stellamarina

My husband and I are expecting a baby in late August and decided we had to squeeze in another fun trip. We booked our flights with one frequent flier ticket and one reasonably priced ticket from San Francisco to Rome for March 2 - March 10. A short trip we know, but we wanted to preserve the bulk of our vacation time this year for obvious reasons. We know we want to spend 3 nights in Rome. Again, I know it's short but this is probably my 7th trip to Rome and we did spend 6 days there 2 years ago so my husband has definitely gotten a taste.

The rest of the trip is the question mark. We were thinking of just taking the EuroStar to Florence for the rest of the time but are slightly interested in renting a car and doing a few days in Umbria. Too much? Any other suggestions? We have to be back in Rome the last night as our flight is at 6am back home.

Also, for three nights in Rome, should we bother with an apartment? It's definitely our preference as we've done this in Rome, Florence, Paris, etc recently.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

Ann1

You can do that easily. Go to autoeurope.com. They are a consolidator based in the US so if you have a problem, they are here. They offer cars from multiple companies, but have a deal with insurance and low mileage cars. You can pick up from Roma Termini or take the train to an area outside of Rome and pick it up outside of the city. Sometimes they have a 3 day minimum. Even two or three nights in Tuscany and Umbria is worth it. You can go into all the little villages and really experience Italy. Like we have roadside vegetable stands....they have roadside wine stands....love it. Have fun.

jnjfraz

March will be a little cool, so do consider that the small towns will be quiet and Florence will also be quieter than usual.

We don't particularly like crowds so I would almost be drawn to Florence because of the lack of crowds.

That being said Umbria would be great and country exploring is always fun. If you rent a car use the company that Ann suggested, but it is very very difficult to drive out of Rome, so train up to Orvieto and rent from there.

jnjfraz

Oh and the most important, congratulations on the new baby!!!

stellamarina

Thanks! The tip about picking up the car from Orvieto is a good one, I will look into that.

I lived in Florence for a year and have spent many a subsequent trip there in January or March, I tend to love it when it's cooler and quieter. But it would be nice to see an area we haven't really explored yet. I appreciate the help thus far.

ellenem

Since you already know Italy and the way things work, particularly Rome and Florence, it would be easy for you to put your time in Rome at the end of your visit to maximize your time there and avoid having to transfer there just for the last night.

You could take the train from FCO via Termini to Florence and begin your visit there. OR You could rent a car from FCO and head to someplace in Umbria that's not to far a drive. Then on to Florence.

stellamarina

Very good idea ellenem. I must have spaced out because that makes a lot more sense.

charnees

Why don't you look at Orvieto as a place to stay? It's a lovely little city and you could park a car in the lot at the bottom of the escalators down from the train station to use when touring around. From there you can easily go east to Assisi, Perugia, or west to Civita di Bagnoregio which is an amazing town (look it up on the internet and you will see). And Lago di Bolsena is nearby. That was an area that was built up by the Etruscans before the Romans came along and the lake is quite beautiful. It's also an area where they make Pecorino cheese.

You could also take a train into Florence in about an hour if you want.

Mimar

I'm not as enamored of Orvieto as others here, especially not as a base for car-touring Umbria. If you look at a map, Orvieto is well west of most of Umbria.

I like Bevagna as a base for Umbria. It's a nice but quite small town, flat and easy to drive in and out of. And it's centrally located to most of the highlights of Umbria.

Have you toured Tuscany by car?

stellamarina

A friend recommended Spoleto as a base. Good idea or no? I will look into Bevagna and Orvieto. Any recommendations for lodging in any of those places? We're trying to keep this on somewhat of a budget. Not hostel-style but nothing too fancy.

Mimar - I have toured Tuscany by car but husband has not.

Tiggy22

I adore Umbria - more so than Tuscany as Tuscany is so overrun with tourists. Last year I stayed a day each in Spoleto (the Lippi frescos in the Duomo were incredible), Spello, and gubbio with 2 days in Assisi. Suprisingly Assisi was no crowded inthe least aind it was late April!

As for your question, Stella, I think Spoleto is wonderful if you have a car (if you were just depending on a train not so much). But since Spoleto is on a hill - look for a room with a view - you will see the wonderful Umbrian valley below. I stayed at the Palazzzo Leti when I was in Spoleto and it was fabulous! http://www.palazzoleti.com/

Jean

We thought Spoleto was a great base for exploring Umbria. The drives from there west to Todi and north to Bevagna are particularly beautiful.

The Hotel San Luca in Spoleto is located at the bottom of the town. Two quick turns from the hotel, and you're on one or another road to wherever you want to go in Umbria. There is a grocery store with some prepared take-out food about a block away. The staff at the San Luca were very helpful with restaurant recommendations, driving directions and parking tips. We picked up our rental car at an office a short taxi ride from the hotel.

http://www.hotelsanluca.com/index_eng.php

stellamarina

Thanks so much Tiggy22 and Jean. Tiggy - Palazzo Leti is exactly the place my friend recommended, they were just there for their honeymoon. It looks spectacular. Jean, I am certainly going to look at Hotel San Luca as well, just to compare pricing, etc. Thank you both for your input regarding Spoleto. I don't think we can really go wrong though in Umbria, we are excited to explore as we've only ever stayed in Assisi.

Ann1

I didn't think about it until a previous poster mentioned it, but we alway fly into Naples and go to Ischia to visit with the family for 10 days. Then we travel wherever around Italy for a week and end up in Rome for a couple of days and then fly out of there. I can never get enough of Rome so I don't feel a visit is complete without my stop there. The final night we go to the airport and stay at the Hilton so we can get our early flight out.

stellamarina

Ann1 - Rome is a magnet isn't it? I am so excited to go back.

I think we have everything figured out. We'll pick up our car at Fiumicino and drive to Spoleto. Not sure where we're staying there yet but a couple of options we're hoping to book in the next day or two. We'll do a few days scoping out some towns in Umbria. We're able to drop the car in Spoleto without any major extra fees and then we'll train back to Rome and check into our apartment near Campo dei Fiori. We'll just arrange for a cab to get us bright and early the morning of our departure. A short but sweet trip. I'd rather it be short than not go at all! Thanks all for your tips and advice.

Jean

In Spoleto, we really enjoyed Osteria del Trivio located a few blocks from the Hotel San Luca on via del Trivio. Very reasonable prices, good and interesting food, charming host/owner. One night there, we were the only tourists. The other night was about half and half.

Also in Spoleto, Ristorante del Mercato in Piazza del Mercato about halfway up to the top of the town. Less casual, good food, good prices.

If you make it to Todi, I highly recommend lunch at Ristorante Umbria located a short distance off Piazza del Popolo. Very good food, wonderful outdoor terrace with a fantastic view. One of the most enjoyable meals we've had in Italy.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/30/43...7ffa624083.jpg