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Italy: Hotels on the Amalfi Coast; Orvieto; Perugia; Florence; and Siena

Italy: Hotels on the Amalfi Coast; Orvieto; Perugia; Florence; and Siena

Old Dec 14th, 2017, 12:22 PM
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Italy: Hotels on the Amalfi Coast; Orvieto; Perugia; Florence; and Siena

My wife and I (both early 60's) are planning a trip to Italy in the latter half of April. We are in need of recommendations for accommodations in the locations listed below. Our price point is the reasonable-moderate range, perhaps budget-plus. We are both experienced travelers, and like places that have some character. B&Bs are a possibility as well as hotels. We will be driving a rental car. The Amalfi coast and Florence stays would be multi-night; the others one night each.

Amalfi Coast (preferably Positano, but would consider Amalfi or Ravello recommendations as well)
Orvieto
Perugia
Florence
Siena
jeffergray is offline  
Old Dec 14th, 2017, 12:48 PM
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Might check whether city hotels are in the no-go zone for cars - those in city centers are and you can only drive to the hotel in Florence for example to unload/load and must park at remote lot. May be worth trying to get hotel outside the no-go zone and walking or taking tram or bus in. Hotels outside center are also often cheaper.
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Old Dec 14th, 2017, 12:54 PM
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Hi Jeffergray!

In Florence, we were at the C Hotels Ambasciati, via Giogio Alamanni, just in front of the train station.
Not a hotel with character, but good and well located. F you have a car, I remember there is paid parking nearby.

Also, excellent Trattoria Dall'Oste is next door to the hotel.

Depending of what you like, Siena is an easy day trip from Florence.

Enjoy!
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Old Dec 14th, 2017, 01:00 PM
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F you have a car, I remember there is paid parking nearby.>

Can anyone use that lot? Florence web site on cars in no-go zone says you can only drive to hotel and have to leave no-go zone to park - maybe that station parking is out of no-go zone but something to ascertain if driving I'd think. Be sure to ask hotel if not on web site.

I always stay in train station area because I'm going by train and area is fine with me though others say little tacky.
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Old Dec 14th, 2017, 01:34 PM
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PalenQ:

We never se a car in Italy, but we saw many tourists from the hotel leaving their cars at the parking.

We always use public transportation, train and buses are excellent, and no go zones are a nightmare.

Three times we were with friends and we hire vans with drivers for long transfer.....a really good experience! ( Napoli to Positane, Venezia to La Spezia, La Spezia to Nice).
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Old Dec 14th, 2017, 01:47 PM
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You do not want a car on tne Amalfi Coast.
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Old Dec 14th, 2017, 01:55 PM
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I have visited all of your destinations multiple times. I would not want a car for the time on the Amalfi Coast or in Florence because the car would remain parked and I'd be using public transportation. Driving in those two places is just more trouble than it's worth... Traffic, parking costs, needing to avoid the limited traffic zones (ZTL, aka "zona traffico limitato"), and public transportation is good.

I would pick up the car upon leaving the Amalfi Coast, drive to Orvieto, Siena and Perugia, turn in the car and then train to Florence. Orvieto, Siena and Perugia all have ZTLs, so you need to pick lodging outside of the zones or get very explicit driving directions from the hotel on how to reach the property without getting a ticket. In the case of Orvieto, you could park at the large lot below the town and take the funicular up to avoid having to drive into the city center.

You'll have to be more specific about your hotel budget. "Reasonable-moderate range" is too ambiguous.

As an aside, the drive from Positano to Orvieto will take close to 5 hours, not counting any stops or detours. If you only spend a night in Orvieto, you won't have much time to see the town. The other two drives are much shorter. There is a lot to see in both Siena and Perugia, and you only have a partial day in each city. If this was my trip, I'd probably skip Perugia and see just Orvieto and Siena.
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Old Dec 14th, 2017, 06:58 PM
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I stayed in Hotel Parsifal in Ravello a little over a year and a half ago. It was summer, so high season and Hotel Parsifal was a "budget" option for us (though certainly still pricey). I was worried it would be too downscale but I ended up loving it. I think I stayed in a deluxe or superior room with sea view.

I am fit and active, so the relative remoteness of Ravello didn't bother me--more hikes to enjoy. Might not work for everyone.

http://www.hotelparsifal.com/
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Old Dec 14th, 2017, 07:37 PM
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Some off our standout B&B experiences in Italy have been in Orvieto (B&B Ripa Medici / B&B Michelangeli) and Siena (Antica Residenza Cicogna).
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Old Dec 15th, 2017, 04:02 AM
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Here's a couple of hotels we liked very much:

Orvieto: Hotel Duomo

Ravello: Hotel Garden - located just across from the bus stop for buses coming up from Amalfi; three levels on the mountainside. One level has a broad terrace with a swimming pool and rocking chairs, another level has a good restaurant and bar, great for an aperitivo and a view of the sunset over the Med!
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Old Dec 15th, 2017, 04:38 AM
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I stayed at Hotel Duomo in October. My room was quiet and it is just across the road (and down a flight of steps) from the duomo.

The elderly owner was grumpy, but the younger people working in the hotel were friendly. The breakfast coffee was delicious, by the way, the best coffee I had on my trip.

I like Helvetia e Bristol in Florence, but it is expensive.


Thin
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Old Dec 15th, 2017, 02:09 PM
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My Orvieto hotel was Palazzo Piccolomini and we loved it. My stay was quite a few years ago, but recent visitors still give it great reviews. It is at the top of the underground escalators that come up from the parking garage, which is at the opposite end of the town from the train station and funiculare.
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Old Dec 15th, 2017, 09:06 PM
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Thanks for all the suggestions so far! I will be checking them out.

I also appreciate the cautions about the ZTL zones. It's been 25 years since we were last in Italy, so that's something we hadn't encountered the last time we were there.

Also, price range for hotels is $100-$150 per night.

Basically, we're going back to the Amalfi coast first, then will drive up and around Rome on our way north to Florence. I was thinking of using Orvieto as the overnight stop as we head north (I've been there before, but my wife has not). Then we'd go on to Perugia and Assisi, and stay in Perugia. After that, through Cortona to Florence, and use it as a base for several days. After that, leave Florence for San Gimignano and Siena. Then down through Montepulciano and Pienza and explore some of the southern and southwestern parts of Tuscany before flying back out from Fiumicino.
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Old Dec 16th, 2017, 03:06 AM
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Perugia: Hotel Fortuna
Siena: Hotel Athena
Florence: Hotel Albani Firenze or Mario's Hotel
Orvieto: Hotel Corso

Buon viaggio,
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