dock on the Port of Piraeus, about seven miles outdoors town. In the event you’re feeling adventurous, take the Pireaus metro to Syntagma Sq. (in any other case, a taxi is your higher wager).
Editor’s Observe: Windstar’s Star Legend is providing winter Mediterranean cruises in winter 2025/2026. The first itinerary sails between Rome’s Civitavecchia and Barcelona, with calls at Marseilles, Livorno (for Florence) and Good. A handful of sailings deal with Spanish ports, departing from Barcelona and heading to Valencia, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Malaga and Cartagena (together with Gibraltar).
