Early December 1 December
55°F
Typical afternoon high
36% historical wet-day frequency
Italy · Countryside
Is December a good time?
December averages 54°F afternoons and 62°F seas, with about 10 rain days.
Historical Toscana regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Florence, Siena, Pisa, Chianti and Lucca; conditions vary within the region.
What matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#8 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.
Plan your December
Afternoons around 54°F (12°C): a sweater and a light jacket; nights around 40°F (4°C): a warm coat. Bring rain gear: about 10 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 9 hours of daylight.
The sea averages 62°F. Our swimming guide: cold: short dips, or a wetsuit. Your comfort will vary. This is open water near the coast, not a beach-specific reading.
Monthly coastal averages from NOAA, 2011–2025. Sea temperature is separate from the weather and Overall scores.
The sun rises about 07:41 and sets about 16:40 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 40°F (4°C); afternoons reach about 54°F (12°C). Expect rain on about 10 days in a typical December.
Early, middle or late?
Early and late December have similar afternoon averages. The afternoon high averages 55°F on the 1st, versus 54°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 36% to 30% between those dates.
55°F
Typical afternoon high
36% historical wet-day frequency
54°F
Typical afternoon high
32% historical wet-day frequency
54°F
Typical afternoon high
30% historical wet-day frequency
Historical daily averages from 2011–2025, smoothed over two weeks. A seasonal pattern, not a forecast. This does not establish which week has the lowest prices or fewest visitors.
Public holidays · 2026: 8 Dec Immaculate Conception; 25 Dec Christmas Day; 26 Dec St. Stephen's Day.
Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2026.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 155° | 255° | 355° | 454° | 554° | 654° | |
| 754° | 854° | 954° | 1054° | 1154° | 1254° | 1354° |
| 1454° | 1554° | 1654° | 1754° | 1855° | 1955° | 2055° |
| 2155° | 2255° | 2354° | 2454° | 2554° | 2654° | 2754° |
| 2854° | 2954° | 3054° | 3154° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons hold at about 54°F (12°C) all month. The chance of a wet day runs 24–38%. Local schools are out 24–31 December 2026.
Schools here are off 24–31 December 2026 (Christmas holidays). Public holidays: 8 Dec Immaculate Conception; 25 Dec Christmas Day; 26 Dec St. Stephen's Day. Elsewhere in December 2026, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: France 39%, Germany 29%, Spain 32%, Netherlands 42%. (School holidays: official calendar, compiled by Bigfoot Wanders; other countries from OpenHolidays, ODbL.)
Visitor season
Low season. December averages 17% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than November.
Overnight stays across Toscana do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, busier than most of Europe this month.
Hotel price season
Well below usual. The regional index has no room-rate baseline in euros.
Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.
The hotel-season index is regional (ISTAT, NIC consumer price index for accommodation services (ECOICOP 112), by region); the country price level is national. Neither is a room quote.
Year-to-year variation
In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 51°F (11°C) and 56°F (14°C); in 13 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 54°F (12°C). Rain days ranged from 2 to 18; half the years had 8–12.
Rain days in each December
| Year | Afternoon high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 54°F | 11 |
| 2012 | 51°F | 11 |
| 2013 | 54°F | 5 |
| 2014 | 54°F | 8 |
| 2015 | 56°F | 2 |
| 2016 | 55°F | 2 |
| 2017 | 52°F | 12 |
| 2018 | 54°F | 10 |
| 2019 | 56°F | 9 |
| 2020 | 53°F | 18 |
| 2021 | 54°F | 12 |
| 2022 | 56°F | 18 |
| 2023 | 56°F | 10 |
| 2024 | 53°F | 9 |
| 2025 | 56°F | 9 |
Checked against official climate averages for Firenze Peretola. How we check
Compare dates
| Typical conditions | Nov | Dec | Jan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 60°F | 54°F | 52°F |
| Sea | 66°F | 62°F | 59°F |
| Rain days | 12 | 10 | 10 |
| Overnight demand | 19% | 17% | 14% |
November: Warmer afternoons, warmer sea and more rain days than December. More overnight demand. November guide →
January: Cooler afternoons and cooler sea than December. Less overnight demand. January guide →
Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues. Sea temperatures are monthly coastal averages.
Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. December stays as your reference.
March to October have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than December, but more overnight stays.
Your comparison
Overnight stays are 19% of the busiest month.
Historical regional hotel-price season: a little below usual. There is no room-rate baseline in euros.
Read the November guide →| Typical conditions | December | November |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 54°F | 60°F |
| Nights | 40°F | 46°F |
| Sea | 62°F | 66°F |
| Rain days | 10 | 12 |
| Visitor season | Low season | Low season |
| Overall / 10 | 7.2 | 7.4 |
| Month rank | #8 | #6 |
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Sea | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7.2 | #9 | 52°F | 38°F | 59°F | 10 | 5.6 | Low season |
| February | 7.3 | #7 | 55°F | 39°F | 58°F | 10 | 5.8 | Low season |
| March | 7.7 | #4 | 61°F | 42°F | 57°F | 9 | 7.0 | Low season |
| April | 8.0 | #3 | 67°F | 47°F | 60°F | 8 | 8.6 | Moderate season |
| May | 8.0 | #2 | 73°F | 53°F | 65°F | 7 | 9.4 | Moderate season |
| June | 7.1 | #10 | 83°F | 61°F | 72°F | 5 | 8.7 | Busy season |
| July | 6.2 | #11 | 88°F | 66°F | 78°F | 2 | 7.7 | Peak season |
| August | 5.8 | #12 | 88°F | 66°F | 79°F | 4 | 7.4 | Peak season |
| September | 7.4 | #5 | 79°F | 60°F | 75°F | 6 | 9.0 | Busy season |
| October | 8.1 | #1 | 70°F | 53°F | 71°F | 9 | 9.0 | Moderate season |
| November | 7.4 | #6 | 60°F | 46°F | 66°F | 12 | 6.5 | Low season |
| December | 7.2 | #8 | 54°F | 40°F | 62°F | 10 | 5.9 | Low season |
Near here
Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.
Bologna & Emilia-RomagnaItaly · about 70 miles
Balanced Overall 7.0 · Good weather, 51°F (11°C) · Low season · Cost moderate
UmbriaItaly · about 80 miles
Balanced Overall 6.9 · Good weather, 53°F (12°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
Rome & LazioItaly · about 130 miles
Balanced Overall 6.8 · Good weather, 57°F (14°C) · Steady all year · Cost moderate
Venice & the VenetoItaly · about 160 miles
Balanced Overall 4.0 · Poor weather, 50°F (10°C) · Low season · Cost moderate
Milan, Lake Como & LombardyItaly · about 160 miles
Balanced Overall 6.8 · Good weather, 49°F (9°C) · Moderate season · Cost moderate
Elsewhere in Europe
Tuscany's weather ranks 6 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside Italy have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Tuscany.
It's low season, 17% of the busiest month and 63% below its average month. That means about 52,000 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 53% of them from Italy itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 21,000 more: 41 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 65 |
| How our weather was checked | Official climate averages for Firenze Peretola from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 2°F (1.0°C), night lows within 2°F (1.0°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 14 |
| Busiest month here | August · 85 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 1.4% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 78th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 53% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 41 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 2.0% |
| Regional hotel-price season | Well below usual (−11% vs this region's average month). Historical index from ISTAT, NIC consumer price index for accommodation services (ECOICOP 112), by region; no euro room-rate baseline. |
| Population used | 3.7 million |
| Statistical region | ITI1 · Toscana |
Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation, by month and NUTS 2 region, 2024–2025 average. Overnight visitors per night is the month's nights divided by its days; the per-1,000 figure is Eurostat's, against each year's population. Platform rentals: Eurostat nights booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor, 2024–2025 average, shown separately because some properties are in both counts. Weather: Holiday Climate Index computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records, 2011–2025, population-weighted to the region; day-by-day figures are the same data averaged by date. Heat and rain odds are counted across those years. Sunrise and sunset: NOAA solar equations, local time. Prices: Eurostat price level index and HICP, national; the first figure is regional (ISTAT, NIC consumer price index for accommodation services (ECOICOP 112), by region). Full method · this region's data.