ClaudiaBG

Hi,
Honeslty the end of May is the best time. You get long hours of daylight (sunset after 8.30 pm) and it's not as crowded as in August. If you can choose, that's definetly the best option. Also, prices are lower as it's not high season yet! In Italy most companies close in August (Ferragosto, August 15th, is a national holiday and people travel a lot in that period) so you can expect places to be packed - despite the pandemic!
Hope it's helpful
Claudia

fernweh1

Claudia, yes, your reply- everyone’s - is so helpful. This board is such a wonderful resource. annw, tell me more about Perugia in terms of it being a good base. It’ll be my first time to Italy. I was hoping to drive to see Many parts of Umbria and have redistributed the vacation days a lot since first contemplating this trip. I went from three cities, to north to south travel and everything in between! (Reading old posts of you travel veterans has helped A LOT)

Since we have the time and want to see Florence, skip Rome and Venice this time, and Umbria, I thought driving would not only be fun, but also necessary. I was just poking around on booking.com last night to look at villas near Perugia. There are some outside the city that offer free parking. Can one do that type of accommodation and then when you want to do your day tripping to the local hill towns, avoid the hassle of driving into Perugia? Or is that still not as advisable as staying away?

In talking to daughter, she wasn’t as enamored with Spoleto. But, she said it could have been timing when she and her group went there. She said it was very empty and many places were closed. So much depends on timing when you travel, doesn’t it?

Again thanks everyone. I really appreciate your advice!

bilboburgler

If you want to look at staying out of town then I would recommend you look at the agriturismo scene https://www.agriturismo.it there is a English link on the front page, finding English spoken is a bit more problematical but worth the look.

annw

Agree with Bilboburglar, though don't know the scene in Umbria. We enjoyed two agriturismos outside Florence in/near the town of Impruneta (Villa Monteoriolo and Relais Villa L'Olmo, which has since turned itself into more of a food/wine destination type place with a restaurant), but in Perugia we stayed in hotels right in town and took the train everywhere. We found the food excellent and the lodging reasonable in Perugia. Though a "hill town," there's a large flat walkable center. Sina Brufani is reasonable for its class of service and Hotel Fortuna more modest in price but both well located. A car is more of a nuisance for the time in Perugia, in my experience, so if driving is the plan then I would opt for an agriturismo outside of town.

bilboburgler

It is possible to combi these. So stay in an agri out of town but use taxis to get in and out to stations.

fernweh1

One of the things daughter and I were discussing (she was home for the weekend) was the car situation. My plan has us flying into Florence airport arriving on a Friday - would be from the WAS area airports most likely. So if we trained or bused to a town - Siena, Aruzzo, Perugia right after to decompress and rest that night, see that town the next day, we run into problems in picking up a car unless we did it first thing that Saturday morning (and then you’d really not see much of that particular town)

I checked the Europecar offices and was surprised to see the short operating hours. I remember reading from earlier posts that they are closed on Sunday but they close each day - around 12:00 - 12:30 on Saturdays. Siena has them open Monday 9-1 and 2:30-4:30 M-F, but I don’t think we need nor want to stay Fri- Monday in Siena. Arezzo’s office is only open 9-1230 M- Sat.

Maybe it would be best, if we stick to the Friday arrival, to go directly to where we want to base, an agritourismo or b&b, use a taxi for taking us for a day trip into a close town drop us off at a close public transportation station so we could go on our merry way by bus or train. Then on Monday take us into town so we could rent a car.

If you all could share any thoughts about the rental car situation, I’d appreciate it.

thanks for the great links about the accommodations. These places are to die for! How does one choose? Lol

Just out of curiosity, how expensive are the taxis?

Jean

Personally, I would plan to arrive on Saturday, unless your flight is limited to certain days of the week.

BUT... Budget at the Perugia Airport seems to be have hours that would probably work for you.

Address:

Aerporto S Egidio
Perugia
XX-06080

Phone:

(39) 075 6929346

Hours of Operation:

Sun 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM

Mon - Tue 8:00 AM - 6:15 PM

Wed 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Thu 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Fri 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM and 9:15 PM - 10:15 PM

Sat 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM and 7:15 PM - 8:15 PM

The above was copied from:

https://www.budget.com/en/locations/find-a-location

fernweh1

Oh that’s a great find. Thanks Jean for taking the time to check and post! I’ve been doing some reading and dummy searching of flights from the WAS area and I may need to change up our city of arrival. It looks like flights to Florence are quite a bit more expensive overall than to fly RT into Rome. We may need to do that instead with mine and the kids’ budgets. (They’re paying half their airfare) Being that this is mine and my son’s first time to Italy, doing a round trip to Rome would be great as well. I think not seeing Rome would be a mistake.

We could train to Perugia on Friday upon arrival, spend Friday and Saturday night there and with that office being open, get the car Sunday to drive to our chosen home base. I’m glad this trip is a bit off, with finding out more information as I plan and make my changes, I’m going to need the time! Lol

Thanks everyone!

zebec

Hi Fernweh,
While in Perugia, maybe check out the 'Fendi' winery. Its near Valfabrico just outside town. If in Spello, you'll be able to try some of their incredible Pinot at Cafe Propenzio, the latter an absolute must (their adjoined bottle shop is well-stocked)--see the cafe's remarkable lapis lazuli dining table out back.

If Spoleto, here are some considerations: the Upper Town is where you want to be. There is a bus stop right by Pza Carducci and the Public Garden up there. There are also side-by-side foodic shopping opportunities there: Panficio Forno Santini (hot & cold deli food, pizza and of course, pastries) plus Salumeria Padrichelli Giancarlo deli. Incredible variety of local specialties between both. Another local cafe that we consider a must would be Tric Trac Cafe, right down by the Duomo. For dining in an unpretentious place: Taverna La Lanterna. The coffee cup foto that I submitted in the 'Isabel's Italy' picture thread, was taken there. Spoleto just seems to have a certain 'je ne sais quoi', an energy that makes it one of the area's most alluring spots. Added value: just north of Spoleto (and just south of Trevi), one finds the unique Fonti del Clitunno, a swan-filled pond, the peaceful remains of what was once a much-larger lakeside gathering spot for ancient Romans intent on orgies.

And also, here is an outlier if you wanted something completely different: accommodations in an authentic abbey: Abbazia di S. Pietro en vale, south of Spoleto. Their website does not do it justice. It is family-owned, extremely atmospheric and has both outstanding views plus hiking trails in the immediate vicinity. We met one Colorado couple who were there for the seventh year in a row! Outstanding breakfast. Access to the actual abbey with its historical paintings.

*Fun Fact: back in the '50s when he was VP, Richard Nixon was driven to Spoleto, but apparently got frustrated when his limo encountered difficulty in navigating the narrow one-way streets. The locals were all mustering to come out and greet him but by the time they'd all fully gathered in their Sunday best, with the little kids prepared to salute, Nixon had ordered his driver to depart for elsewhere (tale taken from an elderly local man's memoir of his childhood).
Hope that your trip goes great!

I am done. the Canadian tourists too fat from covid to travel

Jean

fernweh1, just so you know, most train journeys from FCO to Perugia departing before late afternoon on a Friday take more than 4 hours and involve 2 connections. Some nice views along the way...

bilboburgler

I'd certainly make a car booking through a broker like auto-europe, I've been caught out by a change in opening times in the past and AE sorted it out for me so it had no affect on my holiday just a message that it was sorted, details etc.

fernweh1

Great advice bilboburgler. I must say it wasn't until yesterday that I learned auto-Europe wasn’t an actual rental agency! Lol So much to learn about traveling! Jean, I’m a bit concerned about that travel time after a long 11-12 hour flight. I’m sure people do it with ease, but honestly I think a day like that might wipe me out for days. Case in point, a few years ago, when I was even younger (!) we had to leave early from our vacation in Hilton Head to drive 8 hours straight to get back to our dog, who had a medical emergency. We thought we were going to lose him. I know the stress of the situation played a part, but I was exhausted for a couple days afterwards. I’d hate to bite off more than my stamina could chew that first day and pay for it at the start of the trip.

Would starting in Orvieto be better? I’m going to do some checking of the train times. I’d really like to nail down some of the train/car rental times before planning the itinerary later.

You guys are awesome btw!

fernweh1

My other thought would be to just stay in Rome for the day we got there, spend the night and then take the train to wherever is closest to where we pick as a base the next morning (Saturday). I did a quick check and there are non stops from WAS to FCO (8:45 duration) arrival at 7:00 am on Friday. I think the long train journey to Perugia is still a bit much, but Orvieto? Does anyone have any experience with that plan? Husband feels that spending the arrival day/ night in Rome might be the best way to beat the fatigue and jet lag but we’re such newbies at this I don’t know.

bilboburgler

First day, you MUST get out in the sun and fresh air, no quick kip in a hotel room, no doze on a train seat. Get out and breath in the sunlight. Then eat at a sensible time so that day 2 your clock is back to normal.

scrb11

I've only day tripped to Umbria from a base usually in Pienza. Too far to drive.

Lago Trasimeno seems to be more popular to Italians than foreign visitors.


As far as May vs. August, according to this site, August is hotter and drier, as one would expect. But maybe May is wetter than one might expect too.

https://www.whereandwhen.net/when/europe/italy/umbria/

Room rates used to be better in May but it seems in recent years, hotels start their high-season rates from end of March or so.

Jean

"... but Orvieto?"

Train journeys from FCO to Orvieto take between 1:45 hours and 3:30 hours, depending on which one you take. You may also have a bit of a wait after you land. AFAIK, AutoEurope still doesn't have an office in Orvieto. Hertz has an office near the train station, but you'd have to book directly with Hertz.

FCO to Spoleto would take about 2:30 hours.

fernweh1

I was wondering about the possibility of the Sulga bus out of the Tiburtina station to Perugia. At this point I think this is where we’ll have our base. Nearby most likely at an agritourismo. From this timetable (and I could be reading it wrong) could you take the 10:30 bus (if you arrived early) and get to Perugia at 12:45? There seem to be four buses that go straight from the airport at different times. You wouldn’t have any changes to deal with and they are 2:15 in length? Is that correct? Does anyone have experience doing this after their flight into FCO?

fiumicinoroma.pdf

Jean

Someone else will have to confirm that the bus you board at FCO is the same bus you take from Tiburtina to Perugia. IOW, you don't have to switch buses and schlep your luggage from one to the other. The train ride from FCO to Tiburtina only takes 48 minutes, and the bus seems to take an hour or more. That may be to allow for delays caused by heavy traffic on the road. I just don't know.

Anyway... If you land at FCO at 7:00 a.m., you may or may not be able to catch a 9:00 a.m. bus. It's hard to predict, and I certainly wouldn't want to give you false confidence. A lot depends on whether your flight lands on time, how long baggage claim will take, how many non-Schengen flights arrive at the same time, how many passport windows are open, etc. Then you have to find your way to the bus.

The Sulga buses are comfortable, but I prefer to travel longer distances by train because you're able to get up and walk around. But if you're decided on Perugia, it's a tough call.

fernweh1

I emailed Sulga yesterday to try to get clarification about these routes. They were very kind to respond and said that the bus does go directly from the airport to Perugia but that for now with the changes due to Covid, only the 14:30 bus is running on M, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Arrives in Perugia about 18:15. I get what you mean about the ability to move around on the trains. I’ll have to think on the convenience of no stops out of the airport vs. a stop (or maybe two) for train travel. You can use the mycicero app to book and pay ahead or call their number to book and pay the bus driver. Time will tell how many changes remain going forward.

Jean

"Time will tell..." Yes. If you're still thinking of making this trip 12-18 months from now, you don't need to lock yourself into any particular decision. Airfares will change, bus and train schedules will probably change, etc. I would pencil out a couple of scenarios now but leave the finalizing of the itinerary until late this year or even early 2022. You may even develop entirely new ideas about this trip as you continue to research.