I'm answering the part about places to stay in Le Marche, but I'll add a few quick thoughts.

Orvieto is a good base for Ciività di Bagnoregio, which is not one of my favorite spots to visit. It's also sort of convenient for places in Southern Tuscany, like Pitigliano, Sovano, and Sorano. However, I would rather stay in one of those little towns, because getting anywhere from Orvieto is a bit of a pain.

For over ten years now, most of the lower (closer to sea level) paths in the Cinque Terre have been closed because of the risk of landslides. The upper trails are mostly open, but they are a bit more challenging, and don't lead from village to village.

Now to get to Le Marche, where I live. It's hard to know where to begin. The best known cities in Le Marche are probably Ascoli Piceno and Urbino. Both very nice cities, although I have a slight preference for Urbino, with its lovely ducal palace. They are at opposite ends of the region, and neither is very central.

The countryside north and west of Urbino is very scenic; it's very near the border with Tuscany and Emilia Romagna. Pennabilli and San Leo, which have recently passed from Le Marche to Emilia Romagna, are well worth a visit. San Marino is also nearby. If you will be there in the end of September, there is a truffle festival (Covid permitting) in Acqualagna usually on the weekends surrounding All Saints. Acqualagna is a center of white truffle hunting.

Ascoli Piceno is in the foothills of the Sibillini mountains, part of the Appennine chain. Driving is slow going in this area, but the scenery is spectacular. If you like hiking, I highly recommend the Gola dell'Infernaccio.

The geography of Le Marche is that of a narrow, very hilly, often mountainous, region, between the Appennines and the sea. There are many river valleys running down to the sea, separated by ridges. This makes driving from north to south slow and a bit tortuous: slow going and lots of hairpin curves, but very scenic. The fastest inland route from north to south is often a trip to the coast, a quick run on the autostrada to another river valley, and a trip inland from there.

Leely (I think) mentioned Senigallia, which is pretty centrally located, and a decent base.It has an attractive and lively centro storico, and a fantastic restaurant scene, with one 3-star restaurant (Uliassi), one 2-star restaurant (Madonnina dei Pescatori) and half a dozen other excellent restaurants. There are some lovely hill towns in the hinterland of Senigallia, and the Riviera del Conero is a fairly easy drive from there. It's also not far from Urbino.

Fabriano is also a fairly good base for someone with a car. It's near the Frasassi grottoes, a cavern system set in a beautiful gorge. I was never much for caverns,, but this one captured my attention. It's very crowded on summer weekends. You have to take a tour, for which they provide an audio version in English (and othe languages). Fabriano has a medieval center and a very interesting museum of paper making. This was one of the earliest centers of paper making in Europe, and the museum is in the old factory. They also have a collection of artistic paper marks, which have been made by the same family for many generations. Again, there are some lovely little towns in the vicinity of Fabriano, and one of the prettiest medieval cities of central Italy, Camerino. Unfortunately, Camerino was severely damaged by an earthquake in 2016, and is still mostly off limits to visitors.

I'm not sure what sorts of activities appeal to you: art, fine dining, hiking, wine? I'll be happy to answer more questions about any of the areas I've mentioned above.

Great info, thanks so much bvenci. I will look into all your suggestions. We enjoy, art, museums , food and wine. Wandering around small towns is alwyas something we enjiy.We’re happy driving on scenic roads, exploring small towns on foot and enjoying a cafe . We like hiking and might consider a few days for this trip. But i doubt we want to devote the majority of the trip to it.,
Would having 2 bases make sense?

We have been to Italy many times and highly recommend the Piemonte, Puglia and Lake Como!

Thanks-- Tell me a little about what you love about the Piedmonte, pls? I'd love to hear more. I've been to the lakes and didnt love them enough to go back. We were in Puglia and loved it, but we want to stay in the general vicinity between Rome & Bologna & Puglia is to far out of that area..

If you have not already seen them, here is way more info than you probably want in three trip reports from people who love the Piedmont (myself, davetroy and maitaitom). I think you will like the Piedmont.

https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...-terre-937385/

https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...dmont-1049800/

https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...italy-1660034/

Thank you! I have seen one of these, but will read the other 2.

It is a great place to go on vacation in the fall. Explore Lombardy's rich heritage and traditions, from medieval villages to bustling cities. Discover the food and wine, art and architecture, nature and wildlife. Businesses in Lombardy are as diverse as their landscapes.
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Thank you! any specific places you would recommend?

The Piemonte trip ended up being better than we had imagined. We stayed just outside of Alba and were in close proximity to many of the notable wine villages. Easy day trips. There were far fewer tourists than we had ever experienced in Tuscany making for a much more pleasant stay. The scenery is beautiful, rolling hills covered with vineyards. Interesting regional food such as VitelloTonnato. We drove there easily from Nice. The Piedmont is over a small mountain range from the Mediterranean. And you are not too far from Malpensa MXP and Milan or the Italian Riviera.

I am going and will be in Vencie May 1, 1st Sunday. You made my day with this tip about the market at the bridge in Venice.
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sounds wonderful. Thanks

Expanding into the Piedmonte region. A couple of you have made a comment about that area. I'd love to hear more from you or others. Thanks

I want to go to Italy, but right now doesn't seem like the best time because of travelling restrictions and international flights are a mess...

[QUOTE=AaBanks;17314487]I want to go to Italy, but right now doesn't seem like the best time because of travelling restrictions and international flights are a mess...[/

We can hope for future trips. I hope you can get to Italy at some point.

We traveled through central Italy back in October 1994. No trip report, but here are the pictures of that trip by car which started in Tarquinia:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjoYPRAt

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjoYPf3H

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjoYNAUB

And ended in Rome:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjoYQoCx