Florence is over two hours from Assisi. I never recommend Florence day trips. I think Florence needs more time than a day. Would your agriturismo rent for a little less than a week? You could train between Rome and Florence at either end of your trip.

The easiest day trips from Assisi are Perugia, Spello, Montefalco,

Castiglione del Lago would be nice, too.

Truthfully, I have found through trying that I am not the type of person who likes to stay in the country for a week and spend hours in the car everyday. For me, I would limit myself to 5 nights at the most.

We did stay in an agriturismo outside of Assisi that had incredible food several years ago, which cut down on driving every night to dinner.

When we stayed in a villa in Tuscany, we left a day early because I just couldn't drive around for yet another day.

Not too many towns in Tuscany are within my own comfort range for a day trip from Assisi. But you might like being in the car more than I do.

Thank you...the reason I said 1 week is because so many only rent from week to week. I was thinking of one centrally located place to see some of the smaller towns & villages. I prefer not to change lodging every few days. Also wondering where would be a good 3rd location (besides Rome & Tuscany/Umbria) Probably Florence for 2 or 3 nights? Entire trip will probably be about 2 weeks or a few days more. We're retired so it doesn't matter. Looking forward to more input. Thanks!
BTW, do you remember the name of place you stayed?

I agree with Tuscanlife, stay close to Assisi and just enjoy the Umbrian towns. Besides Montefalco & the busy city of Perugia, I would add Todi, Spoleto and Gubbio. Florence should be enjoyed on a separate Tuscany trip.

Google Le Case Gialle. They have four or five little apartments in the countryside just west of Bevagna. I'm certain that they will rent for less than a week. Asissi is a twenty minute drive. (I'll be there next week.)

Love le Case Gialle and recommend it a lot on here. Wonderful!

My favorite hill town near Assisi is Spello. Its a beautiful, small hilltown and a favorite of many. We also really liked Trevi. There are tons of hilltowns around the area though, and exploring them is a treat.

Tracy

I like your idea of staying put for a week and doing day trips, rather than packing and unpacking every other day.

Assisi itself is fantastic, of course, and as others have mentioned, Spoleto, Spello, Gubbio, Perugia, and Montefalco are lovely. You could possibly combine Spello and Montefalco into one day. And don't forget Bevagna, a lovely little town and very easy to get in and out of with a car. Close, free parking right at the town walls.

If you're interested in art, there are some gorgeous abbeys/monasteries in the area near Spoleto, such as San Pietro in Valle. Easy to get to (with a car) and spectacular scenery.

When visiting Perugia, you might find it easier to park at a small train station such as Assisi's (which is actually in the small town of S. Maria degli Angeli) and then take the train to Perugia from there. It's about a 20 minute ride. Perugia's historic centre is fantastic, but it's at the top of a very steep hill and parking is difficult and far below. However, if you take the train in to Perugia, from the train station you can now take the city's new mini-metro right up to the middle of Perugia's historic centre.

As well, I think you could also very easily visit a few wonderful Tuscan towns such as Cortona and Arezzo, which are right on the border between Umbria and Tuscany.

A wonderful day trip would be one to the east of Assisi, into the Apennine Mountains and the scenic Piano Grande, which is located between the interesting town of Norcia and the hilltop village of Castelluccio.

Thank you all so much for your input! Actually Le Case Gialle was tops on my list for a place to stay! I just hope they have an opening as we might be 2 couples and would need two apts.
Another question...will 4 or 5 nts in Rome be adequate? was only there in 2005 for about 6 hrs (on a cruise).

Thanks again!

I would suggest... Spello for art as it has more galleries than any other, Montefalco for linen and fine dining, Torgiano for the wine museum, Deruta for ceramics and Castiglione del Lago to get a bus to ride around the lake, maybe even stop in Tuoro and take the ferry to the island.
I have done all of this using specialist tour operators.

as for a place to stay, try the outstanding Santa Maria degli Ancillotti. They say they only have suites but they have two ring hobs and small fridges too.

Another vote for Spello and Castiglione del Lago - both nice places to spend half a day or so!

To answer your question about Rome, I'd say at least 4 days/5 nights. There's so much to see there. But, of course, it depends on your interests.

And another vote for Bevagna. It's on the flat so easy to drive in and out of -- as opposed to a hilltown.

(I used to not tell anyone about Bevagna, wanted to keep it unspoiled. But I suspect things have changed since our visit in 2001. Do women still wash clothes at the public washing facility by the river?)

Dear Taw
You may like to read my trip report at www.xanga.com/urbino (scroll down to find our trip to Umbria Oct 07- we stayed orvieto and Spoleto. I'd recommend Bevagna, Spello and Montefalco although it was very cold in all those places in October!!