We will be spending one day/night of our honeymoon in Umbria as we travel from Rome to Venice. I can't decide whether to do Perugia or Assisi. Everyone raves about Assisi but the chocolate lover in me is leaning towards Perugia so we can tour the chocolate factory (I know it's kind of pathetic)! We are not big on churches and after spending 3 days in Rome sightseeing, I am thinking we will want something relaxing. I was hoping the experts on this board could help me out. I've already learned so much for our trip. Thanks everyone.<BR><BR>Also, lodging recommendations in both cities for under $100 a night would also be greatly appreciated.<BR>

Rimma<BR>I live in Perugia and can smell the chocolate factory on a bad day (depends on the wind etc.).<BR><BR>I just don't know what to say to you - I love Assisi, churches or not. The centre of Perugia is nice and it is very lively in the evening.<BR><BR>http://www.venere.it/it/assisi/larocca/index.html.en<BR>This is a good one-star hotel in Assisi - lovely views from most rooms.<BR>You should eat out in one of the many restaurants in Assisi.<BR><BR>The Hotel Anna is a one-star hoel in a great position in Assisi - I know someone who stayed there and he said it was fine, I haven't seen the rooms myself.

Hi Rimma - another very cheap hotel in Assisi I can recommend, is Hotel Sole - room 28 is beautiful - view on Santa Chiara Basilica - and about 50 m from the main Piazza (Del Commune) - so it's in the heart of town! Wonderful clean with friendly and helpful staff!<BR>Enjoy! Helen Malan (South Africa)

Depends whether you want peace and quiet or something a little more lively.<BR>Assissi is very pretty but we found it very quiet after the day trippers had left. Perugia is much larger and livelier. You don't say when you'll be there but early July is the Umbria Jazz Festival in perugia.

I thought the Umbrian Jazz Festival is in Spoleto? No?

Assisi! The Bascilica di San Francesco is like no other cathedral, both in terms of the frescoes inside and it's hillside setting. Take a guided tour of the town. The views are spectacular. You can buy chocolate anywhere.

We opted for a few nights in Cortona. I hear it's a great, little hill town to wander about (we're like you, get tired of churches and like small towns where you can soak up the culture). We're actually staying just outside of Cortona at Il Falconiere (Relais Chateaux property). Also, read "Under the Tuscan Sun" and you'll be signing up for Cortona as well. <BR><BR>PS We also are opting out of Assisi. Although hear great things, we are especially not into the heavy religious art.

We found Assisi to be a very special place--not just because of the churches but because of the incredible art and the interesting life of St. Francis and St. Chiara.

In response to "Huh?" -- Umbria Jazz (its official name) is in Perugia. Il Festival dei Due Mondi (The Festival of Two Worlds), often just called the Spoleto Festival is in, you guessed it, Spoleto.

Tom, I'm with you regarding Assisi. We thought it was a beautiful little pink town, but a little too "religious" for us also. Every single shop had tons of religious trinkets and then more trinkets. The art just looked the same to us after looking at the first 20 paintings......<BR><BR>We are happy we visited once, but would not go back again. We did have a wonderful lunch in Assisi.

I vote for Perugia. We spent six nights there and did a day trip to Assisi, which I thought was adequate. Perugia is a college town, has music along the main street at night, has an interesting Etruscan museum, and has many old streets in which to wander, plus lots of good restaurants and hotels. It's also a good base from which to visit other Umbrian hill towns such as Gubbio, Todi, etc., if you have a car.