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9 nights in Tuscany/Umbria—opinions on itinerary?

9 nights in Tuscany/Umbria—opinions on itinerary?

Old Jul 8th, 2014, 10:35 PM
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9 nights in Tuscany/Umbria—opinions on itinerary?

We're going to be in the Tuscany/Umbria region for nine nights around the end of August/start of September. We are traveling with two very young children (3 and 6mo). We've been to Florence in the past, but have seen little else of the region.

Leaving from Rome, we were thinking about
--heading to Siena for 3 nights,
--then to an agriturismo near Montepulciano/Pienza for 4 nights,
--and to a third location for 2 more nights
--before taking a train south to Salerno (for a ferry to Positano). Rome and Positano are set, but the other dates are still flexible.

Is this a good plan? Would you suggest a shorter stay/longer stay anywhere?
I'm pretty set on going to the agriturismo we found, but we could go there first or second. Would Orvieto be too similar to be the third spot?
Should we consider swapping in someplace like Perugia for Siena? Or otherwise trying to base ourselves further east for a portion? (to visit Spoleto, Assisi, etc.?)

A few other details about us:
Other than the agriturismo, I envisioned basing ourselves in a village or city where one of us can walk out during kids' naps or go to a bakery in the morning. We don't want to spend a ton of time in the car with them. We're not totally scared off by steep climbs.
But because of their ages, art museums are less of a priority than pedestrian-friendly areas. Main interests: people-watching, food & wine sampling, photography.

Any help/feedback is much appreciated!

Ashley
http://www.hitherandthither.net
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Old Jul 9th, 2014, 03:33 AM
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If you find a nice agriturismo near Pienza or Montepulciano, why not just stay there the whole time, instead of going to Siena for three nights? There is bus service from both towns to Siena, so you don't have to take the car into the city.

If you want to walk to a bar or pasticciera in the morning, you'd have to find an agriturismo very near a town, but I think these exist. Many agriturismi have their own bars, that are frequented by the people who live in the area, and that get their pastries from excellent pasticcere.

Orvieto isn't very much like Montepulciano or Pienza, but I don't see a point in going there for two nights. There are lots of things that would be fun for older kids, but with the two little children, I don't thing that even you adults could do much more than admire the Duomo, which is spectacular, to be sure. In Orvieto's favor, you probably could drop your rental car there and proceed by train to Rome, where you could change to a fast train to Salerno.

Assisi is a beautiful town, which I really like a lot, with some good restaurants, great views over the countryside, and some of Italy's most important Renaissance art in its basilicas. However, it's a bit out of your way, for getting to Salerno afterwards. If you could perhaps leave the car in Foligno, which I'm not sure about, the trip wouldn't be much longer than from Orvieto.

Another possibility would be to spend a few nights on the shores of one of the large lakes near Rome. There are several towns on Lake Bracciano, at the very least Bracciano and Anguillara, that are connected by train or bus to Rome. In this case, you'd be even closer than in Orvieto. Tivoli is another possibility near Rome. I don't know the nearest car rental agency to either town.

Staying closer to Rome would have the advantage of making the trip to Positano, which will be long no matter where you stay north of Rome, a little shorter.

When I've traveled with very small children, I feel as though the most important thing is not to move them around too much. They get used to sleeping in a certain bed, and they don't like the traveling part, whether by train or car. Even nine days in the same place, if it's a nice place from which you can take pleasant drives, shouldn't be too much.
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Old Jul 9th, 2014, 07:20 AM
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At that time of year, I wouldn't spend much time in hot and crowded Siena and might skip it entirely. I'd split the nights between a spot in Tuscany and another in Umbria.

You might look at Genius Loci for the Umbria stay. It's in a very good, central location and is recommended often here.

http://www.geniuslociumbria.it/

Getting to Salerno will be a long journey from anywhere in Tuscany or Umbria. I know you said not much time in the car, but consider driving to Salerno. You'd load everyone/everything just once, and it would take about the same amount of time as riding trains. Otherwise, look for trains that involve only one (not too quick) connection in either Rome or Naples. You'd have to research your car rental company's locations, but, generally speaking, there are offices (for the return) in Salerno, Foligno, Terni, Siena, Chiusi and Orvieto.
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Old Jul 9th, 2014, 08:12 AM
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I've spent the better part of the last couple of months putting together a stay in Umbria and Rome next May. My husband and I settled on a week-long stay in Spello at a VRBO house rental. Spello and Spoleto strike me as two towns worth considering. Both had a number of viable rentals within the town walls. Perugia sounds like a fascinating town, but harder to get in and out of with a car. Spello and Spoleto both sounded preferable from that point of view. They appealed to us, too, because they're both on the train line from Rome. Montefalco and Bevagna looked lovely as well, but since we're driving to/from Rome, they posed a few more logistical issues since neither are on the train line. I'd take a strong look at Spello and Spoleto for your stay in Umbria. Of course, there are a number of agriturismos in the area, too. Most of the ones I looked in Umbria, however, required a Saturday to Saturday stay, and that didn't work as well for that. You might make sure that the agriturisomo you're interested in allows for less than a full week's stay.

I can't speak to any of the rest of your plan, except to say that I do agree that you might be better off with young children in tow if you cut down on the number of moves you make. Find a good central spot and stay there for a week. There's plenty to do in Umbria and, I assume, Tuscany for a weeklong stay and your children will appreciate fewer disruptions in their routine. You may very well find it less stressful and more enjoyable, too.
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Old Jul 9th, 2014, 11:12 AM
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Thank you all for the feedback! I of course have some follow-up questions...

We can stay at the agriturismo outside of Montepulciano for up to 8 of our 9 nights. The last night, before we go to Salerno/Positano, is not available. So we could just do one night elsewhere, especially if it were in service of breaking up the drive south (if we drove vs trained it). Though usually I find a minimum of two nights anywhere is preferable.

We tend to be fairly ambitious travelers (at least we were with only one child, and hope to be again), so it's hard for me to commit to only one place for that whole week. I fear I'll get antsy! (Though I understand the point is to slow down a bit. Note: we do have 5 days at the beach just after.)

That said...

"Why not just stay there the whole time, instead of going to Siena for three nights? There is bus service from both towns to Siena, so you don't have to take the car into the city."
>Do you think a daytrip to Siena is ample time to appreciate it? Is it still worthwhile in that case?

"At that time of year, I wouldn't spend much time in hot and crowded Siena and might skip it entirely."
>I admit I'm tempted, but we tend to love cities—you don't think it's a necessary addition to the small hill towns? So many people raved about Lucca and Siena (but the former was so far), I'm a bit hesitant to skip over it. Is a daytrip worthwhile (see above) or is it a place only enjoyed if you settle in so as to not only tour midday? Of course, once you commit to that, then you should probably always do a min of two nights to have a full day.

"There are several towns on Lake Bracciano, at the very least Bracciano and Anguillara, that are connected by train or bus to Rome. In this case, you'd be even closer than in Orvieto."
>Any favorites? Is this the best place to consider breaking up the drive from S. Tuscany to Salerno?

"consider driving to Salerno"
>Other favorite spots for breaking up that trip, particularly if we were to drive?

"Spello and Spoleto strike me as two towns worth considering. Both had a number of viable rentals within the town walls."
>Was VRBO your source for rentals within the walls? I'm intrigued, but also fear I'm opening the search too wide and should just focus on Tuscany this time...
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Old Jul 9th, 2014, 11:31 AM
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Spello is one of Italy's prettiest small towns. It's an easy trip from Assisi or Perugia, or even from Spoleto. However, if you like cities, it's really a very small town. Assisi is bigger, and Spoleto is both larger and slightly more urban in its atmosphere. Perugia is really a small city.

It's about a 4-hour drive from either Spello or Montepulciano to Salerno. Tivoli would be a very nice stop along the way, just about halfway and not far off the highway. You might even spend two nights there. There's plenty to see in the area without even going into Rome.
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Old Jul 9th, 2014, 11:54 AM
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Yes, VRBO was my source. None of the towns have a ton of listings, so it doesn't take forever and a day to sort through them.
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Old Jul 9th, 2014, 02:37 PM
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Personal preference, but I wouldn't get "antsy" at one southern Tuscany base for a week. There's so much to see, so many towns to explore. And you're probably going to lose a part of each day when you just want to get out of the heat, the kids need naps, etc. If you pick the right property, you should almost not want to leave.

Again, personal preference, but I don't see Siena as a day-trip with little kids from near Montepulciano. If you drive, it's over an hour in each direction. Once you've parked, add another 15-20 minutes to unload what you'll need for the day and get to the center. Repeat on the return. So, upwards of 3 hours of transit time. I don't know if taking the bus is faster overall, but then you're limited to the timetables. No returning to Montepulciano whenever you feel everyone's had enough for the day.
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Old Jul 10th, 2014, 01:57 AM
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You wrote:

"We can stay at the agriturismo outside of Montepulciano for up to 8 of our 9 nights. The last night, before we go to Salerno/Positano, is not available. So we could just do one night elsewhere, especially if it were in service of breaking up the drive south (if we drove vs trained it). Though usually I find a minimum of two nights anywhere is preferable."

I suggest staying in Montepulciano the full 8 nights and then pack up the car and head to a destination between Montepulicano and Salerno to break up the drive. Once you have packed up the car, I think it is probably simpler to do just a one-night stop, living out of a tote bag then setting yourself up for 2 nights.

There are probably a zillion fascinating little towns with easy parking and solid hotels that would be great for a one night stay with kids to let them toddle around the piazza and have an easy dinner. But I might choose to splash out on an old grand hotel just for fun or a modern resort for a change of pace. There are plenty in Lazio near Tivoli or spa towns like Fiuggi.

Spello is out of your way and is incredibly steep. You might want to save your legs and appetitie of stair climbing for Positano.
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Old Jul 15th, 2014, 10:47 PM
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Do you mind sharing the agriturismo you found? I don't know where to begin.
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Old Jul 16th, 2014, 03:23 AM
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I'm in the "keep it simple" camp here. We used to travel on spec moving every other day or two before we had our kids, but once they got beyond the baby stage, we realised that it simply didn't work for us or for the kids. The 3 year old even more than the baby, probably, will appreciate having the same bed to come back to every night, will benefit from an afternoon nap [and so will you!] and you are highly unlikely to run out of places to see if you opt for the right location.
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Old Oct 7th, 2014, 09:12 AM
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Back with an update! Everyone was right--we definitely never ran out of options! But we did mix some activities in (hot springs, sheep farm, a short walk to a nearby village...) We never really went to museums, wine tasting, or even shopping... so I know one could do much more.

But we had a wonderful time and ended up splitting the time thus:
2 nights in Siena
5 nights outside of Montepulciano (with side trips to Montalcino, Asciano, Bagno Vignoni, Pienza, etc.)
2 nights in Orvieto

Here's a travelogue with photos:
http://www.hitherandthither.net/2014...ria-italy.html
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Old Oct 7th, 2014, 09:14 AM
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Glad you had such a good time and thanks for coming back with an update.

I'm looking forward to reading the travelogue.
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Old Oct 13th, 2014, 08:06 PM
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Thank you! I just added the Rome and Positano travelogues as well, under my handle: alovesa.

Best wishes!
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Old Oct 14th, 2014, 08:13 PM
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I enjoyed the travelogue - your photos are fabulous!
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