Rome, Tuscany & Umbria

Old Nov 18th, 2017, 05:23 AM
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Rome, Tuscany & Umbria

I need some advice on where to visit during a three week visit to Italy in late September 2018.
My wife and I (later 60's) are visiting Italy for our second time. On our last trip , in 2011 we spent 4 nights in Venice, 3 nights in Florence, 7 nights in northern Tuscany and 7 nights in Rome.

We are flying in to FCO on September 20th and renting a car for two weeks, dropping off the car in Orvieto then taking the train to Rome for 5 nights.

My plans presently are to visit four luxury resorts and B&B for three or four nights each. These are in Tuscany and Umbria. We plan to eat and drink well, have couple massages, visit wineries, go truffle hunting and tour Umbria and Tuscan towns.

Is this too much time to spend in these two regions? Or should we try to visit other parts of Italy ( Milan, Lake Como, the Amalfi Coast) ? This will probably be our last trip to Italy since we are older and have many other places to explore.

One consideration is we don't want to spend too much time getting from one place to another.
We both also consider our time in Tuscany on our 2011 trip some of the most enjoyable times we have had traveling.

The only firm commitment so far is our SkyMiles travel round trip to FCO September 20-October 9, 2018

Please offer your advice.


Thank you in adnvance
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Old Nov 18th, 2017, 08:00 AM
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Ttandy,

I can identify with your thought that this may be your last trip to Italy. Im im my early 60s and my limit is more monetary. I am afraid that my next trip might be my last. However, I have enjoyed 4 trips to Italy and Sicily and each was different woth many new destinations.

Are you not interested in the history, art, achitecture,etc? Or is your interest in just relaxing and enjoying the gorgeous views?

Personally, I would spend a little time repeating what I enjoyed so much, and spend the rest on new destinations. You have barely scratched the surface of all the beautiful and wonderful places in Italy.

Have you considered Sicily ar all? Luxury resorts and wine can be had in abudance there too. Yes, the lakes, yes the Dolomiti, yes the Amalfi!
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Old Nov 18th, 2017, 09:18 AM
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Sounds fine to me but be aware of 2 things:


The feast day of St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of Italy, is Oct 4, and for many days before and after the feast the town of Assisi is jam-packed and some parts are locked down for security reasons (the head of state & pope might be there). So you either want to avoid Assisi that week or book far in advance to be part of it.

Truffles are more abundant from mid-October forward, and they exist in different parts of Umbria and Tuscany, but not all parts. There are some unscrupulous people offering fake truffle hunts in various parts of Italy (the truffles are real but the "hunt" is faked with pre-planted truffles. Since you are going somewhat ahead of the season. do some due diligence about where to go for your truffle hunt and the company that offers it.

One of the most tremendous museums of art in Italy is in Umbria (Perugia's National Gallery of Umbrian art) and there are wonderful towns of history and Etruscan and Renaissaince archtiecture which you'd almost need to go out of your way to avoid -- so it won't be hard to combine luxury relaxtation & Italian art & history.

If you don't want to travel far and you plan to see at least some of Tuscany & Umbria this trip, then trying to include Milan & Lago di Como, or the Amalfi, means you will need to travel far and possibly not feel it was worth shortening your time in the area you already know you is "the best" for you. IF you were really curious about a different experience of Italy, spending a few nights in a luxury spot (or a village) right on the Tuscan coast, or on a Tuscan island might be easy to squeeze into your itinerary (likewise Ponza, the island closest to Rome) if you are flying out of Rome.

But otherwise, with a tiny bit of research, you can arrange to experience a lot of variety by sticking just to the wine country of both Tuscany and Umbria.

If you post which places/towns you've picked to stay, people can come up with easy sightseeing agendas that really mix it up when it comes to food, wine, art, architecture, history, folklore, handicraft, activities, etc.
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Old Nov 18th, 2017, 10:36 AM
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>>>Is this too much time to spend in these two regions?>> Or should we try to visit other parts of Italy ( Milan, Lake Como, the Amalfi Coast) ?
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Old Nov 18th, 2017, 12:13 PM
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massimop , I tentative ly have the following lodging schedule, but nothing is set in stone:

9/20/18 USA- FCO

9/21/18 Two Nights Siena - La Terrazza sul Campo-
http://www.laterrazzasulcampo.com/en...zza-del-campo/

9/23/18 Two Nights Tuscany -Il Borgo Di Vescine
http://www.vescine.it/en/

9/25/18 Three Nights - Villa - Casa Portagioia
http://www.tuscanbreaks.com/

9/28/18 Four Nights - Borgo Bastia Creti
http://www.bastiacreti.it/

10/2/18 Three Nights - Torre Palombara
http://www.torrepalombara.com/offerte/

OR

Relais dei Magi
http://www.relaismagi.com/en/luxury-...tuscany_2.html


10/5/18 - Return car to Orvieto Rail Station
Train to Rome
Rome- Rental apartment - Campo di Flora
https://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p1974191

10/9/18 FCO- USA


We do like art, history, arts & crafts and local festivals.

I also would like to take a half-day cooking class

The truffle hunt company we are considering is
http://www.umbrianculture.com/wild-foods-truffle-hunt/


Thanks for you input
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Old Nov 18th, 2017, 07:23 PM
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What time of year did you visit before? It will be getting dark early and some of those resorts you linked are fairly remote.

Have you visited Siena before? If not, I might allow an extra day there. Have you stayed in Orvieto before? I would schedule a couple of nights there (perhaps first and put Siena at the end to turn in the car and take the Sena bus to Rome).
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Old Nov 19th, 2017, 06:37 AM
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Our last visit was in the spring of 2011. We ended our trip in Rome and flew home Easter afternoon.

Our last visit we did a day trip to siena.
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Old Nov 19th, 2017, 12:49 PM
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Two of your choices are practically right on top of the border between Tuscany and Umbria, and both of them require fairly long drivers on winding agricultural roads to get to road that will lead you to someplace other than a village. If you would like to see the culture that make Umbria distinctive, you would do better to move away from the border it shares with Tuscany and find a posh resort closer to the area south of Perugia, in the direction of Spoleto. Visiting the towns in that area -- Spello, Montefalco, Bevagna, Spoleto, Assisi and Todi -- can be very rewarding and there are just as many high-end accommodations offering excellent food, wine, spa treatments,

The sun sets close to 7pm in the first week of October in the Tuscan/Umbrian area, so I don't think that is much concern. But I think if you don't make most of your stays a short drive from some major roads that can take you to some destinations with major rewards when it comes to sightseeing or shopping that you might indeed end up feeling you only experience one-dimension of Italian life --- very quiet villages in the wine-growing hills + plus whatever amenities your upscale lodgings offer

Since your trip is so far away, and since you mentioned you might not get back to Italy again, you could play around with the idea of dividing your time between some days around the Amalfi -- go there first, and then spend time in Umbria and Tuscany.

But if you decide you'd be happiest in the central wine country, I still suggest booking at least one stay somewhere around Spello or Spoleto or Montefalco to visit some of those historic and very beautiful towns.
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Old Nov 22nd, 2017, 02:38 PM
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After all of your great advice I have modified my trip as follows:
9/24/18 USA- FCO

9/25/18 Three Nights Tuscany -Il Borgo Di Vescine
http://www.vescine.it/en/

9/28/18 Two Nights Siena - Suite Piccolomini
http://queenannesiena.com/

9/30/18 Three Nights - Villa - Casa Portagioia
http://www.tuscanbreaks.com/

10/3/18 Four Nights -Fontanaro
http://www.countryslowliving.com/ren...ntals/leccino/

10/7/18 Four Nights - Torre Palombara
http://www.torrepalombara.com/offerte/

10/11/18 - Return car to Orvieto Rail Station
Train to Rome
Five Nights Rome- Rental apartment - Campo di Flora
https://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p1974191

10/16/18 Fly Home from FCO to USA

All comments and suggestions appreciated.
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Old Nov 22nd, 2017, 03:35 PM
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>>> 9/28/18 Two Nights Siena - Suite Piccolomini

If you are a light sleeper, the noise from the Campo may bother you if your room faces the Campo.

>>> 10/11/18 - Return car to Orvieto Rail Station

Understand the mid-day office closure period. Also, there can be a long queue at the rental office.
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Old Nov 23rd, 2017, 03:35 AM
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I don’t think either of your Umbrian locations is ideal for touring the region. Your first is near the Tuscan border, and while I like Panicale and the towns around Lake Trasimeno, I prefer the towns and scenery in the Umbrian Valley more. In the very least; I would pair it with a location closer to Spello, Montefalco, Bevagna, or Spoleto. From a wine perspective, I’d stay in or near Montefalco.
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