Q&A for Tuscany/Umbria
Apr 17th, 2006, 03:50 AM
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Q&A for Tuscany/Umbria
Hi fodorites, after a lot of advice from fellow travellers and Italian folk I am leaning towards leaving Venice out of my 12 day honeymoon this August/Sept. There is always next time! So I am thinking of concentrating on Tuscany/Umbria for about 8 days and Roma for the last 4 days where we will fly home to Australia.
We are thinking of flying (from Amsterdam) to Pisa and renting a car from there to drive 5 days in the country and drop off in Florence where we will spend 3 days. From there, a train to Roma seems to be the easiest.
Please advice me on car hire from Pisa airport and general driving tips compared with train travel in this region.
Should we base ourselves in a particular town in Tuscany for the whole time or keep moving from day to day and chance it with accomodation?
We are spontaneous people. Will Italy accomodate our personalities. If we book accomodation in advance we should probably do it soon, right? We would love to just see where the roads of Tuscany/Umbria take us and spend nights in small towns. Is this possible?
How do we approach our trip?
We are thinking of flying (from Amsterdam) to Pisa and renting a car from there to drive 5 days in the country and drop off in Florence where we will spend 3 days. From there, a train to Roma seems to be the easiest.
Please advice me on car hire from Pisa airport and general driving tips compared with train travel in this region.
Should we base ourselves in a particular town in Tuscany for the whole time or keep moving from day to day and chance it with accomodation?
We are spontaneous people. Will Italy accomodate our personalities. If we book accomodation in advance we should probably do it soon, right? We would love to just see where the roads of Tuscany/Umbria take us and spend nights in small towns. Is this possible?
How do we approach our trip?
Apr 17th, 2006, 04:23 AM
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You will need reservations for that time of year, and no doubt you will want a place with air conditioning and a possibly a pool.
Driving is no problem and neither is renting a car out of Pisa.
There are many places that are located in places convenient to most of Tuscany and Umbria, so basing yourselves in one or two of these places would give you lots of room to follow your whims everyday.
Driving is no problem and neither is renting a car out of Pisa.
There are many places that are located in places convenient to most of Tuscany and Umbria, so basing yourselves in one or two of these places would give you lots of room to follow your whims everyday.
Apr 17th, 2006, 05:05 AM
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Hi nessundorma, you have been a great help in shaping my trip from my previous posts. Thank you. I am sure you have helped many others aswell.
Seriously, we are heat resistant people so a pool and air conditioning is not a luxury we are seeking. We come from Queensland, Australia where it is usually 30+ degrees and humid everyday!
So a car from Pisa airport is ok?
Any more tips?
Seriously, we are heat resistant people so a pool and air conditioning is not a luxury we are seeking. We come from Queensland, Australia where it is usually 30+ degrees and humid everyday!
So a car from Pisa airport is ok?
Any more tips?
Apr 17th, 2006, 05:22 AM
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Rent the car at www.autoeurope.com
Stay in 2 locations--perhaps 5 & 3
Look at www.casanovadipescille.com near San Gim.
Look at www.malvarina.it in Umbria
I am guessing your travel style and budget.
Good luck !
Stay in 2 locations--perhaps 5 & 3
Look at www.casanovadipescille.com near San Gim.
Look at www.malvarina.it in Umbria
I am guessing your travel style and budget.
Good luck !
Apr 17th, 2006, 06:03 AM
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Wow, thank you Bob. Can I call you Bob?
I just checked out both recommendations and they look a treat! This is great advice! Have you personal experiences at these places? Sorry, probably a stupid question. I am excited at how lovely they both look. Parking doesn't seem to be a hassle either...?
What about leaving the car to day trip via public transport to Florence and Siena? Or is it easier to drive and park for the day and drive back to the house for the evening?
I just checked out both recommendations and they look a treat! This is great advice! Have you personal experiences at these places? Sorry, probably a stupid question. I am excited at how lovely they both look. Parking doesn't seem to be a hassle either...?
What about leaving the car to day trip via public transport to Florence and Siena? Or is it easier to drive and park for the day and drive back to the house for the evening?
Apr 17th, 2006, 06:15 AM
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We just got back from an Umbrian vacation a few weeks ago. We chose to stay in an apartment on an organic olive oil farm near Bevagna called Le Case Gialle (www.lecasegialle.com) due to several recommendations on this board, and loved it. The apartment was lovely, as was the surrounding area. We visited many hill towns, including Orvieto, Assisi, Spello, Trevi, Todi, Deruta, Montefalco....all were wonderful.
We also spent some time in the Montepulciano, Pienza and San Quirico while in Tuscany and loved this area. We would like to go back someday and stay around any of these towns.
Good luck!
Tracy
We also spent some time in the Montepulciano, Pienza and San Quirico while in Tuscany and loved this area. We would like to go back someday and stay around any of these towns.
Good luck!
Tracy
Apr 17th, 2006, 06:40 AM
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quinny, we stayed 5 nights. The price was 80 euro per night, and there is parking right in front of the apartments.
The owners were very friendly, and there are lots of good restaurants within a short drive. We stayed in La Terrazza and just loved it.
Tracy
The owners were very friendly, and there are lots of good restaurants within a short drive. We stayed in La Terrazza and just loved it.
Tracy
Apr 17th, 2006, 08:10 AM
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Hi Quinny, I would take the train for a day trip to florence but we took our car to Suenna and found parking close to the University and fairly inexpensive. When renting your car ask if they have one with GPS. It was handy in some of the towns and saved us from backtracking. They didn't charge us more for it.
Apr 18th, 2006, 08:17 AM
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Malvarina is very nice. The rooms are a bit small and nothing special, but the view and property bare great. They have wonderful communal dinners there.No air, but they should have a nice breeze.It's a short drive to Assisi.
Let me give you another option. Drive to Chianti and stay at an agriturismo or B7B. There are many very nice ones. Do day trips to many of the northern Tuscany towns.
Then drive to southern Tuscany (Montalcino, Pienza,etc). Hit the southern Tuscan sites.
Then drive to Orvieto and leave car.Train to Rome.
By the way, I recommend 4 nights,not just 4 days in Rome. Even then, you'll feel like you only touched it.
No matter Umbria or Tuscany you can't go wrong. Leaving off Venice is wise.
Have fun planning!
Let me give you another option. Drive to Chianti and stay at an agriturismo or B7B. There are many very nice ones. Do day trips to many of the northern Tuscany towns.
Then drive to southern Tuscany (Montalcino, Pienza,etc). Hit the southern Tuscan sites.
Then drive to Orvieto and leave car.Train to Rome.
By the way, I recommend 4 nights,not just 4 days in Rome. Even then, you'll feel like you only touched it.
No matter Umbria or Tuscany you can't go wrong. Leaving off Venice is wise.
Have fun planning!
Apr 19th, 2006, 11:04 AM
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quinny
I stayed at Le Case Gialle last late-May (5 of us in 2 apts). They have everything you need -- nice bathrooms w/towels, hair-dryers, little laundry racks etc; dishes and kitchen pots & pans; basic spices (and of course a small bottle of LCG's own award winning organic olive oil!) etc.
There is a swimming pool, olive groves and lots of herbs and flowers in the garden. You are welcome to pick any herbs you want, if you want to cook.
This is an agriturismo, (complete w/ a few farm animals!) so not a fancy villa but nice apts. in old stone buildings
The apt. Tracy mentioned above, la Terrazza, is nice for two people; the couple w/us stayed there and loved the balconey w/ the view of Montefalco and other hilltowns, and the pretty bed in the bedroom.
I stayed at Le Case Gialle last late-May (5 of us in 2 apts). They have everything you need -- nice bathrooms w/towels, hair-dryers, little laundry racks etc; dishes and kitchen pots & pans; basic spices (and of course a small bottle of LCG's own award winning organic olive oil!) etc.
There is a swimming pool, olive groves and lots of herbs and flowers in the garden. You are welcome to pick any herbs you want, if you want to cook.
This is an agriturismo, (complete w/ a few farm animals!) so not a fancy villa but nice apts. in old stone buildings
The apt. Tracy mentioned above, la Terrazza, is nice for two people; the couple w/us stayed there and loved the balconey w/ the view of Montefalco and other hilltowns, and the pretty bed in the bedroom.
Apr 21st, 2006, 01:09 AM
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Hi folks, I contacted le case gialle and they can offer us an apartment but has to be for one week (since it is summer/high season).
This would force my itinerary to 2 nights Florence, 7 nights Umbria (with some day trips to Tuscany with hire car for 7 days), then 3 nights in Rome.
Would you guys advice this for a nice honeymoon for a mix of country and city?
This would force my itinerary to 2 nights Florence, 7 nights Umbria (with some day trips to Tuscany with hire car for 7 days), then 3 nights in Rome.
Would you guys advice this for a nice honeymoon for a mix of country and city?
Apr 21st, 2006, 05:03 AM
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I personally would not want to stay in one place for seven nights. I just returned two days ago from vacation, which included one week in Italy (Tuscany and Umbria). We stayed in three locations... Siena, Perugia and Monteleone (very very very small hilltop village near Orvieto...great B&B Palazzo Consoli).
We paid for a 4/5 hour 8-passenger van tour of the chianti region and really enjoyed that one. This was while we were in Siena.
Re: parking... in Siena. I wish I'd had a video cam to capture this event. We spotted a great parking place near the Jolly Hotel (near the entrance to old Siena) and between DH and myself, we managed to get our car into the spot! Ahhh... success!!! However, after walking away from this wonderful parking spot, I decided to ask a kindly Italian gentleman if it was OK to park there... turns out NO!! For police only!! We scurried back to move our car before getting a ticket.
Anyway, there is a parking lot behind the Jolly Hotel that is quite convenient for entering the old city of Siena. If you want a nearby hotel, try the Jolly. We didn't stay there this time, but I have stayed there in the past. I like its convenient location.
I posted about the Palazzo Consoli B&B in Umbria on another thread, if you want to do a search for Palazzo Consoli or B&B in Umbria. If you have a car, want complete peace and quiet, you might give it a try. They have a web site, but I could not get it to work to book my reservation there. I had to send an email instead, but it was quickly answered.
We paid for a 4/5 hour 8-passenger van tour of the chianti region and really enjoyed that one. This was while we were in Siena.
Re: parking... in Siena. I wish I'd had a video cam to capture this event. We spotted a great parking place near the Jolly Hotel (near the entrance to old Siena) and between DH and myself, we managed to get our car into the spot! Ahhh... success!!! However, after walking away from this wonderful parking spot, I decided to ask a kindly Italian gentleman if it was OK to park there... turns out NO!! For police only!! We scurried back to move our car before getting a ticket.
Anyway, there is a parking lot behind the Jolly Hotel that is quite convenient for entering the old city of Siena. If you want a nearby hotel, try the Jolly. We didn't stay there this time, but I have stayed there in the past. I like its convenient location.
I posted about the Palazzo Consoli B&B in Umbria on another thread, if you want to do a search for Palazzo Consoli or B&B in Umbria. If you have a car, want complete peace and quiet, you might give it a try. They have a web site, but I could not get it to work to book my reservation there. I had to send an email instead, but it was quickly answered.
Apr 21st, 2006, 06:41 AM
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Hi Quinny,
Do consider other places to stay! There are so many really nice options and locations. You don't have to be locked into a week in one place if you don't really want that. Just go for a small hotel or B&B instead that doesn't require a week.
I'm a pretty energetic sightseer and found that I didn't much care for driving back and forth to the same place each night after day trips. On my last trip I stayed in Montalcino 3 nights, Gubbio 1 (supposed to be 2 but that's another story), Assisi 1 and Spello 2.
I like the idea of traveling foward as I sightsee rather than all the backtracking.
Maybe on my next trip I'll be willing to park myself for a week, but I doubt it.
Buon viaggio!
Do consider other places to stay! There are so many really nice options and locations. You don't have to be locked into a week in one place if you don't really want that. Just go for a small hotel or B&B instead that doesn't require a week.
I'm a pretty energetic sightseer and found that I didn't much care for driving back and forth to the same place each night after day trips. On my last trip I stayed in Montalcino 3 nights, Gubbio 1 (supposed to be 2 but that's another story), Assisi 1 and Spello 2.
I like the idea of traveling foward as I sightsee rather than all the backtracking.
Maybe on my next trip I'll be willing to park myself for a week, but I doubt it.
Buon viaggio!
Apr 21st, 2006, 11:15 AM
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Hi quinny
Even though I loved my week at Le Case Gialle, I was w/ 4 other people and so we had lots of "company" and really enjoyed cooking/hiking/touring together etc.
With just the two of you, I agree, it might be more fun to move around a bit more.
If you are interested in the Chianti area of Tuscany, check out this place right outside of Greve:
Podere Torre, easiest accessed through www.greve-in-chianti.com. Look under B&Bs or rural accommodations.
This place is sweet! Up a "white" (gravel) road from Greve, in the vineyards, with antique rose bushes, herbs, swallows nesting in the laundry room, charming owner, and a mellow atmosphere. I am pretty sure that Cecilia will rent it on a nightly basis (may depend on her other reservations, as there are only 2 or 3 rooms).
Lovely place if you don't require the ultimate in luxury (and no pool if you need that).
Even though I loved my week at Le Case Gialle, I was w/ 4 other people and so we had lots of "company" and really enjoyed cooking/hiking/touring together etc.
With just the two of you, I agree, it might be more fun to move around a bit more.
If you are interested in the Chianti area of Tuscany, check out this place right outside of Greve:
Podere Torre, easiest accessed through www.greve-in-chianti.com. Look under B&Bs or rural accommodations.
This place is sweet! Up a "white" (gravel) road from Greve, in the vineyards, with antique rose bushes, herbs, swallows nesting in the laundry room, charming owner, and a mellow atmosphere. I am pretty sure that Cecilia will rent it on a nightly basis (may depend on her other reservations, as there are only 2 or 3 rooms).
Lovely place if you don't require the ultimate in luxury (and no pool if you need that).
