There are many reasons to travel to Tuscany in January. First of all, this is the best time for enjoying the most popular destinations like Florence, Siena and Pisa. Crowds thin out during the winter months and if you’re up for some sightseeing and exploring museums around Tuscany, you’ll find it’s more enjoyable to visit the (normally crowded) Uffizi Gallery or the Square of Miracles in Pisa.
So if you don’t mind a bit of cold weather, and like travelling out of season, January is a great time to visit Tuscany. Shopping fans have another good reasons to come at this time of year: the sales start on the second week of January, and they give you the chance to bring home a few of your favourite Italian products.
If you’re planning a visit during the first week of January, note that the Christmas holidays in Italy lasts until the 6th January, so you’ll still be in time to see the Medieval towns dressed up for the festivities. Special events take place all around the region on Epifania (6th January).
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Tuscany in January – Is January a good time to visit Tuscany?
Yes, it is. Fewer tourists mean a more authentic experience of a place, and small Medieval towns like San Gimignano, Volterra, Cortona and Monteriggioni take on quite a mysterious air with early morning mists, longer evenings and wintery sunsets.
The countryside is quieter, and the views on a misty morning can be truly enchanting.
Keep in mind => If you travel to the most remote, and less touristy areas, you might find that some attractions follow a reduced timetable, and that some restaurants close for the winter season. But in the main cities and bigger towns, things run as usual, and you have a great choice of art exhibits and things to do.
Price for accommodations are definitely cheaper than in high season, and there’s plenty of you’ll have no trouble finding a room, even if you book last minute.
January in Tuscany – Events and Things to do
On the first week of January, celebrations for the New Year carry on. On the 6th January – day of the Epifania – many towns set up live nativity scenes (the one in the small hilltop town of Casole d’Elsa is quite famous – on the 1st, 4th-6th January 2025), Siena welcomes the Befana in Piazza del Campo. The traditional ‘Epifania dive’ takes place in Marina di Pisa, where brave swimmers brave the cold sea water for an invigorating start to the year.
On the 6h January Florence reenact the “Cavalcade of the Magi”, a spectacular parade in historic costume that offers you a glimpse of life at the time of the Renaissance and the Medici family => see more details in Florence in January events.
Art Exhibits throughout January 2025
Palazzo Strozzi is the top place for contemporary art in Florence, and this January 2025 hosts “Painting without Rules“, the exhibit dedicated to Helen Frankenthaler, a presentation of the poetic abstractions of one of the most significant American artists of the twentieth century.
The handsome Palazzo Medici Riccardi hosts an exhibit dedicated to Italian painter Felice Carena, who lived and worked in Florence in the first half of the 20th century – see official site.
Palazzo Blu in Pisa hosts a great exhibit dedicated to Japanese artist Hokusai. With more than 200 works, including never-before-exhibited masterpieces, this is a great opportunity to learn about the greatest exponent of the Ukiyo-e genre of the Edo Period. The famous painter and printmaker left us some iconic prints, like the iconic The Great Wave off Kanagawa.
Find out the Top Art Exhibits in Tuscany in 2025.
=> Where to see Contemporary Art in Tuscany
Some Trip Ideas for January in Tuscany
Spending time in one of Tuscany’s picturesque hilltop towns during the Winter months can be very memorable indeed. Yes, it’s quieter and you can’t dine outdoors, but you’ll feel a special magic in the air as you wonder the cobbled streets and pop into a welcoming enoteca for a glass of local red wine.
Wine Tasting is perfect at any time of year, and visiting the Chianti region offer you the great chance to try some of the local Chianti wine in superb locations. If you’re not planning to drive, you can join one of the Chianti Wine Tasting Tours, and explore Tuscany’s wine region at leisure with a local guide.
=> Get a true taste of the famous Chianti region on this excellent Full-day Chianti Wine & Food Tour departing from Florence. Travel through the Tuscan hills aboard a 4×4 off-road vehicle, stopping to visit a wine estate and historic villa. Sample the finest specialties at each stop, and save room for a 3-course meal in the Chianti countryside before making the return trip to Florence.
In Tuscany you find some of the best spas in Italy, with mineral rich water used since ancient times. On a cold winter day what could be better than pampering yourself, soaking in a steaming hot bath, and letting all the stress of the modern world melt away. You can choose between the open air baths (and free) Saturnia hot springs. Or pick your favourite spa towns: picturesque Bagno Vignoni, famous since Medieval times for the properties of its water, Rapolano Terme, and Chianciano, that offers the greatest varieties of treatments and accommodation options.
The small town of Buti, near Pisa, every January (on the Sunday after the 17th January) hosts a historic horse race. It might not be as famous as the one in Siena, but its roots date back centuries, to a time when horses used to be blessed on the day of saint Sant’Antonio Abate, protector of farmyard animals and pets.
Would you like to go truly off the beaten track? Head to Pontremoli, in the Lunigiana region, to see the spectacular bonfires. In the festival ‘Disfida dei falò’, the neighbourhoods compete to built the tallest bonfire – every year on 17th and 31st of January.
=> Check out more Inspiring Destination to visit in Winter in Tuscany
Tuscany in January – What to eat
Ok, the food here is great all year round, but there’s something about a thick, juicy Florentine steak accompanied by a bottle of aged Chianti Classico that really agrees with the cold evenings. Winter meat dishes include peposo, the traditional meat stew of the Chianti area, polpettone, and game sauces like wild boar. The queen of Tuscan soups is the beans and Tuscan kale-based ribollita.
Local Pasticcerie show off all sort of sweet treats during Winter: in January the Carnival traditional sweets (fritters and cenci) are already on the counter!
What is the weather like in Tuscany in January
The coldest months in Tuscany are January and February. January has an average temperature of max. 10 C – min. 1 C. Average Days of rain: 8.
Temperatures are always a few degrees higher on the coastal areas and lower in the mountains. In the Apuan Alps to the north and the Apennines in the West temperatures at the peaks can get down to minus 10. Snow is frequent in these areas, while rarely it snows in Florence and on the plains.
The days are shorter (sunset in January at 5pm) but during the day especially on sunny days it’s still quite pleasant, while when the sun goes down temperatures drop considerably => See Tuscany Winter weather more in details.
=> Why we love Tuscany in Winter
=> Looking for the Most Picturesque Villages in Tuscany.
Author: Sabrina Nesi, founder of Lovefromtuscany.com, passionate about sharing the beauty of Tuscany and Italy with the world.
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