tuscanlifeedit

I am refining our itinerary for late April. We arrive in Italy (we have been several times, and are seeking new places to visit) on April 22 in the morning, and the plan is to head to Orvieto from FCO (> Termini > Orvieto).

We plan on being in Umbria 5 nights. Here is the tentative plan, but I could surely use help.

April 22: spend day and night in Orvieto. Rent car on April 23 (my 60th birthday).

OK, now I get confused. Here are the places I would like to go, and we have the dates of April 23, 24, 25, and 26:

Gubbio
Citta di Castello
Cortona, Monterchi (just a stop to see the Piero pregnant Madonna) and Sansepolcro.

Can anyone suggest an itinerary that would lead us back to a town where we could easily return a car and hop a train to Rome on April 27?

I know that the 25th is a holiday, and I wouldn't mind just staying put somewhere, if that is recommended.

Also, I hear a lot about the crowds in Cortona. Would staying over mid week, late April, be a good option for visiting there?

We are after art, scenery and good food. Not too much rushing about, but I was really thinking about moving 2 more times before heading for our stay in Rome. That is a lot for us.

This is just very very rough, so all suggestions are welcome.

Jean

I'd probably return the car in Foligno, but another choice is Arezzo. I don't think I'd change hotels after Orvieto because none of the distances you're contemplating are great. I can't comment on staying in Cortona in April.

I'm jealous...

tuscanlifeedit

Jean, I hadn't thought about returning the car in Foligno. I'll investigate. We have twice spent time in Arezzo, and although I like it very much, I'm looking for something different, although just returning a car there isn't the same as a visit.

What about just one change of location after Orvieto? For me, it is a bit too small for all our nights.

Jean

My comment wasn't clear. I'd spend the first night in Orvieto, pick up the car the next morning and drive to the second hotel, spending the remainder of the nights at the second hotel.

Although I haven't slept in Cortona (or parked a car there!), I'd probably pick it. It's pretty central to what you want to see/do, and I always pick a city/town over an agriturismo or countryside villa. Just our preference, because we like to walk/observe a town before and after dinner and don't like to drive after sunset.

Returning the car at Foligno lets you see more of the Umbria Valley. If you can make a day of it, you can drive part of the shoreline of Lake Trasimeno, have lunch somewhere like Assisi, Spello, Bevagna, Montefalco, etc. Cortona to Foligno without stopping is probably less than 90 minutes. Foligno to Rome (train) is about 2 hours.

tuscanlifeedit

Jean, thanks.

Yes, we too like to walk around a town before and after dinner. I'm looking at a small hotel near a city gate in Cortona, and I would imagine that the advertised parking would be outside the walls. (It is my experience that advertised parking in Italy always needs further investigation.)

I have not visited Bevagna. Would you recommend it?

Flame123

I have spent 9 nights in a hotel in Bevagna several years ago. It is a lovely and sweet little town, emphasis on little. We loved it, especially since it was flat, but many others may consider it too small for overnights. We also spent 2 nights in Cortona on another visit, about a year ago and loved it. We found parking (for free) in a somewhat large lot right near the escalators, yes that's right, outdoor escalators that take you to the top of the VERY steep town in its midst. We stayed in a small and inexpensive B&B which we liked very much.

I have some recommendations for restaurants in the areas if you are interested let me know.

tuscanlifeedit

Flame: I am very interested in your recommendations. I'm leaning to Cortona, or at least it is on the shortened list for a place to spend 4 nights.

I would be grateful for the restaurant recs, and the B&B, too, if you liked it.

Flame123

In Cortona, we stayed at a place called Casa Kita. You can look it up also on tripadvisor. It only has about 3-4 rooms, very inexpensive, and suited us very well. There are some treacherous outdoor steps though to get to it (and back) so if that is an issue for you, I would think twice.

In Bevagna we stayed at Palazzo Brunamonti, a lovely small hotel run by super friendly and helpful people. The room was very large and spotless, breakfast was great although never changed even one iota in all 9 days we were there.

As for restaurants, I will get back to you, have to check my notes.

Flame123

Restaurants - Il Grotto in Cortona for a wonderful first Tuscan dinner. We had pici, gnocchi, roast pork, lamp chops, wine and coffee. And it was just wonderful.

Vecchio Forni in San Quirico, a nice little place where we share a beautiful plate of Tuscan antipasti, 2 different pici dishes, and a shared crème brulee!!!

Montalcino, Les Barriques, where we have THE Tuscan Chiannina steak (1.9 kilos and even though there is a big bone in the middle we still cannot manage to finish it off). We start with their pici aglione which is the best ever and then the steak. With the steak we shared a salad. I had a glass of great wine. For desert, even though we could not finish our meal, I could not resist the cantucci e vin santo (hard almond biscuits with sweet-ish desert wine to dunk them into!!) and we got quite the plate with several different cantucci. They were all to die for and we thoroughly enjoyed this meal!!!

There are a few more - L'Alchimista in Montefalco, quite possibly THE best of them all

Ottavius in Bevagna where we ate three times.

franco

This thread may give you some ideas, particularly on the Bevagna area, which is one of my favourites all over Italy: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-delights.cfm; some critical remarks on recent development included.
Personally, I'd do Gubbio and Città di Castello as one day trip from Sansepolcro - I stress: personally, since I failed to fall in love with either Gubbio or Città di Castello, though both (Gubbio in the first place) are certainly worth seeing. Another place I don't absolutely like is Cortona, and honestly, the only valid reason to stop there is Giorgio di Martini's masterpiece outside the walls, the church of S. Maria del Calcinaio (its exterior much eroded, but a gem inside). Of course, when being there, you'll visit within the walls, as well, but be prepared it's just going to be a waste of time. There are far prettier hilltowns all around central Italy, and I've no idea why Cortona, of all these places, has become so popular. One of those far prettier yet totally unknown (and thus totally unspoiled) hilltowns is Castiglion Fiorentino, just a few kilometres away.
If this was my trip, I would probably base myself, after Orvieto, in Bevagna or Montefalco, and in Sansepolcro. As for Bevagna and Montefalco, please view the thread I've posted above; as for Sansepolcro, that's a true gem of a small Italian town (not a hilltown, mind you!). Old-fashioned, charming, dignified, wonderful food (I'd go back to Tuscany just to eat at this place once more: www.ristorantefiorentino.it)... and nothing to see besides three Piero della Francesca paintings at the municipal museum. A great base for exploring the border region of Tuscany and Umbria by car, IMO. And in this region, there's another gem for art lovers, sorely neglected by travelers: a small, completely artless church in the hamlet of Morra (on the Umbrian side of the border), with astonishing paintings by Luca Signorelli. The custodian is living in the house next to it, you'll most probably have to be a little persistent in ringing the bell. This would make a perfect complement to your visit of the Orvieto cathedral, of course.

2010

Bookmarking for future reference! Thanks for the useful information!

tuscanlifeedit

franco, I'm glad you mentioned this post on the Sunday/Venice thread. I had not see your answer.

I'm a littel down about your take on Cortona. I read a lot of trip reports and people liked the town; I made a reservation there, as it is one Tuscan town I have never visited.

We decided to base ourselves in one town for nights, after Orvieto. Montefalco really did nothing for me as a place to stay, but I have never been to Bevagna. We like to stroll and spend our time in a town in the late afternoons and evenings, after touring in the day.

tuscanlifeedit

Does anyone else have the opinion that franco expressed, that Cortona is "just a waste of time?"

I choose it because of its size and tourist infrastructure.

Franco, I looked at Castiglion Fiorentino, and it looks lovely, but much more like a place for us to visit than one to stay in.

franco

You'll have to judge by yourself, anyway! I, too, was very eager to visit Cortona (and it was one of "my" last Tuscan towns, as well), but I must say it's been one of my major disappointments all around Italy.
But at least, if you like good food, don't give the restaurant in Sansepolcro a miss. It's probably inconveniently distant from Cortona for dinner; but you might do as I did (I stayed near Castiglion Fiorentino) and eat a somewhat extended lunch there. Enjoy!

franco

Cross-posting, sorry. I agree, there's probably not too much evening life in Castiglion Fiorentino if you don't want to be alone on your strolls. But I'm not sure about that for Cortona, either (though I didn't spend the evening there) - it seemed VERY sleepy, as well.

bobthenavigator

I agree with Franco, especially on Bevagna as a good base location for Umbria. Gubbio is a long way---you have to want to go there. Cortona is OK, but I prefer Montepulciano. And, do not miss Spello.

Dayle

tuscanlifeedit,

I only visited Cortona for a half day enroute to Gubbio. It was a Sunday and mass had just ended, so I had the impression of mostly locals, but there were quite a few tourists like myself. It's the steepest hilltown I've visited (so far) and I thought it was quite pretty. I had lunch at the osteria abvoe the main piazza and it was excellent food and great people watching as everyone socialized after church.

Hiked up to the top of town where there was a very beautiful church (one of those with the blue ceilings with gold stars) and a Franciscan monestary with monks in sack cloth robes, rope belts and bare feet.

I also stayed two nights in Spello and would return there in a heartbeat. LOVED Spello and the Plazzo Bocci. Their restaurant across the street, Il Mulino, was outstanding. I also visited Montefalco, but not Bevegna.

Hope this helps, it's so hard to choose!

tuscanlifeedit

We'll just have to go and see. I have spent time in most of the places mentioned. It's funny, but some of the places people like best, weren't my favorites.

We spent a good amount of time around Montepulciano, and I would pick several other towns in the area before I would go back there. I prefer Pienza, Montalcino, or San Quirico d'Orcia over Montepulciano. It may make a difference that I don't drink; I don't know. I used to work for someone that had a house near San Quirico, so I know the area fairly well.

Montefalco is the town that left me cold. I guess it depends on the experience one had in the various towns.

I think Spello is cute, but I've been there a couple of times.

Cortonese and some Italian tourism offices label Cortona "City of Art." What's up with that?

Anyway, I will continue to investigate other options.

dina4

Tuscanlifeedit,
did you ever stay in cortona? how did you like it?
we are considering it as a day trip from our house in umbria, but am weary of the crowds...

thanks!
dina

tuscanlifeedit

dina4, I just saw your question.

No, we didn't stay in Cortona,

We landed in Rome and went straight to Orvieto for two nights, and from there we went to Montone in Umbria for several nights. On the way to Montone, we visited Sansepolcro, and from Montone, we went to Gubbio and also to La Verna, not far from Poppi.

We turned our car in at Arezzo, and trained to Rome, where we finished the trip.