Italy wine country base & Amalfi coast recommendations:
 

My wife and I have 8 days in Italy...wish it was longer but we are working with what we have...we are looking to spend the first 3 days in Tuscany/Umbria wine country and then 3+ on the Amalfi Coast and are looking for some help. It is our first trip to Italy and are looking to enjoy/appreciate the culture and beauty of the country while keeping the trip as relaxed as possible. We very much would appreciate any help with the following questions...

1. We ar considering two different places for our home base in the hill towns: (flying into Rome) Orvieto or Montalcino. Would you recommend Orvieto as a home base with possible day trip to Civita de Bagnoregio or would you recommend going to Montalcino and visiting some smaller towns in that area? Based on our limited amount of time in either location, we are looking for quaint, charming, and romantic w views as much or more than the historic value of the area, although it seems as all of the hill towns bring some of that to the table.

2. Would you recommend getting a car or relying on the train and buses to get us from spot to spot(in hill towns)

3. Any preferences between Amalfi, Sorrento, or Positano? Or any other towns along the Amalfi Coast?

Thanks I advance to any and all who do, or consider helping us out by offering feedback. It is our first trip to Italy and want to get it riight!

Or if anyone has any other recommendations they prefer over the ones listed, we are all ears. Thanks again!

When is this trip?

You really need a car to explore Tuscany. Everyone has their favorite spot, but for a short stay between arrival at Rome and heading to the AC I would stick to the Montepulciano/San Quirico/Pienza/Montalcino area.

If you want to see Umbria, a better base would be the Bevagna/Montefalco/Spello area, and you'd still need a car. Orvieto is an interesting town but not a particularly good geographic base for the more popular Tuscany and Umbria destinations.

What were your plans for the Sorrento/AC area? If Pompeii, Naples, Capri and a day along the AC, Sorrento is a good base. But if the AC towns are your priority, then stay in one of those towns. Some love Positano. I prefer Amalfi, but there are others. You should do a little research/reading to see if one town offers more of what you're looking for (i.e., shopping, smaller size, less tourist-popular, "beach," etc.). You don't need a car for this part of your trip, but depending on when you're going it might make sense to keep it the entire week.

Don't forget that Campania has quite a few decent wines and wineries of its own!

http://www.winereviewonline.com/mcca...n_campania.cfm

This leaflet covers some of our other local food specialities:

http://www.bb-napoli.com/english/specialities-guide.pdf

... whilst these two may tell you more about the various coastal resorts:

- all Campania
http://www.bb-napoli.com/english/seaguide.pdf

- the Sorrento and Amalfi coasts

http://www.costiera.it/images/pdf/Tr...rectory_En.pdf

That second one is well due for an update, so cross-check any times, prices etc - and ignore all references to the 'Metro del Mare' for now... but even so it does offer more about those areas than most guidebooks!

Peter

Do you only have 6 nights in Italy?

I haven't read all of A_Brit_In_Ischia's thread but def. agree about there being other regional wines that you would love. They don't necessarily travel very well though.

Montalchino is a sweet hill top town with the Brunello wines available for shipment home (at a price!). Hub and I almost always took trains but found that we had much more flexibility with a car for Montalchino and Montepulciano*. The train station in Spello wasn't manned when we were there so I'd suggest Spoleto with its bigger station and quite a few busses.

As for getting to Amalfi Coast, hub and I took the Circumvesuviano train from Naples and stayed in Sorrento. We visited Amalfi by city bus but we weren't interested in relaxing. Amalfi looked like it had a smallish but nice beach. Other Fodorites can help you here.

*We hired a driver out of Perugia--please let me know if you want his info.

I'm partial to Umbria and always take the train from Rome to Orvieto (a one hour trip) and rent a car there (Hertz is a block from the train station). The drive to Bevagna or Montefalco is another hour or so. And Sagrantino di Montefalco is, IMO, a lesser known but spectacular wine.

Not much help re the Amalfi Coast, but to get from Umbria or Tuscany to the AC will be the better part of a day. I'd spend a few days or so in Rome instead of the AC. (But that's me.)

I agree with DRJ. Since this is your first trip to Italy, consider spending part of your time in Rome and part in a countryside area - either the AC or Tuscany. It would be helpful to knw when you are going.

i also think Amalfi is a great option itself is the nicest base for AC in my opinion. (I much preferred to Positano). Amalfi also gives u very easy access to Ravello up the hill and the bus goes to Positano. You also have atrani round the corner

We stayed in Residence Luce, which was great-the superior rooms with the jacuzi style tub and balcony are very nice and the owner also runs a tiny bistrot/ice-cream place in the square underneath.

http://www.residenzaluce.it/hotel.asp?l=2