ODDGIRL17

My husband and I will be traveling in Italy from Dec. 31, 2013 through February 14, 2014. We have allocated a 7 nights in Montepulciano (Tuscany Region) and 7 nights in Orvieto as a base for travel (Umbria Region). I have been encouraged to rent a vehicle for these regions as I am told the towns are close to each other, the regions are small and driving is not very complicated. I have not yet gotten maps of these areas. Can any traveler advise as to difficult of driving in these areas and finding the towns and villages.

dfourh

The roads are narrow, so sometimes you have to grip the wheel pretty tight if you are at speed, but otherwise they are perfectly adequate. The maps tend to be accurate and not have any wholesale misrepresentations.

cometstar

With a passenger navigator, our family was fine with a car. It was nice to be flexible and discover small towns and medieval villages on our way to bigger cities.signs are easy to read and I don't believe we used a GPS, just a plain old paper map!

Jean

It's not difficult, but you should have maps. GPS in the car is also helpful, but you have to be careful the GPS doesn't direct you into a town's limited traffic zone (ZTL). You can google the towns you plan to visit + ZTL for information/maps. At a minimum, learn to recognize the typical ZTL sign.

http://www.nickbooth.id.au/Tips/ZTL.htm

We enjoyed Orvieto a lot, but I wonder where you hope to explore in Umbria because Orvieto isn't very convenient for most of Umbria, especially if you're slowed by bad weather. Even Spoleto would be a better location.

RonZ

The Hotel Duomo in Orvieto has a garage.

Spello is very convenient, but we did not like any of the restaurants.

kybourbon

Orvieto isn't a good base for Umbria. It's also pretty close to Montepulciano. I would pick a base somewhere between Assisi and Foligno for a base for Umbria.

greg

It depends on how you defined driving being complicated. The traffic is light outside cities and the driver drive sanely and keep speed limits, at least much better than in the South. However there are challenges at the time you plan to drive that the people who encouraged you to drive unconditionally might not have to deal with. Those traveled the region in summer probably did not have to contend with fogs, short daylights, and weather induced road closures. Do plan arriving at destinations with enough margin before sunset unless you enjoy driving on dark nights on narrow twisting unpaved roads in thick fog in rain.

jandaseattle

I rented a car in Florence and drove everywhere in Tuscany (with a toddler). It was a breeze. Funny think is I hardly used a map to help me with directions, only used it to help me decide what town I would go to next, or plan my day. There are signs pointing in every direction, to where ever you might want to go. Reminds me of a Dr. Seuss illustration actually-- but it made driving easy. I also rented a small (really small) car, and I was able to zip around everywhere. I loved it. Get an international driver's license before you go. I did. I was glad I did, because I was with some friends who got pulled over and it was good we had all the ocuments needed. Enjoy.

ODDGIRL17

Thanks to all for the replies. So - in the event we decide not to rent a car because in January the driving conditions might be dangerous - please advise how difficult is it to negotiate via train & bus in the Umbria & Tuscany (Montepulciano) Regions. I would like to see Pittigliano & some of the southern towns in Tuscany. Also, perhaps we should think of making Assisi, Foligno or Montefalco our base in Umbria Region. Any thoughts on these towns? I have allocated 8 nights in Rome - I know it is not enough to see everything, but is it adequate to get a good taste? Please forgive me - I know I have so many questions - but this is an adventure we have not taken before. Thank you again.

kybourbon

It's difficult to visit Tuscany or Umbria by bus (most small towns do not have train service) from a base, especially somewhere like Pitigliano that may only have one bus run per day. There is usually no bus service on Sunday either.

I think you need a car for both areas. Small towns won't have much going on in January (especially at night) so you might want to pick bases that are larger towns/cities that are easy to drive in and out.

You need to post a list of your must see towns in each region and then we can advise on bases and whether public transport will be an option.

ODDGIRL17

Thanks to all for the replies. So - in the event we decide not to rent a car because in January the driving conditions might be dangerous - please advise how difficult is it to negotiate via train & bus in the Umbria & Tuscany (Montepulciano) Regions. I would like to see Pittigliano & some of the southern towns in Tuscany. Also, perhaps we should think of making Assisi, Foligno or Montefalco our base in Umbria Region. Any thoughts on these towns? I have allocated 8 nights in Rome - I know it is not enough to see everything, but is it adequate to get a good taste? Please forgive me - I know I have so many questions - but this is an adventure we have not taken before. Thank you again.

ODDGIRL17

Thank you Kybourbon. The towns in Tuscany would be Montepulciano, Cetona, Montalcino, Pienza, Gimignano, Pienza, Monteriggioni, the Chianti area and the smaller towns in the south (Pitigliano, Sovana). The towns in Umbria: Perugia, Assisi, Norcia, Orvieto, Spoleto, Foligno, Montefalco. I like the idea of a quiet, small town in the countryside. And, if I can't get to see everything, we will be happy just to be living in Italy and enjoying this world for awhile.

bobthenavigator

Good choices, but no chance without a car.
And, Orvieto is not a convenient location for you.

That time of year is always suspect.

tuscanlifeedit

I think Assisi would be a good base in January. It won't be too crowded, and it can be fairly easy to drive in and out of. It's a better choice for Umbria than Orvieto.

Yes, January weather can be iffy, but where do you live? I live in Pennsylvania, in the USA, and drive everyday. I drive to New York all winter. One must use one's head, but I don't think you're like to miss more than a day or so of your countryside trip due to weather.

8 days in Rome is wonderful.

Jean

I don't want to scare you away, but these areas can get snow. I might pick two "flat" towns, like Pienza and Bevagna. If it snowed and you decided not to drive that day, at least you could walk around.

Here are some pics from last winter in Montepulciano. It was a very unusual storm, but there's no guarantee it won't happen again.

https://plus.google.com/photos/10337...62366033100833

tuscanlifeedit

Jean, that's a really good idea, to be base in two flat towns.

kybourbon

>>>The towns in Tuscany would be Montepulciano, Cetona, Montalcino, Pienza, Gimignano, Pienza, Monteriggioni, the Chianti area and the smaller towns in the south (Pitigliano, Sovana). The towns in Umbria: Perugia, Assisi, Norcia, Orvieto, Spoleto, Foligno, Montefalco<<<

I think I would split this into three bases. What is your itinerary before and after this portion of your trip?

Depending on your other itinerary, I might start with a base in Orvieto for a few days which would be best for Pitigliano, Sovana. Orvieto is worth several days on it's own. Leaving there, you could stop in Cetona (if continuing for the rest of Tuscany) or Spoleto (if continuing to Umbria) on your travel day.

While Pienza is flat, I think it would be too small for a base for winter as I think quite a few things will be closed. Even in summer, Pienza pretty much shuts down by 9 pm or 10 at the latest (I've stayed in town several times in season). It's tiny and you can walk side-to-side of the historic center in about 5 minutes. Montepulciano is bigger and would likely have more restaurants open at night.

Chianti is a bit out of the way (Monteriggioni even more so) unless your starting or ending point is Florence. If so, you could stop in a couple of towns on your travel day to or from one of your bases.

Assisi is big enough for a base and would be convenient for your Umbria list except for Orvieto. Spoleto, Foligno, Perugia are all connected by multi-lane highway with Spello, Trevi within sight of the highway so easy to visit. Montefalco and Bevagna are a bit further from the highway, but not difficult driving. I think you will find them quite deserted at that time of year as they can be deserted even in high season. The roads to Norica won't be as easy.