Interesting--zeppole is back.

Myer has seen <Tuscany and Provence> without a car....

Myer, if you click on my name, you can find a TR about Perugia and Rome by car and bus. We had stayed in Spoleto as a base for Orvieto, Assisi and Spello and found train travel from there easy easy easy.

We bussed and trained from our wonderful Perugia base but hired a car for 2 hill towns. Hope my TR helps.

As for Milan, hub and I trained there from Verona one time and are very happy to have seen the Duomo (walk on roof), La Scala museum, "Last Supper", Galleria, and another museum whose name I've lost to old age. We lucked into a last-minute cancellation for "Last Supper"--in March, we thought we could take a chance.

If you have any interest in ceramics, Deruta (upper part of the town) has an interesting museum.

ps-The Spoleto trip above doesn't have a TR.

TDudete,
We sort of did the same in Provence this past June.

Bus and Train everywhere except we too a minivan tour to a couple of hill towns.

Thanks. I will check out you trip reports this weekend.

<interesting- Zeppole is back>

Iris, hope you are not referring to me, if I sounded harsh I didn't mean to, and apologize.
Have to remember to stay out of these 'I'm right your wrong' scenarios.

Myer,

Do you know the Bella Umbria website? If you use the "Discover Umbria menu", you can see read about a lot of historic towns seldom if ever mentioned in guidebooks or on message boards

http://www.bellaumbria.net/en/

Rest assured that if Italy wins a world cup or some other soccer championship, it won't matter where you are in Umbria. You'll be in a thrilling place. If classical pianists are playing in one town in Umbria, you can be pretty sure (if they are any good) they will also be booked into Perugia, or something of equal quality will be easy to reach . If you need a facial -- well, what can I say? Rent a car.

There are a couple of large advantages to not renting a car in Umbria that no one has mentioned. Many people who try to drive into Perugia get so stressed out and so lost, they have a brief, unhappy visit and end up thinking (and telling other people) that Perugia "isn't worth it."

The other is to experience Umbria as so many of the everyday locals do, and to join the less-isolated and more public side of Italian life, which is still so very strong. Sure Italians love cars -- maybe even more than Americans do - but Italy is still very much a publicly shared space, and being all the time touring in a private vehicle misses the "richness" of that.

The beguiling thing about Italy is that everyone who goes finds a moment (and even many moments) where one says to oneself or to one's travel partner: "We found the perfect spot. It just doesn't get any better than this." The funny thing is, there are two people sitting in the next hill town saying the same thing, or sitting in a cafe in Perugia, or talking with Italian teenagers proud of their English, or being led by the hand by an Italian grandmother to the bus stop you need. The delusion is to think that all this happened only to you, due to your careful travel planning.

matera,

Thanks for the web site.

We've been to Italy at least half a dozen times before but never to Umbria.

We had been to Florence twice before our trip to Tuscany two years ago but on previous trips didn't focus on a smaller (?) area. Now we're starting to do that.

As we get older with more aches and pains we're trying to use a base and daytrip without our luggage more.

sundried; Absolutely not referring to you.

Iris.

Clever, Iris, I think you are right. Good!

Yup, unmistakable tone. School's about to begin. Let the lectures commence!

Myer, I've started a TR with Spoleto. Turin was our first base so am going in order, fyi.

Funny. I was just wondering what ever happened to Zeppole.

>>>While crowds are a hassle, I would prefer them to a town in which we are the only ones there.<<<

You might find you are the only ones in many of the smaller towns. The last time I was there (early Sept. 2010) everything was quite deserted in towns such as Montefalco, Trevi, Bevagna, Deruta and Spello.

kybourbon,

I wonder why these towns would be deserted? Is it because they're just not popular?

Maybe some other reason? Not many tourists to the area? Many places to visit so none will have many people?

On recent trips we found St Remy (provence) during lunch break had an abandoned feel.

Lucca in Tuscany, while not abandoned had very few tourists when we were there.

Also Arezzo seemed to have few tourists.

However, places like Siena, San Gimignano, Arles, Aix seemed to have many tourists.

Myer, I believe it's because most people don't have the money or the time to visit them all. For many, a trip to Europe is a one-time trip of their lifetime. How lucky are we Fodorites who've been able to return to "putter" and to savor less-viewed but incredible places.

In May I was in the same towns kybourbon mentioned and they
were still empty - Bevagna during lunchtime was totally
abandoned.

TDudette,

I guess we are quite fortunate.

Hmmm...starting to feel slightly disappointed in my upcoming 3 nights in Spello this October with a car driving from one deserted/abandoned town to another.