Help with overnight near Fiumicino - Rome
 

We are arriving at Fiumicino in the late afternoon Wednesday, August 28. We will pick up the car there, and are headed for Castellina in Chianti, near Siena. We don't like to drive at night, but would like to get out of the Rome area and spend the night along the way. Any one know of a village/hotel off A90 or SS4/E35? Any advice would be much appreciated.

Hi Hlroamer,

you could do a lot worse than head for Orbetello, an estruscan/roman/medieval town just under 2 hours drive up the coast from Rome.

it sits in a lagoon, [excellent beaches if you've got the time and inclination] a lovely little town centre, lots of excellent restaurants, and a few hotels.

the next day, on the way to Chianti-shire, you could stop off at the ancient city of "Massa Maritima" with its beautiful square and cathedral and fascinating little streets.

In neither place are you going to meet a lot of fellow tourists, but they are both charming.

Are you absolutely adverse to renting the car elsewhere after taking a fast train out of Rome?

Dukey - good point - the obvious place for that is Orvieto, but I'm sure that there are others.

however, it does involve going into Rome to Termini, on the train, and then getting another train to Orvieto or wherever.

whereas, if you are heading north from the airport, you don't need to go into Rome at all, and can be somewhere quite lovely in under 2 hours, rather than 3-4, depending on the train schedules.

Thanks, annhig. Orbetello sounds perfect - I'm looking for a place there.

Good point, Dukey1, but we are actually leasing our car from Peugeot Open Europe, which we have done many times. We are in and out of Fiumicino, so it makes sense to pick up/return there.

Hu Hlroamer

I stayed here for a week:

http://www.hotelsoleorbetello.it/

it's in the pedestrian zone and therefore quite quiet, except when they decide to have a fiesta and fireworks at midnight! nice people and simple, but clean, and in the old town. parking about 100 metres away outside the cathedral.

alternatively, this one is just outside the old town [which saves having to drive through any traffic] and is a bit more up market, with its own parking. 10 mins or so walk to the old town which is where you'll want to be.

all the restaurants I ate in [I was there for a week at a language school] were pretty good, but this one stands out:

http://www.ristoranteipescatori.it/

it's run by the local fisherman themselves, and if you don't mind queuing with the locals to put in your order, it's excellent.