8 days in Italy - Umbria/Toscana, or Amalfi/Napoli?
 

I would appreciate some input on an 8 day trip to Italy.

Initially we were planning to go to Perugia, rent a cheap room for the entire duration (easy because I already had a certain B&B in my mind) and explore the southern Toscana and Umbria from there (We did visit Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, Perugia, Assisi and Orvieto among many other things in a crazy tour last year). So we would try to see smaller towns in the area - Urbino (yeah, i know, it's not in Umbria), Gubbio, Cortona, Montepulciano, Norcia, Spello, Spoleto in one day trips.

Then, I realized that this is the 5th time we'll be in Italy and we haven't seen Pompei and Amalfi coast, so I started thinking more about that area.

I do plan to rent a car in Rome/FCO (and skip the city completely, since we spent more than a week there several years ago). I am nervous about driving through Napoli, so we may skip it completely or try to find a place to leave the car and use public transportation.
We do have a 2.5 year old and we definitely do not want to repeat the big mistake we did last year with 8 different lodging locations in 16 days. He is big enough to interact with the environment and have some understanding of what is happening to him, so I would like to include some fun activities for him too.

This time we'll probably skip or greatly limit museums, given that the little one is not old enough to taste art galleries and not young enough anymore to not care that much (or protest for that matter).

I am on the verge on which area to go to and obviously doing both is out of the question.

I appreciate any input.

You could probably have a great deal of fun in the South with your little one. When would you go? I think time of year would influence my choice.

End of May, sorry, forgot to mention

Anyone?

porkister,

My first thought is that NOTHING is level on the Amalfi Coast, so you would need to be very, very careful when selecting your lodging for many reasons, kid safety, hauling stroller, etc.

If you found a suitable location, I think you would really enjoy. Park yourselves at a lovely villa and relax. Or, get a hotel at street level (and with parking), there are a few.

Beaches are mostly rocks. Although Positano does have a couple small ones with sand.

Know that driving will not be as enjoyable as in Tuscany or Umbria. Take the train to Napoli if you intend to visit there.

Towns on the Amalfi Coast aren't level, but Sorrento on the Bay of Naples is fairly flat. Bonus: Easy access to public trans.

What's the lodging budget?

thanks for your comments.

the lodging budget should be max 80-100 euros/n. Perugia would have been ~50-55/night.
Given that I will enjoy both areas (I am sure I would find something new in Umbria/Toscana, even seeing some things again would not bother me, and Amalfi/Napoli/Pompei is completely new to me) my main concern was which one would be more suitable for the kid.
Someone on Lonely planet had concerns as far as how crazy the Amalfitana is in general, driving safety in special.
You also mentioned that driving may not be so enjoyable. Is it the road, or the traffic, or both? I drove around Lago di Garda last year on some really narrow winding roads and was completely comfortable.

As far as level ground, I say bring on the steep hills, I am so tired of the NW Ohio plains.

Would one day suffice for Napoli? (not even sure what is to see there besides the archeology museum, Museo di Capodimonte and a lot of garbage on the streets, that will drive my wife nuts). I read/heard mixed reviews of Napoli, so I apologize if I am missing something.

honestly, I can't imagine dragging a 2.5 year old round Pompeii.

in what will seem like the twinkling of an eye, s/he will be old enough to enjoy everything that area has to offer, but for now, I much prefer your first idea.

and it's cheaper!

If you want to drive around an area, IMO Umbria/Tuscany would be more enjoyable overall than Naples/Amalfi Coast. If you haven't explored the smaller towns like Gubbio, Montepulciano, etc., you're in for a treat. My choice with a car, however, would not be Perugia. I'd pick a smaller town with more small towns relatively close. For example, Montepulciano/Pienza/San Quirico/Montalcino or Bevagna/Montefalco/Spello.

Jean, it's really not IN town, but very close by. Out of all the places we stayed last year, this B&B near Perugia was the cheapest, the cleanest, no fuss place, that we both liked.
I am open to suggestions if you have specifics.

annhig, I am starting to have the same thoughts...we'll probably leave Pompei for when he is older.

porkister,

I adore Napoli and Pompei, and they will be hell with a toddler. Shielding your child from the traffic, pollution and ambient garbage will drive you crazy in Napoli, and Pompei will be a maze of places for him to fall down, plus being broiling hot.

Why is your picture of Italy so small?

If you are willing to rent a car, you could stay in Friuli-Venezia-Guilia, and have beautiful mountains plus fun cities like Udine, or sites like Aquiliea, or include pedestrian friendly Trieste if you like coffee.

There is the entire Italian Riviera near France, so you could see both countries, plus drive up into vertiginous Apricale and other super-dramatic hilltowns in the mountains so close by. Think about staying in Bordighera.

There is le Marche -- how about the Piano Grande at the end of May? Plus Ascoli Piceno? Your child would love the marble piazza, one of the prettiest in all Italy. From there you can drive for a day at the sea.

Get out a map of Italy and consider the places you haven't been. A combination of Parma and a town like Lerici on the southern Riviera, plus then many little and big towns right near there (Pontremoli, Pisa, Lucca, Sarzana, Tellaro, Castelnuovo Magra, Portovenere) would give you such a varied experience of Italy. There is a dinosaur museum in a castle in Lerici.

Zeppole,

here is what we did last year: Venezia > vicenza > Verona > Lago di garda > Cinque terre > Pisa/Lucca > Firenze > Siena, San Gimignano, Volterra > Ravenna > San marino > Perugia/Assisi > Orvieto.
I was actually thinking about Ascoli Piceno as a day trip from Perugia. Speaking of piazze... here is my son last year in San Gimignano. http://lb.vg/368Q5

Riviera is a long drive from Rome and we already have flight tickets, it would have made sense to fly to Milan instead.
I'll probably link your suggestions another time, to a flight to Milan or Nice, a trip to the lakes, a day in hopefully rebuilt Cinque terre, Lucca (since last May we visited the hospital only, haha) and to riviera. I wish I got your suggestions a few days ago before buying the ticktz.

I think you peepz convinced me that Napoli is not a good idea now. I decided on Umbria.
I just have to work on a day by day schedule and see if it makes sense to have 2 places as a base, or stick with Perugia (to me it looks the best location as a base for day trips in south Toscana, Marche and Umbria)

porkister - I know that many find it counter-intuitive, but we found that as our kids got older, they became less flexible. our best holidays with them were when we stayed in one place and used it as a base. they were happier and so were we.

in 8 days on holiday with a 2.5 year old, I'd pick one place and stick to it, preferably somewhere with nice restaurants that we could eat in without having to drive out to eat in the evening, and a lounge or terrace where we could sit and share a bottle of wine once our little darling had gone to bed.

Perugia looks as if it would fit the bill.

annhig, I totally agree with you in regards to flexibility. He started to have much better defined preferences and he is more stubborn, 'NO' is much more frequent in his attitude.
Unfortunately, the ideal location that you are describing means no free parking and higher price. Out of town places are half the price or less compared to in-town, when you consider overnight parking fees.
Unless you have a specific suggestion for a clean B&B that offers cheap/free parking in Perugia or a small town closeby, walking distance to restaurants, with outside seating for that late evening wine bottle that you are mentioning, I will have to stick to out of town places.

Hi porkister,

sadly i can't give you a personal recommendation, but this place scored pretty high on the booking.com reviews:

http://www.hotelidealperugia.it/

about £350 for a week B&B in a triple room with free parking!. about 1.5kms walk from the centre of perugia.

there are many, many more on TA; you could also look on the www.agriturismi.it website.

ref your `'little man" it sounds like a touch of the terrible twos. The good news is that [IME] the sooner they start, the sooner they end. with any luck he'll be back to his delightful self by the time you holiday arrives.

good luck with your searches!

good luck in your search.

I'm not sure I'd want Perugia with a toddler. It's possible that the buses zip up and down the hill, but if you end up needing to use the escalator to get up and down, I'm not sure you'll enjoy keeping a grip on an independent-minded toddler for eleven flights of a fast-moving escalator.

Also, I think your appetite for day trips might be limited, and therefore you want a town where hanging out in the town itself is appealing. Perugia has many virtues, but it also has a a heck of a lot of steep staircases. I'd want someplace where strolling around with a toddler is a breeze.

Consider flat Bevagna if you are planning to rent a car.

Don't know the rates here, or the parking situation, but this enoteca in the heart of Bevagna rents out apartments. With a kitchen plus a restaurant downstairs, life could be simple:

http://www.enotecaonofri.it/home_winery_onofri.html

Here's a website that indicates the cost of an apartment at Onofri in Bevagna is 75e per night

http://www.toprural.it/Agriturismo-a...prezzi_pr.html

here's are blog posts talking about the food and wine

http://www.suzannecarreiro.com/tag/bevagna/

http://blagnyj.blogspot.com/2010/09/...za-onofri.html

I saw another mention of "plenty of parking nearby", and in May, I suspect you wouldn't have much of a problem finding free parking in Bevagna.

One more option:

This place within walking distance of Bevagna has a pool, plenty of parking, a kids' playground, suites with kitchenettes and appears to be in your budget

http://www.residenzaportaguelfa.com/intornoanoi_eng.php