Desperation mode-very last minute trip to Italy for this next week and want to visit Orvieto and/or Cortona.Help!!!
 

Okay-I am at a husband's convention/reunion in San Antonio at a hotel computer(that everyone else wants to use so time is very limited). My 22 year old daughter just got 5 days off from her job this next week and wants to fly into Rome and go up to Orvieto and/or Cortona for this next week. I am not at home to access my books and other "Italy stuff" so need my Fodors friends to help me find a hotel in Orvieto and possibly one in Cortona that I could quickly email before we go back to Chicago on Monday. I just want something inexpensive that would be doable using the train up from Rome.
I would appreciate any and all help on this as I am frustrated not having my stuff to help me plan. I cannot even access my favorites or try and use venere.com etc. as the lines are waiting here for the two computers.Thanks!

It is a short train ride up to Orvieto, one hour, which would be easy. It is a little more difficult to get to Orvieto on the train and with only 5 days I would just do Rome and Orvieto.
Put orvieto hotel and orvieto restaurant in the search box up above and you will find lots of information, no need for a guide book!
Have a great last minute vacation!

I ment that it is a little more difficult to get to Cortona on the train from Rome.

I did a last-minute trip to Italy last year at this time, dutyfree. I had no trouble getting lodging in Rome or Orvieto. We had been to Orvieto before, decided to try a different place: Albergo Duomo. Loved it. Convenient, beautifully located (our window looked directly on to the duomo), well-managed, impeccably clean, spacious, and lovely. And not at all expensive, either. I adore Orvieto...have been several times, and never tire of its beauty.

http://www.orvietohotelduomo.com/siteuk/index.htm

The duomo hotel is booked-any other suggestions. Also, does anyone have any last minute hotel suggestions for Rome that they think might have availability at this late stage. Thanks so much!

Here's a link to the Orvieto tourism site. It lists hotels and their websites if they have one.
http://www.comune.orvieto.tr.it/i/3B0233DA.htm

For Rome, try this one in Trastevere.
http://www.arcodellauro.it/eng/camere.htm

Will you be traveling by train or car?

I stayed at a nice agriturismo in Orvieto, not too far from the city center. But you will need a car.

www.locandarosati.orvieto.tr.it

We stayed at a wonderful convent in Orvieto last October.I am out of town now and can't remember the name, but there were several convents there that take guests.

In Feb 2003, my wife and I stayed at the Hotel Corso (http://www.hotelcorso.net/). Nothing special, but perfectly adequate. We paid EUR 70.

Paul

Sorry but couldn't your 22-year old daughter do this herself, i.e. search Fodors, Frommers, google, instead of you scrambling to find a hotel for her at a hotel computer with limited amount of time?

We stayed at Hotel Corso also--nothing fancy, but clean with good bed. There is a terrace on the third level which is pleasant to sit out on in the evening. Breakfast was good as well--simple but nice. However, someone mentioned a ground floor room which was noisy with an odd frosted window so no view at all so you may want to avoid that room. This hotel is super convenient to the funicular.

Hi dutyfree,

We stayed at Palazzo Piccolomini in Orvieto (2000). I think they might be out of my price range now, but maybe not yours. We were very happy with the hotel, 4*, at the opposite end of town from the funiculare, just up the acensori from the car park.

Have some Orvietio Classico for me.

I'm so jealous! Buon viaggio!

We stayed in Orvieto a few years ago at this hotel -

http://www.valentinohotel.com/eng.html

It was fine, nothing fancy, very central. Very little English was spoken. Approx. 80 euro per double.

Not sure if you already know but you get the train from Rome to Orvieto whic takes about 1 hour then from the train station at Orvieto, you catch a funicular up the hill to the town at the top. Orvieto has spread out over the years but the original town is up the top of the hill. An absolute must is to visit the Duomo, I can still remember it very clearly after all this time.
Kay

Thanks everyone-will look at this. As to the daughter doing it-she lives and works as a marine science educator on a tall ship so does not have the time or computer to use out on Lake Michigan.Any other last minute for Rome-please add on to this thread. I really appreciate any thoughts or info!

A few years back we made a last minute trip to Rome and stayed at the Tiziano (on the Corso, a few minutes walk from the Pantheon) http://www.tizianohotel.it/Home_En.html. While nothing fancy, it was perfectly adequate -- actually, we liked it.

I will be happy to second the suggestion of the Piccolomini in Orvieto. I've now stayed there twice. It's great.

Also, if you go out the front door and turn right, there is a marvelous, but very simple, pasta place right by the Piccolomini. They only serve pasta, and its really fantastic.

I have never stayed in Rome so no suggestions for there, sorry.

Have a great time.

I am back home now and cannot thank you all for your suggestions. Did I mention that this week seems to be totally full for most hotels in Orvieto and Rome? Of course,what did I expect with this last minute stuff?
Anyway, I got a great deal on a hotel that has gotten good reviews on tripadvisor so our trip will now be arriving on Friday into Rome and do "our usual" and then get up early to take the train to Orvieto for the day on Saturday.
A couple quick questions(and yes, NeoPatrick I have been looking at past threads!)-
Does anyone have any idea when the places shut up in Orvieto on Saturdays?
Would you try for the first train at 615am or the next one at 815am in order to have time to see the Duoma,do the underground tour at noon and shop?
Any help/suggestions will be greatly accepted-thanks!

Dutyfree,

I would go as early as possible. I remember there was a special ticket to see the frescos in the duomo that was only available in the morning. Sorry, I'm not enough of an art history expert to remember who did them! One of the biggies.....If you miss this, they are hard to see, because they actually have a "cage" around them!

Years ago when I was there, there were 2 English tours a day. I think one was at 10am and the other later afternoon. This may have changed, but I'd want to make sure I didn't miss this. I found it fascinating.

Can't wait to hear your impressions of Orvieto! I get the impression it's much more visited than when we were there in 2000.

I hope you can stay for the pasaggiata and dinner. There are some awesome restaurants.