Location  

Fiesole is the equivalent of a suburb or a small town located in the hills above Florence about 20 minutes away by bus.  Florence has a population of 400,000.  Florence and Fiesole are part of the region in Italy known as Tuscany, which is in Central Italy.  Bordering Tuscany are the regions of Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Umbria and Lazio.  The region of Tuscany covers almost 9,000 square miles and consists of rolling hills, mountains and rugged coastlines along the Mediterranean.  Florence is about 2½ hours from Rome and about 3 hours from Milan by train. 

Climate

Winter months in Italy are generally cloudy and rainy.  Cold temperatures rarely fall under 32 ° F (0 °C).  January - March in Florence will typically be cool, damp, foggy, and rainy, ranging in temperatures from 40 - 50 °F (4 - 10 °C).  Temperatures in April will be warmer, around 60 - 65 °F (16 - 18 °C).  In Italy, temperature is measured in Celsius.  F=(C*1.8)+32.  Ex.  21 °C = 70 °F.  

Time

When Central Standard Time is in effect in the United States, Italy is seven hours ahead.  Daylight Savings Time is also observed in Italy.

Currency

The currency in Italy is the Euro.  For the current exchange rate, click here.  Euro bank notes come in the following denominations: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500.  Coins are in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 1 euro and 2 euro.