In light of the recent heat wave hitting New York City, we thought it might bring us (and others) some cooling relief to write about our experiences in Tuscumbria during the cool winter months.
For us, visiting Tuscumbria during the winter has been both memorable and fun. One of the many benefits of traveling to Italy during the winter is that the number of visitors to Italy dwindles considerably and the crowds are so small that everything becomes more accessible and easy to navigate. The long lines at the Uffizi? Gone. The two hour wait to get into the Academy in Florence to see David? Gone. Popular restaurant wait lists? Gone. During our winter visits we see far fewer tourists and more of the locals and, for us, this is exactly what we like best.
Getting firewood |
Winter for us is a perfect time to do many of the activities that we enjoy most such as eating, walking and museum hopping. During the summer months, many of the restaurants are closed in August. In contrast, during the winter months, most restaurants remain open. With fewer tourists around and lower winter prices our restaurant options skyrocket during the winter. In winter cities have fewer tourists and smaller towns seem desolate. This makes for perfect walking tours for us. Museums are virtually empty during the winter (comparatively speaking, ofcourse) which makes going to them a delight. When we travel to the smaller towns our presence is greeted even more fondly by the locals.
Snowed-in at the Altabella Properties |
Visiting Italy during the winter months is a fun experience even when you get snowed-in. We've experienced being snowed-in twice in Tuscumbria. During our first experience the snowfall was so heavy that we were unable to get down the mountain for three days. During our second experience, we were snowed in for a day. Both experiences turned the property where we were staying at into a winter wonderland. Snowball fights, chats by the fireplace, warm pasta dishes & drinks made theses periods of winter memorable and fun.