sleeping_dog

My husband and myself are planning to travel in Italy for 2 weeks in October. This is our first time to Italy, and would love to have some advice from travelers experienced in these area!

- Our plan is 3 nights in Venice, take a train to Florence and stay there for 2 nights, rent a car in Florence to drive through in Tuscany+Umbria for a week. then, finally in Rome for 3 nights. Is that too busy? We love food (but both do not drink, How pity!), architecture, and walking.
- Is early in October too early for mushrooms in Umbria?
-In Umbria, we are thinking to stay in Spoleto for few days to visit some other towns in this area. Have anyone stayed "Palazza Leti" in Spoleto? Any other recommendations of town or place to stay for us? We are open to any kinds of accommodation around E. 100-150/night or lower (if possible).

Thank you for your help!

Dog.

TuckH

It's a good plan (especially for a rookie)!

I'd only suggest that you focus on Tuscany, specifically the Val d'Orcia region and find one place to base.

Or - if Umbria is a must, I'd shoot for somewhere near Assisi (not Spoleto) to stay; it's more central to Umbria's attractions.

tcreath

I agree with Tuck on not staying in Spoleto. I would look at Spello, Bevagna, Montefalco and towns in this area. They are a little more central to exploring Umbria. I also have to admit that Spoleto was the only town in Umbria that we did not like. I know this is just personal opinion, but it just lacked any charm and it had a lot of what seemed like urban sprawl.

Tracy

LJ

Your itinerary is good, balanced and I wish you happy truffle hunting...I am assuming it was truffles you were asking about (you said mushrooms, but they are available year-round in Italy as elsewhere, as they are grown domestically indoors).

Truffle season is another matter entirely. The white truffle season begins in October in Umbria. But the black truffle season does not begin until December. October is also, of course, the season for boar and you will find many wonderful fresh boar dishes at the restaurants in Umbria and beyond.

Zerlina

When sleeping_dog said "mushrooms", she may have meant porcini mushrooms. Yes, they are in season in October, and when they are grilled, they are like vegetarian steaks. Not to be missed! (But not inexpensive either.)

ira

Hi SD,

Good plan. Be sure that you have good maps and a compass.

>..but both do not drink, How pity!,

Wine, especially the lighter Italian whites are not "drink".

>Is early in October too early for mushrooms in Umbria?<

Perfect for Porcini. You should find some white truffles as well.

LJ

Oh, yes, of course, I forgot totally about porcini...now we have to wait and see what is the incredible edible the OP is after (but a non-drinker, how tragic!). I am glad I came back to this thread because I did have another thought about an Umbrian central point as I agree about Spoleto, very spotty!

My family spent a very pleasant time at the villa affiliated with Castello dell'Oscano just outside Cenerento, near Perugia. The locale was great for day tripping in Umbria, the villa had excellent self-contained apartments that were avaialable for less than a week at a time and there was always the luxury of the castle itself if we wanted a night off cooking and a truly splendid meal.

sleeping_dog

TuckH & tcreath, thank you so much for your advice about the destinations………! Your advice regarding Spoleto definitely helped us to re-consider the plan, and now we are thinking to stay 2-4 nights in Tuscany and 2-4 nights in Umbria, but more its central as you advise. We had no idea about Unbria, and just pick up Spoleto by chance, and we are glad to know that it is not that attractive! You save our valuable time in Italy!

Do you have any suggestion of accommodation? We would like to save our budget as we know we have to spend more for lodging in big cities, but if there are any super recommendations with a little more money, we would love to try. We would love to look into more options. Any advice?

Thanks to LJ, Zerlina & ira about mushrooms. Yes, both of you were right about what we meant, and ,mushrooms, we meant all kinds of mushrooms (ideally wild ones) including truffles & Porcini! It is great news that Porcini will be in season, and truffle (and white ones....!), too! Muuu… We are now so excited to taste those mushrooms.

LJ, I have checked Castello dell'Oscano. How romantic! It seems a bit over budget, but we will see if we may be able to manage our budget if we can find reasonable accommodation in Venice & Rome.

Thank you all!

SD

tcreath

sleeping_dog, we stayed at le Case Gialle, a lovely agriturismo near Bevagna, based on several recommendations on this board. Our apartment, la Terrazza, was gorgeous, with high cealings, beautiful wood beamed cealings, terracotta floors and a huge (and hot!) shower. The balcony had wonderful views. We stayed there for 5 nights last year and the price was 80 euro per night. From here we easily visited Spello, Bevanga, Montefalco, Assisi, Deruta, Trevi and Todi, and also daytripped to Orvieto and Civita da Bagnoregio.

Good luck and happy planning!
Tracy

tcreath

Oops, forgot to post the link to Case Gialle!

http://www.lecasegialle.com/indexGB.htm

Tracy

Dayle

Hi sleeping dog,

Highly recommend Palazzo Bocci, 4* in Spello! But they book up early....

annabelle2

I loved Umbria and second the Le Case Gialle recommendation. The website Tracy attached will show you the rooms and give you an idea of what it is like to stay there. It is on an organic olive oil farm and has nice views across the olive groves...

You mention walking - there are some nice trails through the hills and woods right from Le Case Gialle, and if you visit Assisi, take the moderate hike from the town up to the hermitage on Mt Subasio where St Francis and his fellow monks lived and meditated. Very special and moving!

You definitely need that car but it is a good location for visiting Umbria and even parts of Tuscany. If you don't want to hassle with driving the car into Rome, you could turn it in in Foligno or Perugia and then take the train into Rome.

sleeping_dog

Thank you very much experienced travelers! We know we can always count on your advice! We went to all websites you recommended. Two of them looks wonderful! We really like Case Cialle, and actually contacted. Unfirtunately,there was no availability during our planned period, BUT, we really want to stay so now we are thinking to change our plan to from Rome to Venice instead of Venice to Rome so we can stay!

We will enjoy our trip very much. Thanks to all of your help.