sassier1

I have rented a villa in Umbria for two weeks this summer. It is 2 hours driving time from Rome and Florence. I believe that we can drive to Florence for a day trip, but think that we need to spend one night in Rome to see the highlights. If we fly into Rome, tour that day and part of the next day, can we cover the highlights. We could then drive on to the villa and do day trips from there. The villa is near Bettona, so any suggestions about day trips would be great. Thanks in advance for any help.

bobthenavigator

Are you staying all 2 weeks in Bettona?
Rome deserves far more time---why not at the end of your trip?

sassier1

I am staying 2 weeks at the villa and my children and grandchildren will overlap with each other for a couple of days. They have never been to Italy. I will fly over with one family. I thought that if we flew into Rome a day before the rental begins, they would have some time to see the highlights. We plan to rent cars, so I could go ahead to the villa on the 2nd day, and they could spend another night in Rome. Then, from the villa we could take day trips (4 days there for them) to the nearby towns, and this family could go on to Florence and take a train from there to Venice to fly home.

flanneruk

"If we fly into Rome, tour that day and part of the next day, can we cover the highlights"

I'd say no, because there's just too much. But if that's all the time you've got, so be it. Just remember to stay near the airport, collect your car at the end of the second day from an airport-area hire place, then drive straight to the Umbria house.

Rome's got enough grandiose-looking stuff to make a "highlights" day work. I would seriously doubt the usefulness of a daytrip to Florence, though.

Florence from the street is, frankly, little more than a pleasant Italian Renaissance town. Its real glories are almost all indoors.

Allowing for the time to drive to the Florence outskirts (at least two hours), find somewhere to park, got into town and do all that in reverse, you've got surprisingly little time to get into the (many) museums and churches where the good stuff all is.

Though they're all close together, getting to much of what's worthwhile on the same day is practically impossible: you're likely to see little more than the Ponte Vecchio, the Baptistery doors and the statues in Piazza Signoria.

Fine to cross off a list: self-deluding to pretend you'll have seen Florence.

I'd spend my time in smaller, closer, towns. Like Assisi, Orvieto, Perugia, Citta del Castello or Cortona

bobthenavigator

In order IMHO:
1. Assisi
2. Spello
3. Bevagna/Montefalco
4. Cortona
5. Perugia

macanimals

And even smaller, closer towns to Bettona. Check out Deruta and their ceramic artisans in the upper village as well as the bigger fattorias in the lower town. Torgiano is another nearby small
village with a rich wine heritage. The wine museum there is worth a stop.

Both of these villages are within 15 mins of Bettona.
Enjoy!

kybourbon

If you are flying from the US, most of your group will be too tired on arrival day to do much. They probably won't remember much of anything they tour that day/

Jean

Only you can set your priorities, but a reasonable day trip to Florence is possible if you start early, pre-buy entry tickets to sights that offer them and are comfortable with the idea of driving back to Bettona in the dark. Obviously, you'll need to research in advance a route that will get you to parking outside the Florence limited traffic zone, and you would also need to select a day of the week when the things you want to see are open.

But IMO the bigger problem could be the summer crowds, high heat and humidity, a trifecta of misery that can ruin even the best-laid plans.

Why is the one family going to Florence in order to take a train to Venice to catch a flight home? Why wouldn't they just drive to Venice and drop the car there? Are they spending time in Venice? If not, the Rome airport is much closer.

nytraveler

Sorry - you cannot see Rome in one day - esp when you are jet lagged. IMHO to see even the most major sights you need 3 full days (4 nights) in Rome.

If you want to see Umbria - that's fine - but you can;t squash in Rome without changing your plans - unless you want a drive by of just a few major sights. (You will want to leave Rome by noon or so to get to your house in Umbria - allowing time to pick up a car - gather yuor belongings and find you way in a whole new rural area (with fairly low speeds on the roads).

sassier1

Thank you all so much for your quick responses. I see that we have some planning to do. I am sure that I will have more questions as I do some research.

msteacher

While it would be ideal to have more time in Rome, it seems to me that one day there is better than no days at all. If you just have one day, carefully plan what you want to see in the time you have. If that includes a site like the Coliseum, pre-purchase your tickets so you are not wasting your limited time standing in ticket lines. A year is not long enough to see everything in Rome... go and enjoy the time you have!