Village stopover between Naples and Venice
Nov 20th, 2015, 02:46 PM
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Village stopover between Naples and Venice
Our family of four (mom/dad, 2 teens) will be in Italy next March. We're looking for an interesting place to spend a night or two during our drive from Naples to Venice. Good food, some history, interesting countryside???
Any suggestions?
Any suggestions?
Nov 20th, 2015, 03:03 PM
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Try any of eons of cute Tuscan/Umbrian hill towns for such a place - Siena is a bigger one but really neat and has trappings of a larger city; Montepulciano is a cute smaller hill town or try Assisi if interested in St Francis - where he talked to birds is in a rural setting a few kms out of town or Perugia - larger hill town with large university - again more of a city draped over a hill than the iconic proverbial Tuscan or Umbrian hill town (but kids may be more into a livelier seen depending on their ages)
Or Pisa - see the Leaning Tower and savor a pleasant regional town or Lucca, one of the finest fortified ramparted cities in Europe IMO - Roman edifices built right into the ancient walls - can day trip easily from there to Pisa and the Leaning Tower - a sweet 2-day base about half way between Naples and Florence I would think.
Bologna is a big city but to me a very underrated one - said to have more certified historic medieval edifices than any other city in Italy - again a large universitey adds a certain flare to the town - also a known culinary capital for a lot more than baloney!
so if proper cities Bolonga, Pisa, Perugia, Assisi and Siena would all be great as would any of zillions of impossibly cute Tuscan/Umbrian hill towns - like posh Todi in Umbria - a pristine wealthy old hill town known for the many wealthy ex-pats and Americans, including celebrities who have villas around it - not your typical hill town IME but a neat small very clean and rather glitzy one.
Others will have oodles and oodles of other possibilities and different takes on those I have given - which are only a start.
Or Pisa - see the Leaning Tower and savor a pleasant regional town or Lucca, one of the finest fortified ramparted cities in Europe IMO - Roman edifices built right into the ancient walls - can day trip easily from there to Pisa and the Leaning Tower - a sweet 2-day base about half way between Naples and Florence I would think.
Bologna is a big city but to me a very underrated one - said to have more certified historic medieval edifices than any other city in Italy - again a large universitey adds a certain flare to the town - also a known culinary capital for a lot more than baloney!
so if proper cities Bolonga, Pisa, Perugia, Assisi and Siena would all be great as would any of zillions of impossibly cute Tuscan/Umbrian hill towns - like posh Todi in Umbria - a pristine wealthy old hill town known for the many wealthy ex-pats and Americans, including celebrities who have villas around it - not your typical hill town IME but a neat small very clean and rather glitzy one.
Others will have oodles and oodles of other possibilities and different takes on those I have given - which are only a start.
Nov 20th, 2015, 04:16 PM
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I assume you will have already visited - or have decided against the obvious - Rome or Florence.
How old are the kids and what are their interests. A small hill town can be pretty boring for teens unless there are specific sights they are interested in. I would aim them towards the Let's Go Student Guides so they have an idea of what might interests them in these places - and where local kids hang out if they are older teens.
How old are the kids and what are their interests. A small hill town can be pretty boring for teens unless there are specific sights they are interested in. I would aim them towards the Let's Go Student Guides so they have an idea of what might interests them in these places - and where local kids hang out if they are older teens.
Nov 20th, 2015, 11:24 PM
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There are simply dozens upon dozens of small towns and villages that would interest your family as you describe yourselves that are not far off the fastest main route between Naples and Florence. I suggest you get a copy of this book and see what appeals. You might also take into consideration what would break the drive fairly evenly in half, so that your driving days are not very lopsided, with one short leg and an unpleasantly long one.
http://www.amazon.com/Authentic-Tusc.../dp/8836532977
I would avoid going too far east or west off the main highways or larger towns, where driving gets very complicated and congested. Stick to the villages and rural areas, where there is a real density of historic towns, many with beautiful artworks, all in lovely settings.
http://www.amazon.com/Authentic-Tusc.../dp/8836532977
I would avoid going too far east or west off the main highways or larger towns, where driving gets very complicated and congested. Stick to the villages and rural areas, where there is a real density of historic towns, many with beautiful artworks, all in lovely settings.
Nov 21st, 2015, 07:25 AM
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My vote would be Orvieto. It's about half way between Naples and Venice and is just off A1 which I assume is the route you would take. We have visited Orvieto several times and really enjoyed our time there. Seeing the duomo, taking an underground tour, climbing to the top of the Torre del Moro, going down St Patrick's well and just walking around the gorgeous streets would make for a good day and should be interesting for the whole family. It's big enough to have a good selection of restaurants and places to stay. Be aware of the ZTL areas when driving in the town.
We have not been there but have always wanted to visit Civita di Bagnoregio which is only about 30 minutes from Orvieto. If you run out of things to do in Orvieto, Civita di Bagnoregio might be a nice quick diversion and give you a chance to drive through the country.
As others have said above, there are literally dozens of towns that would be of interest so you really can't go wrong.
We have not been there but have always wanted to visit Civita di Bagnoregio which is only about 30 minutes from Orvieto. If you run out of things to do in Orvieto, Civita di Bagnoregio might be a nice quick diversion and give you a chance to drive through the country.
As others have said above, there are literally dozens of towns that would be of interest so you really can't go wrong.
Nov 21st, 2015, 10:50 AM
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I like Orvieto myself, but it's certainly not a village.
Spello is smaller, and very charming, but not near the A1. If you get off the A1 in Orte (near Rome) and take the E45, you'd pass close to Spello and Assisi, and also a lot of other little towns and villages in Umbria and Le Marche. The E45 is not an autostrada, but still a pretty good road, much of it limited access (but free). It mostly follows the route of the Italian state highway, SS3bis. It would add about an hour and a half to your trip. The regular SS3 (sans bis) would take just a little longer, and follow a more rural (and very scenic route).
Spello is smaller, and very charming, but not near the A1. If you get off the A1 in Orte (near Rome) and take the E45, you'd pass close to Spello and Assisi, and also a lot of other little towns and villages in Umbria and Le Marche. The E45 is not an autostrada, but still a pretty good road, much of it limited access (but free). It mostly follows the route of the Italian state highway, SS3bis. It would add about an hour and a half to your trip. The regular SS3 (sans bis) would take just a little longer, and follow a more rural (and very scenic route).
Nov 21st, 2015, 12:56 PM
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village is a nebulous term in these contexts - not sure the OP meant tiny village like with a few hundred inhabitants or a larger 'village' like Todi or even larger like Orvieto - a gem - or Siena, Lucca - smaller towns but teens that age may like to hang out at caffes where young Italian hang out - few of those in villages and few non-tourists really.
Nov 21st, 2015, 02:21 PM
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I don't consider any of those villages. Todi is the smallest, at about 17,000 inhabitants. Lucca is actually the largest, much bigger than Siena.
When someone uses the word village, I assume they know what a village is and really mean that's what they want.
Here are some very nice places I consider villages, none of them overrun with tourists:
In Tuscany, Sovana, population about 500, lovely little town with some craft shops and an Etruscan necropolis.
In Umbria, Città della Pieve, about 8000 inhabitants, near the border with Tuscany, is another charming little town, birthplace of the Renaissance artist Perugino, with at least four of his paintings in the town. There's an even smaller 13th century "ghost town", Salci, on the outskirts.
Sant'Angelo in Vado, in Le Marche, is a pretty little town of about 4000 inhabitants, on the banks of the river Metauro, not far from Urbino. In October, it hosts a white truffle festival.
There are scores of others in these three regions.
When someone uses the word village, I assume they know what a village is and really mean that's what they want.
Here are some very nice places I consider villages, none of them overrun with tourists:
In Tuscany, Sovana, population about 500, lovely little town with some craft shops and an Etruscan necropolis.
In Umbria, Città della Pieve, about 8000 inhabitants, near the border with Tuscany, is another charming little town, birthplace of the Renaissance artist Perugino, with at least four of his paintings in the town. There's an even smaller 13th century "ghost town", Salci, on the outskirts.
Sant'Angelo in Vado, in Le Marche, is a pretty little town of about 4000 inhabitants, on the banks of the river Metauro, not far from Urbino. In October, it hosts a white truffle festival.
There are scores of others in these three regions.
Nov 22nd, 2015, 10:21 AM
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small villages can be boring for teens and anyone - think of at home - would you recommend someone see say Chicago or a small mid-west village out in the sticks?
A smaller city, when compared to Rome and Florence, etc) may be what the OP is really looking for - something where there is something to do, especially for teens.
A smaller city, when compared to Rome and Florence, etc) may be what the OP is really looking for - something where there is something to do, especially for teens.
Nov 22nd, 2015, 10:58 AM
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PalenQ,
An Italian village is nothing like a US small town in the sticks. And you have an incorrect picture of what Italian teens are doing in March even in small cities like Orvieto or Lucca. They are not hanging out in cafes. They are in school or have homework. They may join all their neighbours for an evening stroll, or some recreation in the piazza -- but in March that is going to be brief.
Italian village and small town life for one or two nights is something to experience that isn't found in the US or much of the rest of Europe. The travellers will be visiting super-crowded Napoli and Venice, an overload of entertainment and sensations. That is not the whole of Italy by any means, and seeing how millions of Italians live in small towns (quite happily in the main) is not boring for someone with normal curiosity about foreign cultures, not to mention that these areas have such a density of castles, medieval walls, history-soaked landscapes, important art and architecture and traditional still-living craft that has continued unbroken for centuries -- well, I guess some people don't appreciate it, but with a modicum of thought, most people are struck by what an amazing thing it is that these villages and small towns, so beautifully preserved, have withstood the centuries and the ravages of globalisation. Not boring in the least.
An Italian village is nothing like a US small town in the sticks. And you have an incorrect picture of what Italian teens are doing in March even in small cities like Orvieto or Lucca. They are not hanging out in cafes. They are in school or have homework. They may join all their neighbours for an evening stroll, or some recreation in the piazza -- but in March that is going to be brief.
Italian village and small town life for one or two nights is something to experience that isn't found in the US or much of the rest of Europe. The travellers will be visiting super-crowded Napoli and Venice, an overload of entertainment and sensations. That is not the whole of Italy by any means, and seeing how millions of Italians live in small towns (quite happily in the main) is not boring for someone with normal curiosity about foreign cultures, not to mention that these areas have such a density of castles, medieval walls, history-soaked landscapes, important art and architecture and traditional still-living craft that has continued unbroken for centuries -- well, I guess some people don't appreciate it, but with a modicum of thought, most people are struck by what an amazing thing it is that these villages and small towns, so beautifully preserved, have withstood the centuries and the ravages of globalisation. Not boring in the least.
