Can anyone tell me which of the three, or perhaps another city would be a nice spot to spend Easter weekend with our 13 year old son. We will be traveling from Florence to Rome. Would love your opinions, recommendations and memories. <BR> <BR>Thanks, <BR>Denise

All things being equal I'd probably choose Assisi ... except at Eastertime. I've never been there at that time but would think that it would be jam packed for such a holiday, especially this year. <BR> <BR>Rome.Switzerland.Bavaria <BR>www.twenj.com

<BR>orvieto is fabulous. stayat la badia. eat at tratt. etrusca. get a guide book, see the duomo, underground taverns etc.

I haven't been to Perugia or Assisi, but Orvieto was beautiful. After Siena, it was my favorite hill town. The Duomo is spectacular. And your son will enjoy caverns and the ride on the funicular.

Where should I stay in Orvieto. I don't have a car. Is La Badia hard to reach by train? <BR> <BR>Thanks, <BR>Denise

La Badia is a couple of miles out of Orvieto. If you don't have a car, you probably don't want to stay there, since there's no convenient way to get into Orvieto. When we stayed at La Badia and didn't want to drive into Orvieto, we asked about buses and taxis. We were told that though we could take a taxi into town it would be difficult to get one for the ride back. La Badia is a beautiful hotel but if you're interested in exploring Orvieto, consider staying in town.

Denise, I would stop and see Assisi as <BR>you drive from Florence, then I would stay in Spoleto and spend 2 hours in <BR>Orvieto the next day enroute to Rome. <BR>Go to www.initaly.com and see their <BR>wonderful places to stay in Spoleto. <BR>Hard to go wrong in this area.

<BR>Hi Denise - I have visited all three towns and stayed several days in both Orvieto and Perugia. Orvieto is a very special place. Perugia is wonderful, as well. I visited Assisi and would recommend a visit but not to stay there. Perugia is a large,interesting college town with plenty to do and see. For a weekend, my vote would be Orvieto

Thanks to all of you for helping. Does anyone have any hotel reccomendations in Spoleto. So many have recommended this city. We are going by trains. Does this make it harder? <BR> <BR>Denise

I would normally vote for Assisi, but it will be wild over Easter weekend, so I vote for Orvieto. Perugia is nice, but Orvieto IMHO is a better choice. I wouldn't try to hit both Spoleto and Orvieto, but I'm the type of traveller who hates to spend as much time getting to a place as exploring it, and while I think Spoleto is nice, I don't think it is amazing. <BR> <BR>On another note, anyone who has only daytripped to Assisi is really missing the best of the town. My husband and I fell in love with evenings and early mornings there so much that we ended up spending 5 nights rather than 2 (and we weren't on a pilgramage). It is a lot like places such as Mont St. Michel in France, crowded with day trippers. At night however, the town becomes gourgeous and atmospheric -- you really feel like you are in a medieval village -- make sure you take a flashlight with you when you explore La Rocca (the fortress onthe top of the hill). I highly recommend it, it has remained one of my favorite places ever, and it has a really great aura about it . <BR>

After driving around Tuscany and Umbria for 2 weeks, I must say that Assisi was my favorite places. You're right, it has a wonderful aura. I'm not a particularly religious person, but was in awe in the church of St. Francis. The city was a blast to walk in, even at night and in the rain. I felt very at ease and very happy there. I'm taking my husband and 11yr old son there in Oct. Have fun.

I especially suggest just going directly to Orvieto if you are taking trains from Florence to Rome. Orvieto is on a main line from Florence to Rome, which means fast trains and no connections. I know you will need to transfer at least once to Spoleto, and it will be more out of the way. Either way, have a great trip. <BR>

Orvieto was one of the high points of our hill towns- Don't miss the Duomo-incredible! We stayed at the Hotel Virgilio on the Duomo- lots of shopping and resturants nearby We had alovely room facing the Duomo.

How did you like the hotel? Someone posted that the walls were so thin, they wouldn't recommend it. It's hard to find a hotel there that moderate to inexpensive. the Il Duomo is closed for renovations. Let me know your thoughts on the HOtel Viriglio and their phone number. <BR>Thanks <BR>Denise

Denise, we just reserved the Hotel Piccolomini in Orvieto at 210.000 L for a double with private bath. It's a 3 star right in the town. E mail: [email protected]. Good luck!

We stayed at Hotel Virgilio once, but the second time much preferred Hotel Duomo which is right below it- it is very Italian, 2 star, much cheaper, but with bigger rooms and nicer furniture, and much quieter. <BR>I did not quite understand Denise's email. Did you mean that Hotel Duomo is closed for renovations or were you mentioning another hotel or the Duomo(cathedral)?Check Rick Steves' Italy book for more inexpensive hotels. We usually find Rick Steves' s hotel recommendations to be pretty reliable. <BR>By the way , I hope everyone who goes to Orvieto also goes to Civita de Bagregno(sp)which is half an hour away. It was the highlight of our whole trip. Try not to go there on a weekend. See Rick Steve's book or web site for a description of this ultimate hilltown!

Hi, <BR>I went to a site on the internet to look at the Hotel Duomo and it flashed <BR>"closed due to renovations". It didn't say when it will re-open.Tried to call, but no answer. I will keep trying. <BR> <BR>Denise.