We're booked for two days and nights in Assisi. We're considering doing a day trip on one of those days--from what we hear Assisi can be done in one day. Should be try a trip to a place like Gubbio, or just soak up Assisi?

As much as we loved Assisi, a day in the town was enough to see everything, so I shouldn't see why you couldn't go to Gubbio as well. It's a very beautiful town. It and Todi were my favorite small towns in Umbria. Type in "Gubbio" in the search box and you'll come up with a few posts about it. It really is a special place (as is Assisi, don't get me wrong!).

Consider also the following towns nearby:

Perugia
Spello
Foligno
Bevagna
Montefalco
Trevi
Spoleto
Norcia

Thanks for the replies. So much to choose from! How is the bus service--does everything connect through Perugia?

We did Umbria including Assisi last month and I am in the process of writing numerous day by day reports. Te first three or so include Umbria. Maybe they will give you an idea or two. Look under Reeder italy reports. H

Each of the towns listed above can be visited by bus or train, or a combination of both. Gubbio and Todi are best reached by bus from Perugia.
Trevi, Spello, Montefalco and Bevagna by bus from Foligno. Norcia by bus from Spoleto.

www.apmperugia.it (Perugia to Gubbio, Todi and Assisi)

www.spoletina.it (Foligno to Trevi, Spello, Montefalco, Bevagna, Spoleto and Norcia)

Train service is good from Perugia to Assisi to Foligno to Spoleto.

www.trenitalia.it

Spoletina Company buses stop in front of the train stations in Foligno (to Trevi, Montefalco, Spello and Bevagna) and Spoleto (to Norcia)

If you take the train, you'll need a local bus connection to reach the center of Perugia and the center of Assisi, as the train stations in those towns are too far away to walk, and the walk is too steep. The train station in Spello is a 10 minute walk from the town's center, slightly uphill, and there is no local bus transportation. The train station in Spoleto is a 15 minute steep walk from the town's center,but local buses are available.

The bus station in Montefalco is a five minute walk from town. In Bevagna, the bus stops outside of the eastern city wall, again a 5 minutes walk. In Norcia, the bus stops outside of the city walls, a 3 minute walk. Buses to Spello drop you in the main square of town. Buses to Assisi stop in Assisi proper, either in Piazza Matteotti or in the large Piazza near the Basilica of St. Francis. Buses to historic Trevi stop by the city walls. A few buses only go to the Trevi train station, which is not what you want.