danzaman

full travel map here: http://bit.ly/LqxWwu

Jean

If you have only two nights in Florence, there's really no time for a day trip. If time in the Tuscan countryside appeals to you more than Florence, then drive from Venice and stay those two nights in a smaller town.

If you decide to stay in Florence and your plan is to head to Spello on Sunday, 10/14, you'd have to go to the Florence airport to rent the car.

danzaman

any recommendations on a Tuscany town to stay in?

danzaman

Agreed, Florence might not be worthwhile in the time we have. Would you recommend adding the two additional nights I'd be gaining to Spello or do should I spread them out between Venice and Spello? I'm also a photographer and would love to capture some of the beauty out in Italy. I'm wondering if the Spello part of the trip would be the best for landscape shots?

Option A: 3 nights in Venice, 4 nights in Spello, 4 nights in Rome
-or-
Option B: 4 nights in Venice, 3 nights in Spello, 4 nights in Rome


thanks again for all your help. being able to talk to someone who has been there before is extremely helpful. You can only do so much online reading articles.

mamcalice

I would stay in Florence and take a bus to Fiesole, a suburb of Florence from which you can overlook the Tuscan countryside from one side of town and Florence from the other side. The bus leaves from Piazza San Marco and is a 20 minute trip. While at Piazza San Marco, visit the Accademia to see Michelangelo's David and the Museo San Marco to see Fra Angellico's beautiful frescos.

If not Florence, drive from Venice to Montalcino and take a couple of day trips from there. Montepulciano and Pienza are options.

StCirq

Well, Venice is a bit of a photographer's dream as well, so from that perspective I don't think it makes much difference unless you have a preference for rural landscape versus water scenes. But as a practical matter with regard to renting the car, you'll get the best value with at least a 3-day rental, so I'd opt for Option A.

Jean

Lots of photo ops in all three destinations. I love Umbria and am less drawn to Venice, so I'd pick Option A. But the next poster will pick B because they're nutty for Venice. You won't know if you made the right choice until you get there.

Will you be very jet-lagged on arrival in Venice? If so, you might need/want the extra time there. Three nights = two full days. Four nights = three full days. Your Venice hotel is not very close to the main sights.

matera2019

I highly recommend you choose option A. I would try to eliminate most of the long drive from Venice to Spello by taking a late morning train from Venice to Chiusi in Tuscany. It's a 4 hour train ride, and you should time your arrival in Chiusi for when the car rental offices open, which is after 4pm. You will then have a short drive to Spello.

GIven your inerests, I think you are getting better advice in the other forum. I certainly wouldn't stay in Florence to take a bus to Fiesole on an already busy honeymoon. Unless you are terribly interested in wine, it makes more sense to go to prettier Montepuliciano in Tuscany than Montalcino.

Although Umbria is pretty, if photographing landscapes is part of your interest in photography, the Montepulciano area of Tuscany and the val d'Orica is iconic for photographers. That area is about a 90 minute drive from Spello.

If you haven't already booked a place in Spello, you might give some consideration to staying a bit west of Spello in order to be able to visit that area in Tuscany more easily. Towns like Montone, Corciano and Torgiano and Panicale might be worth looking at, and there are countryside relais in all these areas that are geared toward honeymoon or special occasion stays.

matera2019

Danzaman, many of the fast trains that go from Venice to Chiusi require a change in Florence. If you prefer to take an early morning train, you can stop off in Florence, store your luggage at the train station, and take a few hours strolling around, taking pictures. So long as you are back on the train by 3pm, you can arrive in Chiusi in time to pick your rental car and be at your Umbrian lodgings before it gets dark.

But I wouldn't make that decision until you are actually in Venice, because you might prefer to linger in Venice and take a later train.

I'll also point out that some trains leaving Venice make a stop in Bologna rather than Florence. If you feel like a few hours in Florence would be an exercise in frustration rather than enjoyable, but like the idea of a glimpse of another Italian locale, Bologna has very photogenic food markets easily reached from the train station (where you can also store your luggage). You can assemble a grand picnic, take it back to the train, and enjoy the journey down, arriving in Chiusi at 4pm.


The train line follows the exact same route as the highway in that part of Italy, so you won't be missing any scenery if you take the train. You'll only miss the stress of driving.

Jean

I would prefer driving Venice-Spello. Load the luggage once, stop at interesting spots along the way, no need to watch the time, etc. We enjoyed Ferrara. The mosaics in Ravenna are amazing.

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/ravenna

Driving along part of the Lake Trasimeno shoreline would be another scenic option.

Everyone has a different experience, but we don't find driving in the Italian countryside stressful.

I'd put the Umbrian landscape up against Tuscany anytime. They're just different. If you're not sure which to choose, spend some time on Google Images looking at pics of the different towns. You may already know that many consider Spello one of the most picturesque towns in Italy, and I like Montepulciano and the Val d'Orcia a lot. I just think Umbria is a little easier when you don't have much time.

Alycett

I agree with Matera don't book everything to death. I too make sure I book a hotel when I land for 2 or three nights and possibly book the end of the trip as well but part of the lovely thing about travelling in Italy is how easy it is to get somewhere else by train. I would find out some hotels that you like in some of the cities you want to go and the day before email them and check if they have openeings if you are still wanting to go. This gives you the opportunity to stay somewhere if you love it or leave early if you don't. Honestly you can get most places in 3 or 4 hours or even less. If you really want to fly by the seat of your pants than leave early in the morning and go wherever you like and at the train station you finish at as long as it is in a major city you will find a information booth with hotels, b & b's etc and you are going in October which is starting to be low season. Just check for festivals so you don't end up not being able to get a room because they are having a festival and are all booked up.

StCirq

<<I'd put the Umbrian landscape up against Tuscany anytime.>>

So would I. And I agree about touring around Lago Trasimeno - beautiful area and not that many tourists other than Italians bother to explore it.

As for festivals, easier said than done to check on when and where they're occurring - sure, if you read Italian and are observant about posters along the road and such or stop in tourist offices to check, but it's really, really easy just to happen upon one that you didn't know about.