We will be driving around Umbria for a couple of days at the end of our trip to Italy. We cannot decide if we should stay in Todi or Orvieto for our last night. Any opinions would be so helpful. Also depending on your preference are there any hotels you would recommend?

The cathedral in Orvieto is incomparable. I think that the town is more interesting than Todi, so if you are not visiting Orvieto at another time, the leasst you could do is enjoy it for your last evening, and make sure that you see the cathedral while the sun is in the western sky.

I love Todi but have to agree that the cathedral in Orvieto is one of Italy's treasures. Where in Umbria will you have been, what will you have seen? And where will you be coming from? The roads between Todi/Bevagna and Todi/Spoleto are beautiful.

If you end up in Todi, I highly recommend the Ristorante Umbra. Great food with a fabulous view of the Umbrian hills to the east of town.

Another vote for Orvieto. I haven't been to Todi, but have been to Orvieto 4 times, and I never tire of the place -- especially what I consider to be the most spectacular (and easily accessible, and uncrowded) duomo I've ever seen.

Last October we stayed at the Albergo Duomo, and we loved it. We had a room with a view of the duomo, and it was quiet as heaven at night.

Where do you go next?

We head back to Rome to fly home. We only have three days in Tuscany. We are using this time to travel back to the Airport in Rome. We are spending our first night in Castellina in Chianti, the second in Montepulciano and the last in Orvieto. Any recommendations for restaurants/sights/wineries etc. would be great and highly appreciated.

I've been to both and of the two I would prefer Orvieto. Todi was nice but there are other hilltowns in Umbria that I thought were nicer. Orvieto would make a great base. If you are looking for something a little smaller I would consider Spello.

Tracy

If you haven't been to Orvieto that's the place to stay. You can drop the car there and then take the train to Rome to connect with the one to the airport.

The duomo is equal to the one in Siena (IMHO.)

I Sette Consoli in Oriveto!

We spent two weeks in Todi a few years ago (can't recommend hotel as we rented a "villa&quot. We thoroughly adored Todi's rustic beauty - endless fields of sunflowers & rolled hay bales - and there are several superb restaurants in town. We'd spent time in Orvieto on a prior trip, so just spent a day there on the Todi journey. As all have said, Orvieto is a lovely, lovely spot, but it does not provide quite as "authentic" a feel as Todi - if I dare to say so - only because there are a lot of tourists about, which is not the case in Todi. It's a bit more of a cosmopolitan feel, which isn't saying much, since Todi is such a tiny little hamlet. Net net you can't go wrong in either place -- but if you have to pick one, it just depends on which atmosphere you'd prefer.

Do you think it would be wiser to drop the car in Orvieto and take the train to FCO? We had planned on driving, but what do you think is the wiser choice?

As I've noted on a thread or two before, I nearly always pick up or return a rental car in Orvieto just to dine at I Sette Consoli. Rome is an easy one hour train trip.

Someone will correct me, but I don't think you can train straight to FCO, you'd end up going through Rome, which wouldn't be as easy as driving straight to FCO.

Orvieto has a lot of life in the evening, good shops and restaurants, etc. We stayed at Villa Cicconia, easy to reach off the main road in the "outer" town below the plateau. From there you can drive to the parking facilities for the town and take an escalator right into the center of the centro storico. Villa Cicconia is not liked by everyone - no views, for one thing. But it is VERY convnenient for anyone driving, has large-ish rooms and bathrooms, attractive and not overdone rooms, the feeling of a comfortable abbey. In the morning you can be on the A1 in minutes. By the way, as with many hill towns, you can't take your car into the old city even if your hotel is there, so staying on the outer ring for your one night may make even more sense. Others will be strong on staying in a hotel in town with views etc.

Is it possible to stay in town with a car?

It's not possible for the car!

Orvieto has the GREATEST parking situation: both outdoor and indoor lots that have escalator and elevator access to the center of the town above. And a shuttle as well. But if you want or need your car right next to the hotel, you can't have that in the old town. Others can give you more details. (Or search "orvieto hotel" on boards and you'll come up with lots of detail and suggestions.)

As mentioned, we found the Villa Cicconia convenient (if I recall correctly, Cicconia may be the name of the neighborhood.) It is set away from the road, in a "park" as they say. Some found road noise a problem there, we definitely did not.

But if you wish to stay in town, I believe that the city parking facilities are very secure - they are certainly well-lighted and modern. And they are very convenient.