After Fodorite advise, I've narrowed the last 2 days of our vacation to Orvieto or Cortona... We will spend 1 week in a villa in Tuscany, near Volterra (Colle di Val d'Elsa) celebrating my sister's 50th.

Looking at Misia resort by Orvieto. It's about 10 minutes away from Orvieto. Should we reconsider and stay in town? Other recommendations there? Preference is 4 star type.

Other option is to go to Cortona. Looking at the La Corte dei Papi. Is Cortona too touristy after the Tuscan Sun movie?

We want a base where we can explore Assisi, Todi, Spello, etc.

Thank you!
Patty

If you've already spent a week in the countryside, I would stay in Orvieto, but with only two days, you would just have time for Orvieto, not elsewhere really.

If Assisi and Todi are your must sees, then I would stay in Spello.

I too would skip Cortona. In Umbria, Spello is a good choice as is the lovely rural B&B near Montefalco---named Genius Loci.

patty,

Agree, stay IN Orvieto. It's a beautiful, unique town and the evening passagiatta (never can spell that) with the residents is special. There are truly excellent restaurants and galleries. Much to see in this very interesting town! You could do a 1/2 day trip to Civita di Bagnoreggio, which I and my friends really enjoyed. We stayed at Palazzo Piccolomini, the real thing. Parking in the parking structure and going up/down the underground escalators is a breeze.

I also agree with Spello as a lovely, easy and untouristed base for day trips to nearby Assisi and Montefalco. Gubbio too, is not far. I stayed at Palazzo Bocci and thought it was wonderful in every way. Their restaurant across the street, Il Mulino, was excellent. Spello is tiny, full of flowers and gorgeous views. Parking easy.

Buon viaggio!

IMO, this type of decision is entirely personal preference based on how you want to spend your time. How much time do you want to spend exploring (which dictates how far you'd want to drive) versus how much time do you want to spend enjoying the facilities that drew you to the resort in the first place?

IMO, the Misia property would be more convenient if you were planning to explore Orvieto, Bagnoregio, Pitigliano, maybe Viterbo, maybe Montepulciano, Pienza, etc. For me, Assisi and Spello in a single day trip from Misia, at close to 4 hours on the road, would be too much. I also prefer to stay in a town and walk to dinner. It doesn't appear that Misia has a restaurant.

I'm not a big fan of Cortona.

We stayed at Hotel Duomo in Orvieto. It is very nice, but I don't know about four star. It is family run, perfect location right by the duomo, large rooms with wifi, etc. If interested this is the website:

www.orvietohotelduomo.com/

Great insight. Cortona is out of the running
Agree also that staying so far out of Orvieto is not ideal. I too like to walk to a restaurant nearby rather than drive. We did this when we were in Pienza some years back and really liked that.

So I will look into Orvieto hotels.- and also research Spello. How far is Spello from Assisi? and Orvieto from Assisi? (I can google it, duh!), but while I'm here I might as well as!!

Spello is :10
Orvieto is over an hour.

patty,

Either would be a lovely place for a 2 day stay. Spello is tiny and not too much to see, although they do have a remarkably interesting little museum! Spello works for visiting Assisi and maybe a 1/2 day somewhere nearby such as Montefalco. You can drop your rental car in Foligno right at the train station and continue to Rome. If I remember correctly it was about 1:40 to Rome.

Orvieto has much to see on its own. The underground tour of the Etruscan caves and the museum, the well, the Estruscan tombs scavi just below the town, the gorgeous duomo with its frescos and golden mosaic exterior, ancient winding streets with art galleries of many types. Orvieto works well for a quick visit to Civita di Bagnoreggio or Todi. If you drop your rental in Orvieto, the station is right across the street, about 1 hr to Rome.

Spello is beautiful and charming but too small for me. It might be OK for a 2-3 night stay, but any longer and I'd want more dining options.

For me, Orvieto-Assisi would be too far for a day trip. I would estimate the drive, finding parking, and walking to the basilica could take close to two hours.

Have you considered Spoleto? You could stop in Orvieto for lunch and a quick look on the way from Volterra. Spoleto is a good base to see Assisi, Spello, Todi and Bevagna. We stayed at Hotel San Luca which had easy in and out for day trips. No pool, if that's a requirement.

http://www.hotelsanluca.com/en/

Jean, I have not considered Spoleto. No pool needed. Let me check out the hotel.
Would this be a good place to drop off the car and catch a train back to Rome?

Dayle, thanks so much for the info on car rental drop offs.

I just heard back from the Palazzo Picolomini in Orvietto and they do have rooms available!....
getting closer to finally closing this up!

We've stayed at the Piccolomini in Orvieto as well. We enjoyed our stay there, but it's not a comparable hotel to the San Luca in Spoleto. But the towns and surrounding areas are different also, so the decision comes down to what you want to see/do, how far you want to drive, etc. I do think the logistics of making day trips is easier from the San Luca. Walk a block to the car, take 2-3 turns, and you're on your way.

We picked up a car in Spoleto. The rental office was located in a light industrial area outside of town, and we took a taxi from the train station. As mentioned, you could return the car at the Foligno train station (30 minutes north of Spoleto) which would eliminate the taxi ride. Depending on your rental company, you might also be able to return the car in Terni (30 minutes south of Spoleto, on the way to Fiumicino).

But if this is the end of your trip, consider eliminating the multiple steps and just drive to Fiumicino.