Florence, Italy....are we mad?

[Hairydogmummy]

We're booked to fly to Tuscany on Thursday to stay in a lovely villa with pool belonging to a colleague of DH but there turns out to be no aircon and in this heatwave?!! I've only just found this out. I'm worried about the whole trip but especially all the sightseeing we've booked on Saturday in Florence. We could still cancel this day trip at least without losing money. I've never been to Italy and was so excited to see and do as much as possible. DH colleague has advised us to just stay around the pool. WWYD? My DSD18 and DS 19 are coming with.

It's forecast to be hot, but not insane. I'd definitely cancel the sightseeing, but would probably still go and hang out by the pool, unless you can get a refund on flights etc?

Oh tricky. What’s the villa like - if it has thick stone walls and shutters it may stay cool inside, but any loft bedrooms will be hot. Is there a shaded outdoor eating area? Is it on a hill - might there be a breeze?

I’ve just come back from a similar temp holiday and in 35 plus it was only enjoyable with frequent dips in the pool or sea, a breezy covered eating area and a/c at night. Without those it would have felt pretty oppressive and I definitely wouldn’t have wanted to do any sightseeing before around 6pm.

I would cancel the sightseeing (sorry) and plan for beach trips instead maybe.

No aircon?! I would 100% cancel. Night times will be unbearable

We stayed in Siena this time last year and it was 38 every day.

We found we got used to it quickly, though the bedrooms in our apt had aircon, without that I'd have been very unhappy as the night temp didn't go below 30, there was no point opening the windows.

We did sight see and found it OK, some places had aircon. However the Ufizi was hell and definitely didn't have any aircon!! I was wearing a navy dress and when I took it off that evening, the inside had white lines down it where my suncream had literally melted with sweat while we stood in the first gallery at the Ufizi.

I think you'll have a lovely time if you go but try to get some fans to sleep with.

Enjoy the holiday do as much water activities as you can to stay cool , buy a cap and take a local tourist book with useful phrases they are so handy.

Rent a car with the air conditioning and five to the cooler parts of the area you are in or take a boat trip .

Plus if it’s way too hot have a siesta on the days that are 40 degrees in the morning.

You can wake up in the afternoon refreshed then that’s what I did one holiday in Greece a few years a go and it was a brilliant experience.

@minipie it's an old farmhouse up in the hills. Apparently it's 2 degrees cooler up there according to DH but really 2 degrees won't matter when it's over 40! There is a covered veranda and pool. Bedrooms are on ground floor. I can't believe there's no aircon @coffeeschmoffee. DH knew this but assumed I realised? I was like no, the assumption is that there would be. It's a beautiful big farm house with incredible views and infinity pool. They're quite wealthy obviously and use it a lot themselves so don't really get why they haven't put it in. I guess some people don't mind the heat.

Take some mini fans, you can't miss out on Florence! Mind you this new heatwave really I belong what anyone would expect but persi would still go and prepare best I could. X

New phone typos...this new heatwave is beyond...personally...sorry xx

I think it depends how well you and your family tolerate heat. I hate it and struggled in the uk heatwave so would never choose to holiday there.

I think without air con I would cancel I’m afraid

I’d still go but am ok in the heat - so it depends how well you tolerate it? If you don’t have to do anything, you can get up early, enjoy the ‘cooler’ hours outside and hold a siesta during the hottest parts of the day. Then have long lovely evenings ..

It would be an absolute no for me; I wouldn't get any sleep without aircon. The nights will be stifling. A fan will just blow hot air around and won't help. I also wouldn't want to drag myself around the sights in a heatwave. I adore Italy and Florence is incredible - but you want to be able to enjoy it. Spring time or early autumn would be far better if you can rearrange.

We aren't great in the heat tbh. We went to DH's auntie's awful villa without aircon a few years ago when it was just normal summer heat in Spain and didn't sleep much. DH is still determined to go but I think a lot of that is not wanting to appear ungrateful to his colleague. He didn't even really want to ask if there was aircon or not! It literally didn't enter my head until we heard about the heatwave that there could be no aircon in such a lovely house...I was like 'omg imagine if it didn't have aircon' and when DJ said it didn't I thought he was winding me up!!

I don't think I would go. I just imagine that it won't be relaxing at all and you'll come home utterly shattered through lack of sleep. I simply don't understand how you'll manage without some respite from the heat.

i absolutely wouldn’t be able to cope with no air con and I quite like warm temps ! Live in a country where we average 28 in summer and I could not sleep at night without air con ! 37 would be unbearable!
In fact I was in the U.K. last year when they had the heatwave and it was around 30 and I couldn’t believe how awful it was without air con ! We were all sleeping naked with wet towels on us 😂 out and about sightseeing will be awful
too

I'd ask for a bit more information..some of those old buildings are lovely and cool.

I don't envy you right now. Sightseeing in unbearable heat is not nice but see how you feel when you are there.

We went, 3 kids in tow on a day trip to Florence in an August heatwave and spent most of the time in an air conditioned handbag 😁shop. I had no problem pretending to be interested but DH struggled a bit. The walk to the meeting point for the coach back was hell. I'll never forget feeling that I wasn't going to make it.
We also went to Rome and Pompeii on that holiday and they were beyond hell.

We returned to Florence years later in late May. It rained but it was fabulous.

Don't miss out on Florence - give it a go, you can always find a nice air con shop like we did.

OP if it’s an old house it could be incredibly cool the way it’s built. I definitely wouldn’t not go because of this!
Buy some handheld portable fans.
You’ll regret not going to Italy.

Omg. Seriously 🤣 villa in Italy with an pool and you're worrying . You will survive and maybe even have a lovey time 🤪

I suspect it will be uncomfortable without aircon to say the least. But do you cancel? Unless it is easy and free, not sure I would. When faced with similar a long time ago (south of france, 40 degrees in a house, but built for those climes), we were OK most of the time, but used to wet the sheets with ice cold water and sleep under them as it got bad at night. Been to a completely different modern house last year (cyprus in august) and there was almost no way you could not have coped without the aircon. I do think it does depend on the house a bit. I'd go.

I'd go. Amazon sell some really good cooling towels which I use to sleep when hot, ice packs will also help. Is it possible to pick some fans up once there?

I'd definitely go.

You can swim just before bed. Keep the doors and windows closed during the day, it'll be fine.

Is it too late to rebook for the October half term holiday? We've swapped our holiday to Morocco from Aug to October and it'll be 15 degrees cooler. Which is an insane temperature drop if you think about it.

You'll be OK without air conditioning if there are fans - put cold flannels on you and run the fans.

I would go.

Buy some of those Dyson fans they cool you directly expensive but you will have to bring them home.