betka

Greetings Fodorites! First time poster, long time lurker.

In March of this year, my husband and I went to Italy for the first time and spent two weeks: 3 nights in Venice, 7 in Vicenza (favorite), 5 in Ferrara. We loved our time there and are in the beginning stages of planning for next March: four weeks total. A little bit about us: We're a couple of introverts in our 50s who are into food, wine, farmers markets, aperitivo, gardens, people watching, art, architecture, quirky museums, long walks and naps. Not interested in the beach, dance clubs, or too much athleticism. We're not afraid of a little rain, and live in a cold climate, so temps between 50-70F are our sweet spot. Our preferred method of travel is slow… we’d rather base somewhere for a week, and fully absorb the experience (taking a couple of day trips if desired), rather than race around seeing all of the most popular sights. We’re actually kind of boring in our usual life and bring that chill vibe with us overseas, haha. We prefer to travel by train, although on this trip, we plan to rent a car for the week in Le Marche.

First thoughts:
Fly to/from Rome direct from US.
Week 1: Orvieto
Week 2: Perugia
Week 3: Le Marche with car, perhaps Macerata. Other options?
Week 4: Spoleto

I know it's risky to ask for feedback from internet strangers.... most of you will probably think we're nuts for not trying to see more of the country in the amount of time we have! But I'm a firm believer in "we will be back" whether or not that's ultimately true (We went to Prague 13 years ago and in my mind, I thought we would already have been back by now). Any thoughts on how those cities are as bases, suggestions for day trips via train/bus, or alternatives in the region? Thanks so much!

indyhiker

March wouldn’t be my preferred time to spend in Umbria. I hope you get pleasant weather because the towns can feel a little desolate in bad weather. Perugia is the only place in Umbria that I didn’t warm to. I know it’s a good transport hub but I much prefer the smaller towns. I would encourage you to have a car for at least a week in Umbria or you will be limited to what you can reach by public transport.

We typically stay in Spello. It’s a beautiful town. I can PM you info on a very affordable apartment there if you’d like.

SusanP

I don't think you're nuts if that's what you want to do! Lots of people would probably like to do that if time and money permitted.

In May of last year, a friend and I spent five nights in Spoleto and enjoyed it very much. The town is on a steep hill, so there are steep inclines and stairways everywhere. To help with this, they do have a "Travelator" (not working when we were there) and an escalator that goes from the very bottom of the town all the way to the top, where the Rocca Albornoziana is located (fortunately, working!).

Good restaurants, good wine (Montefalco, with its Sagrantino is close by). We didn't have a car but hired a driver for two great day trips (I can tell you more about that if you're interested). We didn't use the train except when leaving to go to Rome.

HappyTrvlr

We spent two wonderful weeks in Spello, using it as a base to explore the region. We also were happy to stay put in Spello at times. Read the book “Il Bel Centro”about an American family who lived in Spello for a year.
Perugia would not be a good hub as it is on top of a hill and getting in and out by car would be a big daily hassle. I like it as a small city but wouldn ‘t use it as a base.
We loved Umbria except for Spoleto. There are so many wonderful places in Umbria but we did not care for Spoleto and it’s traffic.

SusanP

I don't quite understand this, as I didn't see a lot of traffic anywhere in Spoleto. Maybe driving in and/or out of the town from a parking lot somewhere? Staying in the town, there were not a lot of cars around.

ANUJ

We spent 2 weeks in Le Marche & Umbria in 2018 - my planning thread (with summary TR at end) Visiting Le Marche and Umbria may be a helpful read.
I have no personal experience with travelling off-season in March, hopefully bvlenci and others will opine. Just a few observations from me
1. Le Marche : is a large region itself, I'd probably split my time 50:50 between the Umbria and Marche. I would pick one base towards the north e.g. Urbino / Senigallia and one towards the South e.g. Macerata / Ascoli Piceno to avoid needless backtracking. Do also visit this resource Marche Voyager | your travel & tourism guide to the Marche in Italy for great ideas.
2. Umbria : Orvieto is wonderful town, but I'd struggle with a week there - its on the western edge of Umbria and away from the "action". Perugia is a wonderful visit, but I'd choose Spello or Assisi or Spoleto as base. This is an interesting read Fourteen Perfect Days: A Two Week Itinerary for Umbria - Brigolante holiday rentals in Assisi, Umbria Brigolante holiday rentals in Assisi, Umbria - including the Activities and Blog tabs on the site. I cant comment on public transport as we had a car, which I think is invaluable in these parts.

zebec

Hi Betka,
So Vicenza was your fave--very interesting. Can't help with Le Marche (til maybe Spring coming?) but we do have some experience in Umbria (got a great rental to recco in Bevagna, overlooking square). As train riders there, you will be using Foligno station as a hub, I'll reckon.

Places to eat could possibly include:
Spoleto: family-run Taverna La Lanterna was an unpretentious place that served VG food & drink at a reasonable price point. Afterwards, maybe check out the 2 nearby side-by-side food shops: Salumeria Padrichelli & Forno Panficio Santini. Whether you are into bars or not, Tric Trac by the duomo is hard to resist, largely due to its amazing location.
Trevi: the splurge Antica Dimora alla Rocca has a smallish wonderful patio out front. We had drinks there midday and it was perfect. Very sympa, quiet, not crowded. If you decide to carry on to the Fonti di Clitunno, note that the site has its own on-site restaurant, a decent one.
IMHO, L'Alchemista in Montefalco is at its best for Sat. morn brunch. The bacon/eggs dish that they serve then is worth the cost of one’s flight and besides, the weekly flower market will give you added visual value.
Spello has a must must must-do lunch spot called Enoteca Properzio. The food and wine were world-class, perhaps the best Pinot that we've ever tasted. *Our mentioning this wine bar/cafe once drew some criticism over on the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree forum, with a couple smug European respondents putting it down because its wine list 'seemed to cater to Americans' (their words). Despite not being from the USA, I countered that American men had once crossed an ocean to play a major role in freeing Europe from the Nazis: "If I were European, I'd show just a little respect."

Lesser-known lodgings/best-kept secret: S. Pietro en Valle is an actual historic monastery in a fantastic setting. Outstanding breakfasts and great hiking nearby--we met a Denver couple who'd come there for their 7th straight year. Website does not do it justice.

Wrecked by the earthquake but still worth the drive to its mountainous park location near the Le Marche border: our beloved Castelluccio. *Sometimes if one gets lucky, there occurs one of the park's incredible 'thermal inversions'. The entire plain fills with a milky white fog, a peak experience in the truest sense of the word.

Finally one of our all-time faves, Bevagna. Plenty of eateries, but the one that we visited the most was tiny, perfect Bottega di Assu. Excellent salads, unpretentious, very small so prime outdoor tables get grabbed quickly. The zany owner Maria's adult daughter runs the more upscale Spirito Divino around the corner. I still dream of Assu. Sigh...

Special Note: some judgmental poster over on Trip Advisor once said some harsh things about Bevagna's Osteria Antiche Sere. Owner Luciano was so offended that he soon hung the following note by his door:

'SEGUACI DI TRIP ADVISOR? PSEUDOGASTRONOMI? INCONTENTABILITI? (my fave part) PERCUSSIONISTI SCROTALI ! NON E IL POSTO VER VOL. PIU AVANTI CI SONO ALTRI RISTORANTE!'

(TRANSLATION)
'Gosh how I wish that you had come to me personally after you found an extra anchovy on your dish. And how could anyone argue that Matia Bazaar was better than PFM? They were both excellent.'

Good luck.
I am done. The end.

ekscrunchy

I highly recommend Senigallia as an addition to the Le Marche portion, even in March. Anuj has some great thoughts, above, as usual.
Take a look at the restaurant DA GUSTIN in Bargni, which rents a few rooms and would make a nice base for a few days, not to mention the exceptional food served by the lovely owner couple. I just ran into neighbors who stayed there for 2 weeks, taking day trips to the coast and further inland to explore. (we had only one lunch there but hope to return in not too long!)

http://www.bedandbreakfastdagustin.com/


Norcia might also be an option for a day or two.

betka

Hello all, and thanks for your thoughts so far! This trip is very fluid at this point, and I'm sure it will change many more times before I start making bookings.

indyhiker — yes, March probably isn’t most people’s ideal time to travel, but it’s what we have to work with. Besides, dreary March days in Italy are vastly preferable to dismal March days in Maine! I’ve been charmed by photos of Spello, but wondered if a town that size could sustain us for a week. Open to the possibility, though…

SusanP — We feel lucky to have the time to do this, and would like to eventually work up to spending more of the late winter outside of New England. I’d love to hear about your Spoleto-based day trips. Feel free to PM me.

HappyTrvlr — thanks for the book recommendation! Maybe I’ll change my tune on Spello, after all. Definitely no car for us in Perugia, though, as I’m inexplicably intrigued by the Minimetro system, which seems an easy way to get into the city center.

ANUJ — thanks for the links! Lots of good info there.

zebec — what can I say? It was (for me) a Goldilocks kind of place…. not too big, not too small, plus we had some great day trips to Bassano del Grappa and Padova (for the botanic garden). Thanks for all those suggestions. Good stuff!

ekscrynchy — thanks for the rec. Will check it out.

zebec

You are welcome Betka. Btw regarding Castelluccio, those awesome thermal inversions occur during sunrises. So one would need to drive there early in anticipation.
Hope all goes well on your trip.
I am done. the loose moose

HappyTrvlr

We had no problem using Spello as a base for two weeks.

SusanP

I'll put the day trip info here in case it can help others looking for similar help.
We used Carlo at [email protected], 347 910 7977. You can tell him what you want to do or tell him what you're interested in and ask him for suggestions.

We wanted wineries, but not specific ones, and he made the arrangements for tastings. First we went to Briziarelli, a newer one. Had a tour and then a lovely tasting with four little bites, each to go with a different wine (reds are all Sagrantino around here). We had a great time here and liked the wine so much that we each had a case shipped home. 😀

Then went to Montefalco for lunch and a brief walk around. We would have had more time here if we had spent less time at the winery, but we were really enjoying it there. After lunch, we went to a second winery, Scacciadiavoli, which is a much older traditional winery. Also had a tour there. While the wine was good, we were glad we had shipped the wine from Briziarelli, as we liked theirs better, thought it was smoother. (I am not a wine expert!)

I had given Carlo an itinerary we had in mind for the second day trip. He suggested that maybe it wasn't a great itinerary and suggested something else. It was a smart move to listen to him! He had heard us talking about olive oil, so he made arrangements for us to go to an olive farm, followed by a visit to Bevagna.

Carlo wasn't able to do the second trip, so he had a friend take us. This was fine. The olive oil farm was Antico Frantoio Carletti, and we had a wonderful time there. Not only was the olive oil delicious (we shipped that and some tapenades home, too), but the grandfather was hoot!

Loved Bevagna as well. A neat Medieval town. There is a nice theater there and some great Roman mosaics.

I'll just mention a couple of restaurants in Spoleto. Bar Ristorante Canasta had Frittura de Pesce that was so delicious that I ordered the same thing when we went back a couple of days later. Also had good dinners at La Torretta and Ristorante Locanda. Great lunch at Il Tartufo, which is way at the bottom of the town by San Gregorio Maggiore in Piazza Garibaldi.

indyhiker

I would much prefer to stay in Spello with a car than in Perugia without. But if you are committed to being careless then I can appreciate that Perugia offers better transport options.

But I would have no concern about Spello holding enough interest.

Leely2

I would definitely spend more time in Le Marche as you have four weeks/a month. I'd split evenly, two weeks in Umbria and two in Le Marche. You might research Urbino, Senigallia (though I've only been there in June--not sure how quiet it would be in March), and, if you are up for heading further south, Ascoli Piceno, and then see what intrigues you. There are other interesting towns. I've only mentioned the places I've based.

Re: Spello. I've based there before, liked it but probably wouldn't choose to base there again as it was a bit too small for me, though easy to drive in and out of. I preferred Spoleto. I'm one who actually likes Assisi a lot too, especially in the evenings and mornings, when it's not so crowded with day trippers. I liked Bevagna as well, though I've never stayed overnight there.

In any case, I'm sure you'll have a lovely holiday. I haven't been to Vicenza, but was surprised by how much I enjoyed Ferrara, which I found to be and elegant and interesting town, with some excellent restaurants.

yestravel

Great you can spend so much time in these areas -- they are both fabulous. We spent a month mostly in LeMarche and Umbria in October this past year. I agree with those saying stay in Spello. Its a cute little town and very easy to park and do day trips. Urbino is a must -- it is situated on a hilltop and is a college town, so very lively. Have stayed there 2 different times and loved both times. We stayed in Monteparlo and did day trips from there. Particularly liked Acelo Pisceno. If you have a car consider a agriturismo for some of your stay. Have a great trip!

zebec

YT & others: is Urbino's steepness a real issue? Is it worse than say, that of Todi?
Mrs Z has recent feet issues and I have recently-developed hypertension, hence the question.
I am done. the daunting hill

yestravel

I don’t remember Todi. To get to Urbino center from the parking lot is steep. The town itself is hilly but not terribly steep. It’s possible the car could get the permit to drive up into the town which is ZTL.

just_tina

We parked up by the Fortezza in Urbino, there was a bit of up and down but nothing too bad.
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspo...rbino.html?m=1
In Todi we went up by the funicolare/lift thing, and once up there it was mostly on the level.

just_tina

I think Perugia would be nice as a base if you want the vibes of being in a (small) city. The Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria is spectacular. We visited in May and we stayed in the countryside for ease of getting around by car which was good too, but I wished we'd stayed in Perugia. A good slow travel base in my opinion.
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspo...rugia.html?m=1

ekscrunchy

Now Zebec you are leaving parts out of that translation which I would love to read: " PERCUSSIONISTI SCROTALI!!"

I have already marked this as a place to visit if I am fortunate enough to visit Umbria late this year (combined with Le Marche)

This person ordered mozzarella with anchovies....and so this person received mozzarella with anchovies (an entire can!) What was the problem? Oh, TripAdvisor........oh, dear.