Italy for two months
 

We are lucky to have an opportunity to explore Italy for two months next summer - May and June 2019. We've been to Venice and Rome, so would like to spend time in less traveled parts of the country, such as the Marches, Umbria and lower into the 'boot' . We are senior citizens who love to eat, drink, walk and explore - we would also like to take a language course while we are there. We have looked at rentals in Pesaro, Perugia, Bari, so far; but it's hard to commit 2-4 weeks without knowing if it will be what we expect. I would appreciate any insight you might have regarding our trip, and suggestions for allocating our time. Thank you.

Are you driving or taking trains? All those areas I have done with trains but cars would be better if staying so long in each place - I stayed in Perugia and loved it but it is a big city compared to many other hill towns but a great base but some think it too busy - to me that was a plus. With a car you may consider something like and Agriturismo (sp) - farm accommodations - often with pools! Of course would mean driving for sure.

some probably have language courses to boot: https://www.agriturismo.it/en/?gclid...iAAEgJdbvD_BwE

If going by train check Acquista il biglietto con le nostre offerte - Trenitalia and www.italotreno.com -two competing rail systems using same tracks and stations - easy to book own discounted tickets online- www.seat61.com has loads on doing that - general info trains and where to go - www.ricksteves.com and BETS-European Rail Experts.

Have you considered Sicily? A lovely place to spend a few weeks or more - again best by car but I went all around by trains and buses.

Umbria, Sicily, Puglia, and Piemonte, are three of our favorite less touristed places in Italy. .Spello, Umbria; Ortigia, Sicily; Polignanoa Mare , Monopoli or Lecce in Puglia; Alba in the Piemonte.

We have been going to Italy nearly every year for the past dozen years to more, and we have found few places that have disappointed. Our list for the last three years included the following bases:
In 2016 Trieste. Verona. Puglia. Matera. Ischia, Sorrento.
In 2017 Turin, Bergamo. Milan. Lake Como. Lake Garda. Sperlonga. Castellabate.
In 2018, Lake Orta. Rapallo and Italian Riviera. Florence. Bologna. Sardinia.

Our trips above, which probably included 100 cities and towns, have been in the fall, and you will note our pattern has been to start in the north and end in the south (you may want to reverse in May and June), and we have been blessed with great weather. You can see trip reports on some of these in the link to our name.

There is another poster on this board named Annhig, who has done language school in Italy. I think she also toured at least Sicily. I will try messaging her to see if she will weigh in.

Annhig?

Yes, Annhig -- what are you questioning?

Thank you. I heard that you can take lessons in Perugia - because of the college, but we don't need a complete course, just conversation.

Thank you, I will research those towns! If we stay several weeks in one place I want to like it. a lot.

Thank you! I will look into those - I need to research the far south of Italy - after we stay there a bit, we can hop over to Sicily.

Thank you! We will get a car since we may be out of the way in some of the long-term rentals - plus, we want to explore all the surrounding area. I wonder if Perugia is as busy in the summer as it is during the school year?

Perugia is a large regional city that happens to have a large university but is not a college town per se -and Perugia is a favorite place in summer for foreign college students and others to take university exchange classes. I was there in July once and it was busy as a regional city would be. Gubbio is a smaller gem not far way and Todi a smaller gem though one that many wealthy ex-pats have houses near and is a glitzy hill town with lots of swank boutiques, etc. Again an AgroTourismo may be great for that area.

There are language lessons galore all over Italy. Perugia is a very popular center for tourism in Umbria and so, yes, is busy all year long - and a real pain to drive in and out of in high season. Wonderful town, for sure, but so are a multitude of smaller, easier-to-navigate places all around.

And the word is spelled agriturismo, NOT Agro Tourismo, if you want to google for opportunities.

I will disagree with Pal a bit by writing that Perugia was very much a university/college city when DH and I were there in March 2006. We were lucky enough to meet a group of graduates who stayed in Perugia. One indicated that about every 7 weeks, a new population of students arrives. It is a very hilly city as well so being in good walking health is important.

Here's my TR of the general area: https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...nd-bus-769131/

This will get you to one of annhig's earlier threads--once you have her name, you can click on it for other reports: https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...-italy-880699/

I'm not annhig but I've studied Italian on short-term vacations a couple of times. I favor large cities with lots to do, however.

In Rome, I've studied at Leonardo da Vinci; my particular class and instructor were great. The school has other campuses. At that time, I was a beginner; I think it's a little more difficult to drop into a class for a few weeks if you're at a more intermediate level (in my experience only). I've also studied at Istituto Venezia, which wouldn't work for you because both their campuses are in the north. I know a couple of people who have studied at Dante Alighieri and thought it offered solid classes with quality instruction. They have a campus in Siena, another in Viterbo and one on Ischia.
https://www.dantealighieri.com/

We stayed in Monopoli for 3 months (July, Aug & Sept) and loved the seaside village. It was a 30 minute train ride from Bari and had very convenient train & bus service to explore the area.

What kind of places are you looking for? City, village, small town?
Bari has a bad reputation (even among some Italians), but I think it is outdated. The old town is lovely, and the new town seemed lively. That said, it would not be my first choice in Puglia. I also liked Monopoli very much, and Lecce would be on my list. I would stay in northern Puglia and then in southern Puglia, so as to not have to spend too much time driving when exploring.
I visited Marche this year. I only breezed through Pesaro, but it is the kind of place I think--"if I was moving to Italy, this is the kind of place I'd like to live." It's a small city, so with all the necessities, but close to some wonderful small and natural places. Let us know the towns that have language schools in Marche, and we can advise. There are several of us who have visited the region. Definitely put Ascoli Piceno on your list--I know there is a university, no idea about language schools.
I believe Annhig took a language class on Orbetello, in southern Tuscany (which would be another great area to stay, but I'm getting off track!).

Lecce to me was a really nice town - small but large enough to have lots of things.

I live in Le Marche, so I can add some knowledge of that area.

First, I would suggest staying in Fano or Senigallia rather than Pesaro, which really has little that interests me. Both Fano and Pesaro have fairly easy bus connections to Urbino, which is beautiful Renaissance city in northern Le Marche,

If you'll have a car, there are many charming hill towns just inland of Senigallia. Most can be reached by bus, but the buses tend to be concentrated in runs into Senigallia in the morning and back to the interior towns in the afternoon and evening, so for someone based in Senigallia it's not easy to coordinate the bus schedules. Senigallia is on the seacoast, but it's a busy year-round town, with lots of cultural events, markets, shops, and several famous restaurants. It also has many excellent little-known restaurants that are much more affordable.

In the southern part of Le Marche, Ascoli Piceno is a popular destination. It's convenient for excursions into the Sibilline mountains, which are again more accessible with a car.

If you won't have a car, Fabriano, in central Le Marche, is a decent inland base. It's on the northern edge of the Sibillines and is on a main train line connecting Rome to the Adriatic coast. There are also buses to some of the picturesque little village south of Fabriano, and it's an easy train trip to see the beautiful Frasassi caverns, located in a scenic mountain gorge.

Le Marche is famous among Italians for its culinary excellence, as is its northern neighbor, Emilia Romagna.

Thank you SO much. We are reading "Backroads in Italy" and the places you mention sound perfect. We want to spend weeks in small villages that have the simple things we need such as food and restaurants. Our intention is not to visit all the "sights or sites", but to absorb the feel of Italy through day to day life.