Thanks for the suggestion enzian. I wondered if a stop in Verona on the way to Florence would make sense. I found the Eurostar you mentioned...but where do I find the price?

Deb, you haven't told us what hotels you finally decided on. I, for one, would love to know!

Deb15---I'm sorry; I don't know how to find the price. I use the German website for all trains, and it doesn't show the price for trains outside Germany. Maybe Trenitalia?

I know you already bought some guidebooks, but for this trip, but I think you would find the Rick Steves Italy book very helpful. He covers Verona and Assisi (as well as Florence, Rome, and Venice), with specific and practical recommendations on transport (bus and train), walking tours, etc.

Some of the information on Assisi is on his website:

http://tinyurl.com/yn73fj

but I couldn't find anything on Verona there. Your library probably has the book.

Hagan...saw some of your posts about your upcoming trip (which I assume is also a Spring Break for your grandsons) and I'm in the same boat you were regarding airfare. I will be flying in and out of Atlanta and fares dropped for awhile and were down to just over $700 apiece including all taxes and junk fees. Kept gambling and they went up about $100 each. The price is down again, but not as low as before. It's driving me crazy.

As far as lodging...
Venice - Locanda Orseolo
Florence - Alloro B&B
Rome - Nicolas Inn

enzian...I think I will check on Rick Steves Italy at my library...a version that is only 1-2 years old would probably be fine. My son used a Rick Steves Spain book last summer and it seemed pretty informative.

Deb - You can find the train prices on www.trenitalia.com. You need to enter a date within the next 60 days to see the price. The prices in March/April will be the same unless there is an across the board increase in January for the year, but haven't seen anything about an upcoming increase.

kybourbon,
Thanks for the tip on train dates. I was able to see prices by putting in a January date. Assisi looks like it might be a problem as a day trip from either Rome or Florence or as a stop on the way from Florence to Rome...mainly because there aren't many options. Is anyone aware of a tour guide that could be used for an excursion to Assisi from either Florence or Rome?

Deb15,

Assisi is roughly 2 hours by train from either Florence or Rome. You could stop there on your way, leaving Florence at 8:16 in the morning, spending a few hours in Assisi, and continuing on to Rome (just under 2 hours by most trains).

Better yet, why not spend a night there on your way between the two? It sounds like a wonderful place.

Suze - love the Pensione La Calcina hotel!! Thanks for sharing that, but wondering - are prices listed as per person or per room?
I am also planning a trip to Italy in June of 2007... there has been loads of useful tips in this thread! Thanks to all!

Viator has a tour from Rome to Orvieto and Assisi. http://tinyurl.com/ygywzw

There's also the "Sulga" bus which departs from Fiumicino and Tiburtina. But it doesn't sound better than your train options.
http://www.sulga.it/index.asp

Deb, I hear you about the airfare! I just checked flycheapabroad.com (where I bought our tickets) and put in the dates March 28-April 8, into Venice and out of Rome, and got a fare of $613. Not sure exactly what your dates are, but you might check it out. I'd have loved THOSE fares!

I think the fares have dropped the past few days, and will probably be at these rates for only a short time. Good luck!

Please help with air fares!
Flights I'm interested in on Air France just went up considerably. It appears the same flights are available on Fly Cheap Abroad for a couple hundred less each.

The only complaint I've seen regarding the Fly Cheap company is that the person was not able to accrue frequent flyer miles. Has anyone had an additional problems with this website?

Also...fares on both Air France and Fly Cheap mention taxes are included. Air France mentions that the 9/11 fee is also included in the price. But...both websites mention that govt imposed fees are not included. Are those charges always above and beyond the quoted ticket prices...and how much should I expect these to be for Italy?

Deb, I have lots of leads I never followed up on from my own trip last year. I thought this tour of Assisi looked good:
http://www.annesitaly.com/index.html