cruizingirl

Due to a last minute change in plans, I will be arriving in Rome late on Tuesday, the 26th, and have 3 full days to kill before my art workshop starts in Cortona on Saturday. We have very little to spend, and will not have a car.

I am thinking about spending Tuesday night at the Beehive near the Termini, and then would like to work my way towards Cortona on the train. I have had a lot of stress lately, and I do not want to deal with the crowds, thieves/cons, and expense of Rome. My workshop includes days in Siena and Florence, so I can skip those too.

My husband and I are foodies (SlowFood, etc), and appreciate art. We don't really take many pictures, except for the occasional interesting vehicle (we have several classic cars) and close-ups of architectural details. Where can we go that's on the train line, cheap, slow-paced, and maybe a little romantic?

I have been following Italy threads for several months, and I'm sure you can help me. thank you!

WillTravel

Have you booked the Beehive yet? It's usually very hard to book on a last-minute basis.

ira

Hi C,

You can train to http://www.castiglionedellago.it/
from Rome Tiburtina station.

There might be better ways.

cruizingirl

Thanks, Will - I went ahead and booked 2 nights there. That will give us a place to crash the night we get in and at least a full day in Rome, for my DH. Then we can probably get some suggestions from the people there for the next couple of days.

susan5

we spent a week in cortona in april, traveling from town to town each day. at the end of the week we decided that we could have spent the whole week exploring all that cortona has to offer. there are some very good restaurants - pane e vino comes to mind, some wonderful pastery shops. Walking was enjoyable - churches, a great, old, above-gound cemetary, a monastary - plenty to do. we'd love to go back.

toni_g_b

I think Orvieto was wonderful, especially in the evening when the pace slowed and you could just sit in a piazza with cheese and meats and the Orvieto Classico. The Duomo is magnificent and the Etruscan museum very interesting. And, even for a couple that's been married for almost 40 yrs., there was something delightfully romantic about the setting. We stayed at a decent hotel that was not too pricey. Not over the top, but clean, with an elevator and A/C and a lovely breakfast room with Buccellato di Lucca, a regional cake. It may be an acquired taste but my Italian grandmother baked it all the time and eating it in Italy brought back a flood of memories. This was the only place I found it.

cruizingirl

Thanks so much, everyone! We leave on Monday and will try these places! I am also interested in Etruscan art, so am sure I will appreciate Orvieto. And I am glad to hear that my husband will find plenty around Cortona to eat and to entertain him during my class. thanks again, Fodorites!

cruizingirl

and thanks to Ira - my husband is interested in trying your suggestion.