dcd

We too had no interest in renting a car. I don't know if you have any interest in hiring a private driver/guide to show you some of Tuscany and Umbria. We did and used Luca Garrapa of www.hillsandroads.com. One of the best decisions of our trip. He's very knowledgeable, friendly, reasonable rates, and gets great reviews here. We had him for 1.5 days to drive us from Rome to Florence with stops in several hill towns and wineries. He lives outside of Siena. I'm sure he would do the reverse of such a trip or be available for day trips. Just a thought. Dave

stever

Thanks Dave - We'll bring his # with us in case we want to do one of those drives. They look really beautiful and interesting.

Steve R

Dayle

Hi again Steve,

If you do consider a few days in Tuscany or Umbria, I would recommend staying in either Spello or Umbria.

Assisi is beautiful, but like many of the most important Italian cities/towns it is overrun with tourists/pilgrims/tour groups. I would guess is regains some of its ancient atmosphere in the evenings (like Capri, San Gimignano, Siena) after the tour buses leave.

I think your most enjoyable experiences as far as a place to stay would be Spello or Orvieto.

tuscanlifeedit

I too suggest cutting a night or two off of Positano. We were there for 5 days and nights, but that was our only stay over on the AC, and it was plenty of time for us. Great scenery, but not enough art for me.

I am not sure about using Spello as a base for trips with public transportation. I think Assisi is a better choice. There are always taxis that will take you to and from the train station, or even to Spello if you wish. The train will take you to Perugia, which is an interesting town, and is home to the National Gallery of Umbria, one of Italy's best museums, and quite under-visited. Really fabulous art, but quite relegious in nature.

In Assisi, a walk to the Eremo of St Francis is a must. The cathedral is breathtaking. I am not a relegious person, but I am very moved by the spiritual nature of Assisi, and I am a HUGE fan of all things Francis.

stever

Thanks folks. I will take your comments and do more research. It looks like Assisi is starting to rise to the top of places to stay for a 3 night gig in the country, and then we could do some type of bus or driver deal to other small cities near it.

Food for thought. I also hear ya about 9 nights being alot on the Amalfi coast, so we might shave it down to 3 on Capri and 5 in Positano. That way we could still do Naples for 2-3 nights AND do Assisi for 3 nights.

Steve R

tuscanlifeedit

Like that last paragraph plan, Steve.

stever

Thanks tuscanlifedit.

I just did that research I talked about and the pictures of Orvieto and trip reports from there sounds amazing. I looked up the Hotel Duomo and we can get a Junior Suite there for 130 euros a night, so I just emailed them about a 3 night stay. After studying a map of Florence, Umbria and then Rome, it looks like Orvieto is right on the way to Rome, and that we can do a day trip or 2 from Orvieto, so it's starting to look like a better bet for us than Assisi.

Steve R

SusanP

Steve, Just a note about Luca Garrapa. I also used him in Sept. If you get to the point where you think you want to use him, I would definitely book it ahead, he is likely to be completely booked (you sounded as though you might call him after you got there).

I had decided not to drive because I was by myself and didn't want to have to drive and navigate at the same time. To maximize my time with him, I used the drive from one place to the other to visit places I would have visited on daytrips. Luca will put together an itinerary if you like, or if, as in my case, you know where you want to go, he will do whatever you want. If you want more information on what I did, here is my trip report:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...2&tid=34687434

You can skip to the Tuscany portion if you want to
Have a great trip!

Betsy

I stayed at the Hotel Duomo last spring, and it was a good choice. One important heads up: They may try to charge you in USD instead of euro. Do NOT let them do that-- dance on the counter if you have to! This is known as (the dreaded) Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC). Type this term into the search box at the top of the page, and read the posts that appear on the left-hand side of the screen. DCC is NOT in your best interest.

Dayle

Steve,

Things to see in Orvieto,

underground Etruscan cave tour
Etruscan museum
Duomo (of course)
ancient well
Etruscan tomb excavation site
lots of wonderful shops and galleries (Orvieto is a big artist's town)

Definitely try to get to Civita di Bagnoreggio. I real treat and a nice 1/2 day. Rick Steve gives bus trans directions in his Italy book.

Your trip is sounding better and better!

stever

Very excited about all this info and I appreciate all your tips. I have noted them and will act on them accordingly

I'm in Williamsburg VA on vacation now and just realized they have free internet here in my hotel!

How DO I get them to charge me in euros though instead of US dollars if I have a US credit card? Probably a dumb question, but ... Do they automatically try to charge in euros even though I'm from the US?

Steve R

SusanP

steve, You WANT them to charge you in Euro. When they charge you in US$, it is called Dynamic Currency Conversion. It results in your getting a much worse exchange rate. If you see US$ on the slip, ask them to credit that charge and redo it. They will tell you that the US$ amount shown is just for your convenience, or that they cannot credit the charge. NOT TRUE!

When I encountered it in Italy in Sept, it was clear to me in each case that the manager knew exactly what I was talking about, but the clerk usually didn't and had been told to tell the customer the charge couldn't be reversed. Sometimes you need to be a bit foreceful to get them to do the right thing.

stever

Thanks Susan P. I just emailed the Hotel about this and will make sure this happens! I don't really understand it, but if this is the way you say we can save money, I'm ALL about that!

We just got the confirmation from them, so a Junior Suite it is. Where else in Italy can you get a Junior Suite for 130 eur a night? Not many places WE looked at!

Steve R