Le Marche or Florence Chianti
 

We are a mid 50,s couple who has been in Italy 3 times now, and we are planning a 4th trip this September. Last trip we travelled Sicily and then drove to Puglia and toured there a few days, and we enjoyed the 'road less travelled'. This trip I have planned up til leaving Venice by train and staying a night in Bologna. I am in a quandary over whether to stay on the Marche, Umbria side of things, which we have not seen, or ditch the Marche for a quick stay in that fine old girl Florence? We have visited Florence twice before, and seen most sights.
From Bologna, we have we have 6 nights before taking the train from Ancona or Pescara straight down to Lecce. Unfortunate, those time constraints.

Others may not have this difficulty, but I am unclear what you are asking.

Only a handful of Fodor's posters have ever been to Le Marche, so few will be in a position to give you a comparison. A lot of them also really dislike Florence, and they advise even first time visitors to skip it.

Le Marche, although it doesn't look like it on a map, is one of the harder regions to take in completely during a single trip. I don't know if you are considering going to the north, the south or the coastal area. You don't say what draws you to Le Marche -- or to a return visit to Florence.

If you are asking is Le Marche "worth it" comparied to Florence, the answer depends on what you are looking for from this trip. Maybe you liked the road less traveled but missed the spectacular drama that a place like Florence affords or the companionship of fellow travelers, and the familiarity of things. It is certainly easier to go to Florence if you can put up with the crowds.

Have you been to Bologna before?

We really love the fun and art aspect of Florence, but also like to just explore the beautiful countrysides of Italy. I would like to see something new, but hubbie on the other hand likes the familiarity of places we know and like. I guess I would like to be able to reassure him that Le Marche is going to be worth missing Florence for.
We have not been to Bologna before. As usual I know I am cramming too much in, but we really love to keep busy when we travel.
I am thinking if we go from Bologna to Fano or thereabouts, we can make some day trips in and around Urbino, then move down the coast and do the same from Ascoli Pisceno. Just not sure if, as you say, the distances are too great to enjoy.

I will look for your reply in the morning, time for bed, thanks for the help.

Hope you had a good night's sleep.

I doubt you can reassure your husband that Le Marche will be worth it. Most people spend half a day seeing the artistic sights of small, steep Urbino. There are charming small towns and natural beauties to explore in the interior (I've never been to Fano), but nothing to match Florence. Most people don't like the coast because it is overdeveloped with modern beachside hotels and condos.

Touring le Marche involves a lot of driving, no matter where you go. It is mountainous terrain, except for the coast, which most people don't like because it is overdeveloped with modern beachside hotels and condos.

I don't think you are cramming too much in for six nights.

You might consider taking the train to Florence for 3 nights and then skittering across the hills of Montefeltro to Urbino, and then drop off the car in Ancona or Pescara and head south.

You also might consider going to Florence by train, spending 4 nights, and then taking the train to Ravenna -- where the art is truly spectacular, enough to rival Florence. Stay there for town nights, then toddle down the coast by train to Lecce.

Could you include Ravenna? In spite of its beauty, it feels like a more lightly beaten track.

Sorry for pounding it in about the coast. I didn't mean to sound doubly emphatic, but I would think twice about basing in Fano.

tarquin and I were posting at the same time. Ravenna is a great sight.

One more thought:

Given the peculiarities of the Italian train system, it might be efficient, if you wanted to see Ravenna, to rent a car in Venice, go to Ravenna, dip down to Urbino and then head to Florence to catch a train there for Lecce. Trenitalia has the answers.

I agree with zeppole that it is difficult to find info on Le Marche here as so few people have been. We are heading there in June and spending a week at a cooking school agritourismo and touring the area around it.

I think touring the countryside is difficult to compare to staying in Florence so it is a tough choice.

The place we are staying has some info on day trips in the area so perhaps that will help you out: http://www.latavolamarche.com/html/region.html

Happy planning and please report back!

My wife and I go annually going in 2 weeks our 2 fav areas.

assisi.com in Umbria old town is quite beautiful Spoleto
Todo Gubbio are pretty towns with lots of history
personally would probably do that prettier greener .

Alternatively www.sirmione.com Garda Hotel Eden makes a great base for exploring the lakes add www.bellagio.info Como
also if time.Residence D'Ulivo our fav there.

Happy Trails!

southernartgallery.com pretty Italy vignettes for you...
We find regionaltains to bea great fun way to travel
seat61.com/italy

Thanks everyone. There's always too much to see, too little time. I think we will stick to this itinerary:

Venice to Bologna by train, stay one night. It's not a long way, so gives us a pretty good day in Bologna, and time to have one good meal.
Bologna to Florence for 3 nights, with a day trip into Chianti to buy some wine, and drive up to Radda, beautiful view.
Florence to Perugia, stay in Spoleto for a couple of nights, then a beautiful drive over the mountains to Ascoli Piceno as a landing pad.
From there, a short drive to the coast, get rid of the car, and take the train down to Lecce, where we will meet with our daughter and son-in-law (and get a bigger car).
There is no efficient way to go by train from Florence down to the Salento, it's much better to get over to the Adriatic Coast.
After Puglia, we will drive through Matera to Sorrento, then Naples, Rome, home.
All in all, 33 days starting in Zurich, so we are covering a lot of ground, it's called our Best of Italy tour.
Thanks, Zeppole for filling me in on what to expect in Le Marche, it made my choice easy, and we'll save Ravenna for another trip!

I will post here and tell you all the highlights, it will help me relive the experience when we are sadly home again.