Venice in December, now that is something I will recommend to anyone with a soul. Venice is a rather magic place at the best of times, but "in season" it is less than ideal - thousands of tourists (Germans, Americans, even some Italians, etc etc) and it's hot and crowded. One is constantly pestered by "gondoliers" (who are mostly in fact foreigners), touts for the glass-works, etc. We have had several trips to Venice at various times of the year, two in December were the easy best. From the practical point of view, the place is quiet - mainly Venetians, (who seem to all be away in tourist season) so that restaurants, hotels etc are not booked out, one can walk anywhere (the best way by far to see Venice) without fighting crowds, and the prices are no longer inflated for the tourists. From the aesthetic point of view, there is often mist in the alleyways, the sun is not so harsh, and there is an air of magic about the whole place, and (once again) there are NO TOURISTS. I could go on about this, but if you want my tip, VENICE is IT for your two weeks in December.

Paul in (thankfully) rainy Sydney