poojabtraveller

Hello there you lovely people,
So I have been given the responsibility by my husband , of planning a road trip from Rome (spending 3 days there) to Orvieto , then to Perugia ( or first Perugia and then Orvieto, help needed to decide that as well) . After having read several articles and reviews on both the places, I'm mighty confused. We will be renting a car right up to Florence. But want to explore these beautiful medieval hills on the way. My initial plan was to just drive around and reach Florence on the same day. But having read so much about the beauty of Orvieto, Perugia , Assisi , Spello etc. , I'm now considering to stay a night or two in either of these places and explore them.

Any recommendations?

Detailed itn as of now : 3 days in Rome , 4 days in and around Florence( that includes the to road trip)
3 days in Venice ( confused if it will be worth it ) then head down to Amalfi coast and Capri and then head back to Rome to catch flight back to our country.
We are reaching Rome on the 29th August. So not much time left for planning.

HappyTrvlr

Only four days in Florence and you want to add Umbria? What about Tuscan villages? Florence needs at least two days at a minimum.
I loved Umbria but this looks like too much.
If you go to Perugia be aware of ZTL zones. I paid €130 for skirting the edge of a ZTL to access a parking garage.

jamikins

This seems like a lot given your time constraints. It looks like you have 2 weeks. I would limit myself to 4 hotel locations personally.

I would also eliminate either the Amalfi Coast or Venice as they will lead to a lot of time wasted in transit and moving around.

Also, I would put my time in Rome at the end so you dont need to worry about catching your flight.

poojabtraveller

HappyTrvlr , So should we then skip Umbria altogether and instead stay in Orvieto or drive straight to Florence ( would be a problem owing to the ZTL ). What should be our base when visit the Tuscan hamlets?

Jamikins yes we did consider the time we would spend just traveling from one point to the other , but then don't want to miss either

poojabtraveller

I meant should we skip Perugia , that side of Umbria ? Orvieto I'm still considering since it is on our way to Florence .

jamikins

I would rather spend quality time in 1 place instead of spending hours in a car on the autostrada to get a small glimpse of 2 places.

Just a thought.

Mimar

The places you name, Orvieto, Perugia, Florence and even Venice, are best seen without a car. That said, we did drive to Orvieto and park up on top of the mesa, where the town is. Most people park at the base of the mesa and take a funicular up.

Perugia is a fairly large city with its historic center well inside, in a ZTL (locals-only) driving zone. Finding a parking place and getting up to the historic center is a chore. Likewise, it's very hard to avoid the ZTL in central Florence. And, of course, you can't drive in Venice at all. (Which BTW is very much worth a visit, even a trip, but maybe not this trip.)

If you do stumble into a ZTL, a photo of your car will taken, the car rental company will out you -- and charge you a fee. Months later you'll receive an expensive ticket in the mail.

With a car it's better to explore the countryside and visit small towns. Even then it's best to park in a lot on the outskirts of the town and walk in. But the Tuscan countryside, especially south Tuscany, is very beautiful and there are lots of interesting small towns, like San Gimignano, Montepulciano, Pienza, and so on.

Mimar

And Siena. How could I have forgotten beautiful Siena.

poojabtraveller

Jamikins, couldn't agree more with you but this is what it is Venice and Amalfi , couldn't give them a miss! We instead have decided to drop off Perugia Assisi spello etc.

Mimar, yes ,I'm quite worried about accidentally driving into these these locals only zone. I hope they have evident enough signboards and most importantly if any text, in English.

What should our base be when we visit the Tuscan villages? As per Google maps, Most of them are quite close to one another and on our way from Orvieto to Pisa. So should we visit them while on our way ?

Phew!!!! I'm just getting clearer with each post!!!! So big hug to you all!!!!

poojabtraveller

We'll be ditching our car in Pisa and then hopping in to a friend's ride (local) who will them drive us to Florence .

StCirq

Hate to tell you this, but the signboards for the ZTLs are not always particularly evident, and no, they are not in English. That is why so many people get so many tickets.

The Tuscan towns may "look close to each other" on a map, but when you are actually on the ground, navigating from place to place, encountering traffic, looking for parking, finding your way around the town, locating the attractions you wish to see, stopping for refreshment, etc., you are hardly going to be making great time. And you shouldn't be; otherwise no point in visiting Tuscan towns.

It would be much wiser, IMO, to limit this trip to Rome, Tuscany, and Umbria, rather than flit up and down the country wasting travel time. But I guess that's water over the dam.

zoecat

I doubt you will have any time for anything but Orvieto and Pisa on your drive up from Rome. Enjoy those cities and the beautiful countryside and don't try to do more.

Or, take the train from Rome to Florence and don't bother with a rental car. Have you investigated a 1 day car rental cost? It is usually the same as the 3 day cost.

While staying in Florence, hire a private guide to drive you to a few countryside villages and enjoy lunch. I think this might be a better way to maximize your time and quality of visit. Just save Orvieto, Umbria and Pisa for your next trip.

poojabtraveller

Alrighty!!!! Thank you so much guys, for all the valuable suggestions! Shall keep all this mind!

Much love,
Pooja.