Tuscany Umbria Region in Fall - Advice Pls!
 

Hi,

Would like to go this fall to Tuscany Umbria, etc region. Just my wife and I going.

Would really like to get some recommendations on:

A) What places to see (towns, villages, etc)?

B) Where & what place to stay in?

Last several trips to Europe, we went to France. Other than a few days in Paris, spent time driving around different regions (Loire, Dijon, Provence, etc).

Found that it was really great to stay in smaller B&B type places with charm, but reasonably priced.

Also, found that who the owner was really made a big difference in experience.

For example, in some places the owner(s) were either American or British. Since there was no language barrier, it was really easy to discuss exactly the info we needed to enjoy our exploring of the area.

This is not a absolute requirement, just something we noticed. We did stay in some places where the owner(s) were French but knew at least some English. So between my little bit of French and their little bit of English we managed.

Have heard you can rent some country houses, farmhouses, etc in the Tuscany Umbria, etc region.
Any thoughts on this approach? Especially since we're only 2 people.

Anyway, appreciate any recommendations!

C) What about getting around? Rental car required??

D) Thinking of going near end of Sept or early Oct. Is this a good time to go??

E) Any other thoughts??

Thanks for any and all suggestions!!

Mark

Take a look at www.slowtrav.com, which has a wealth of information on Italy, particularly rentals.

ArchiMark,
do a search for agriturismo which is a place to stay on a farm, usually a vineyard. You can rent an apartment for two at a reasonable price.

Hi Archi. Your question is really, really broad. I'd have a hard time knowing where to start helping you. Try going to a local bookstore and browsing to get an idea of the Tuscany/Umbria parameters and then come back here and ask specific questions. There's a wealth of information on this board about the area.

Here's a little input for you: Yes! September/October are fine for touring the area. Later in September would be my preference because the summer crowds have abated and the weather is still good. I'd definitely plan to rent a car. A lot of Fodorites are happy with AutoEurope (www.autoeurope.com), and I'm looking into Nova for our next trip.

To get you started, I'd plan a balance of the larger cities and smaller villages. Maybe a couple of days in Florence to start with, picking up your car there and heading to the countryside. My favorite area of Tuscany is the southern Crete region as opposed to the Chianti area. I'd find a base in the Montepulciano/Pienza area and explore, maybe doing a day trip to Siena. Then I'd base in Umbria, maybe in/near Assisi, and explore from there. One recommendation for lodging that might interest you near Assisi is Malvarina, one of my very favorite places to stay (www.malvarina.com--let it load and then click on the British flag for the English version).

One more thing. Almost every thread that's ever been posted here is available in the archives. Just type the subject into the search box at the top of the page and the archived messages will appear on the left. For example, you might want to type in <Tuscany itineraries> (without the little arrow thingies)

The www.slowtrav.com recommendation is an excellent one for everything Italian.

Welcome to Fodors!

Thanks Shellio, Henry, & Betsy!!!

Really appreciate all your help.

Will take your advice, check things out and then return with any more specific questions.

Thanks,

Mark

You didn't say how long you are planning to tour there. That would certainly influence any itinerary recommendations.
To answer a couple of your questions, late September/early October is great time to go...one of the best times of the year, if not THE best. And, yes, renting a car is strongly advised to get the most out of your stay and give you the most flexibility.

Mark, As others have said, you need to spend time at slowtrav.com--look at the trip planning section and then the trip reports--expect to spend time. After you get smart come back here for some specifics. Yes, you will need a car. Location will be the key--the region is larger than you may think.

I know what you mean about an English-speaking host. We have had very good experiences at places where the hosts were not fluent in English, but I think one reason we love our favorite B&B in Italy so much is because of its British owner. Dawne, who was married to an Italian, spent many years working in the Italian film industry, before buying and renovating the old farmhouse that became L'Ombricolo. We've stayed there several times and now count her as a friend as well as a superb hostelier.

Her B&B is in the countryside in the province of Lazio, near where it adjoins Tuscany and Umbria. The closest "charming hill towns" are Orvieto and Rick Steves' favorite, Civita di Bagnoregio. We've also made day trips from there to Assisi, Todi, Perugia, and Spoleto, as well as Pitigliano and Sovano. Rome is only 90 minutes away, so we usually stop at Dawne's place for a day or two coming or going to and from the airport -- or sometimes both.

I have posted here a few times about L'Ombricolo, but I want to assure people that I have absolutely no financial interest in the place. We just love it so much that we want to help Dawne succeed, and think anyone traveling in that area would have a wonderful experience there.

You can see more details on the web at:
http://umbriaonline.com/lombricolo/indexen.html
or
http://www.essentialitaly.co.uk/ess_...ombricolo.html

Thanks again for the recent replies!

Good points HowardR and bobthenavigator!

TIMEFRAME:
We're thinking of going for about 2 weeks hopefully.

RENTAL CAR:

Figured we'd need a car...which brings up some rental car questions...

Betsy, why are you thinking of using Nova instead of AutoEurope?

In France, it was more expensive to rent an automatic instead of stick shift. Also, uses more gas. Often, had to rent a bit larger car to get automatic.

Given the terrain/roads in Tuscany Umbria, etc
do people recommend getting a tiny little stick shift car or go with an automatic?

Someone told me that to save money on gas do rent a diesel car. Anyone done that in Italy? Recommend it?

If we fly into Rome, should be pickup rental car at airport and then drive out of Rome to Tuscany, Umbria, etc. or take a train there and then pickup a car?


SECURITY:

My wife felt very secure in our travels around France. But she's heard that Italy is more prone to crime, mainly thievery.

For example, she heard that theives break into rental cars after you've parked them somewhere and gone sightseeing or at night when you've parked by the place your staying in.

Any thoughts on this specifically in the Tuscany, Umbria, etc region?

Thanks!

Mark

On renting a villa, I think that most of them are weekly rentals; you might want to concentrate on B&B-type places instead.

It sounds like you want to focus on the countryside, but consider whether you want to (for example) want to spend some time in Rome at the end of your trip.

On taking the train from Rome, then picking up a car, that's probably a personal preference. I'd pick up the car at the airport and then drive, but neither my husband or I mind driving, and like to see the countryside. I don't know whether you can take the train straight from the airport (you might have to go into the city first). It also will depend on which areas and towns you end up visiting.

On what kind/size of car to rent, we prefer a relatively-smaller car on those narrow Italian back roads. We both drive stick shifts, though, so that's never an issue with us.

On theft, yes, it's probably higher in Italy (though I've never personally experienced any problems). I wouldn't leave anything in a rental car overnight anywhere (Italy, France, U.S.), though there are times while sightseeing between overnight destinations that you'll have to. Take the obvious precautions: store everything you can in the trunk, don't leave tourist items lying visible. There are some other tips I've seen, like placing a local newspaper on the dash, to make your car look local.

Have a great time planning what will be a wonderful trip.

Re car rental: I think it's much simpler to rent the car from the Rome airport. You're likely to have a pretty good selection of cars there, and driving out of the airport isn't bad (certainly not compared to driving in Rome itself, which you would NEVER want to do).

I read on the SlowTrav board recently that regular gas is about $1 per gallon more than diesel in Italy now ($5-plus per gallon as compared to $4-something for diesel). So, yes, diesel is definitely the way to go. But if you don't drive stick shift, you'll have less choice of cars and may pay more; most Europeans don't drive automatic. Check the Italy Resources sectin of the SlowTrav site for some very good tips on driving in Italy.

Definitely do NOT leave anything of value anywhere in your car. A friend of mine in France stopped at a chateau en route from one overnight stop to another, and had EVERYTHING stolen from their locked trunk -- every piece of luggage. They were left with nothing but their clothes on their backs. Fortunately they were carrying their passports and wallets, but every item of luggage was gone.

So even though it's tempting to think of stopping to visit some attraction en route from one place to another, we always plan our trips now so that we have a base for day trips and our luggage safely stowed in our hotel before we head out.

Another architect?

I travel to Umbria twice a year. Late September is perfect.

I can suggest taking the train from Rome to Orvieto (a one hour ride) and a cab to the Avis shop (five minutes). You, of course, must see the duomo and lunch at I Sette Consoli, a terrific restaurant with a woman chef. Eat in the courtyard. Five or so km south of Orvieto is Albergo Rosati, a small place with a charming host and dinners that go on until all of the wine and grappa is gone. They have a website.

My other favorite in Umbria is Le Case Gialle near Gualdo Cataneo and Bevagna. Mauro and Silvana are fugitives from the Milan ad business and are great kind people. I can give you many dining experiences in this area is you wish. LCG has a website too.

I also think the best part of Tuscany is the Montepulciano Pienza Montalcino area. Don't miss the Brunello. Ciao.

DRJ, I think the place you are talking about in Orvieto is Locanda Rosati? We booked our first night there and are looking forward to staying there. Here's their web site.

http://www.locandarosati.orvieto.tr.it/ ((b))

DRJ, yes - I'm another architect (good question about ArchiMark).

I've followed your various posts in the past with interest - all the while I thought you were Julius Erving!

This is just passing on information, as I don't know any of these places (and you could find this post with just a quick search on "Umbria" here on this forum) - - but there were several nice descriptions of places to stay, in Umbria, on http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34511826

It may be that I just never have paid all that much attention to posts about Umbria before - - but it seemed to me that this was a nice contribution, in contrast to so many more posts here on places to sty in Tuscany.

Best wishes,

Rex

We have recently returned from a trip to Southern Tuscany and Umbria. I would recommend splitting the time between 2 bases and traveling to small towns in both. You will not be able to do it all--and YES, you will need a car. This trip, we split our time between a small village outside Arezzo called Castiglion Fiorentino (Rental villa) and in a lovely place in Umbria called Spello. The time before that, we settled in the Chianti Region. You need to decide how much time you want to spend in each region and how much you want to tour around. The roads in these regions are very mountainous and driving from one town to another can be an adventure. Everyone has there favorites and it is hard to tell someone else where to go. THis site has many useful;l suggestions. Start looking at books and talking to people in the know. To find charming places, I suggest you go to the Tuscany Net website at www.tuscanynet.com. You can't go wrong!

Mark, my husband and I visited Umbria last September. We met up with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. They rented a car at the airport in Rome and drove to Chiusi and picked us up (we'd been down in the Amalfi Coast). They had no trouble doing the drive. The car was a stick shift but it wasn't awkward to use. Sorry, but I don't remember what the make was!

We all stayed at the Villa Rosa in Montemelino, a small town not far from Perugia. If you go to slowtalk, you can read a few of the reviews about this B&B, one of which I wrote under the screen name caramello. A young couple owns it--Megan is Australian and Lino is Italian, grown up in Umbria. I agree with what you say about having one English speaking innkeeper! It definitely does make it so much easier. It was wonderful to sit down with Megan and chatter away after a day of sightseeing, and we plied her with many questions, as well (not that Lino's a slouch with the English, because he's not).

We visited the Umbrian towns of Gubbio, Todi, Orvieto, Assisi, Perugia and Deruta. I liked Gubbio and Todi the best. Perfect little hill towns and not overrun with tourists. Gubbio has a cable car up the mountain to a church. It's really cool though not for the faint of heart! My husband and SIL wouldn't go on it. Shame, the view from the top was spectacular. Deruta is the pottery center of Umbria so if you like pottery, visit, but otherwise it's a rather ordinary town.

Assisi of course is where the basilica to St. Francis is located, and not to be missed. What we did was to park at the first parking lot in the town proper (on the right hand side of the road; you can't miss it) and walk up to the ruins of the castle and explore it. From that point--the highest in town--we walked to the basilica, approaching it from the BACK side. In doing so, we came to it without having walked by all the touristy shops hawking religious items and souvenirs. It was really very nice.

Orvieto, a great favorite among Fodorites, wasn't my favorite at all. I thought it too touristy. And gray, my least favorite color. I know that "gray" an odd reason to dislike a place, but Todi, Assisi, and Gubbio were all built of beautiful honey-colored stone. Everything about those towns was soft looking and warm. Orvieto is built of gray and it looked harsh to me in comparision, not warm and welcoming at all. Oh, to each his own, I suppose.

We never did get to Tuscany so I can't offer you any point of comparison, but we liked Umbria well enough to feel that we hadn't been cheated of the Italian countryside experience. It really is lovely.

BTW, the distances between places might not be large, but the roads up in the mountains wind around a lot. Look at the maps carefully; you'll see lots of squiggles! That's not artistic interpretation, believe me. Allow plenty of time to drive because you won't be going fast. Great views, though, and we never once felt unsafe or concerned.

Another vote for Spello. It's a small undiscovered jewel. And unlike Spoleto, where much of the stone used in buidlings is black, a great deal of Spello is built from a rosy colored stone.

On one trip, I based out of Spoleto and did day trips to Trevi, Spello, Bevagna, and Montefalco. There are also tons of agriturismos all around that area. From there, you are also close to Assisi. Also, if you are coming from Rome, Todi is also a gem.

Mark, Everyone can relate to their own experience--and they all differ. My advice is to spend more time in Tuscany than Umbria. South Tuscany is the best of breed. Read more at slowtrav.com about south Tuscany and find some trip reports and reviews of accommodations.