travelgirl2_99

Trying to quickly make plans for a late September / early October trip to central Italy. We will be spending one week (Sat to Sat) in an apartment at an agriturismo in Tuscany, and are trying to decide between 2 that have availability in our price range - one outside of Montepulciano, the other outside of Siena. The difficulty I am having is with respect to where to go for the days before and after our apartment rental. We fly into and out of Rome, and will arrive on a Wednesday and leave on a Monday, so we have 3 free nights before the apartment rental and 2 nights after, and we will have a rental car. I am trying to sort out a possible location to stay that is close enough to the airport that we can reasonably drive to after an overnight flight from North America and then stay there fore the 3 nights before our rental, and again another place for the 2 nights after the rental that is close enough to drive back to the airport on the morning of our departure (flight departs at 12:30 so would need to be close enough to get to airport around 9:30).

We don't really want to stay in Rome on this trip as we were just there for 5 nights last October and would prefer on this trip to visit parts of Italy we did not see last time, in particular Tuscany and Umbria. I'd also love to fit in the Cinque Terre but don't think it is doable since it is around 4.5 hrs from the airport. I realize that Pisa and Florence airports would be more convenient for an itinerary based in Tuscany and the CT, but flying into those airports is not an option - we can only fly into Rome.

So, I would appreciate suggestions for the "bookends" of our trip. One of the options we were considering were driving to Cortona or Assisi for the first 3 nights, and then spending the last 2 nights in Orvieto. Mappy.com says distance from the airport to both Cortona and Assisi is 2 hrs 19 mins, and 1 hr 28 mins from Orvieto to airport, which *sounds* like it would be doable - any experience with how accurate these time estimates are? Or do you think we are risking it by staying that far away from the airport on our last night, and if so, any suggestions for closer towns and / or B&Bs nearer the airport in a price range of around 80 euros / night? What about our first 3 nights - any other suggestions welcome for those also!

Jean

ttt

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Hi T,

I would limit my driving soon after arrival.

I suggest going to Orvieto first and Assisi or Cortona on the way home.

What time does your flight leave Rome?

travelgirl2_99

Our flight leaves Rome at 12:30, but our airline says we have to be at the airport 3 hrs in advance - by 9:30. So I'm a little concerned about getting caught up in rush hour traffic trying to get the airport and was thinking that it would be better to be closer to the airport for our last 2 nights. Is this not likely to be a problem?

Henry

travelgirl2_99,
Less hassle after a long flight would be take the train to Spoleto for three nights (easy day trip by train to Assisi) then train to Chuisi or Siena (depending on your agriturismo)and get your car. After your week stay drop the car where you got it and take the train to Orvieto. After two days take the train to the airport.

If you must have the car try Viterbo on the front end and Orvieto on the back end.

travelgirl2_99

Henry, thanks very much for your comments. Unfortunately I think that we must have the car rather than taking the train to / from the airport - I am recovering from a broken foot, and while I can walk and can manage stairs and hills, I can do only small amounts of walking at a time and can't carry / pull extra weight (i.e. luggage) for any real distance. Navigating the airport will likely be about the extent of walking before I'll need to rest my foot for a while, which I can do in a car while my husband drives. But we just don't think it would be wise to add having to navigate train stations and change trains at Termini in addition to the walking that will be necessary in the airport while handling luggage, particularly on arrival after an overnight flight, as I will likely have swelling in my foot and ankle by that point and in addition will be very tired and jet-lagged (my husband on the other hand suffers very little from jet lag and can just keep going when we arrive in Europe, whereas I absolutely have to nap for an hour or two - I simply cannot function otherwise). Your suggestion for driving to Viterbo is a good one though, I'll have to investigate that. Thanks!