I'm planning out trip to Italy in June.
We're staying in Rome for 5 days. From there we wanT to go to Assisi and travel the Tuscan region. For me it's very confusing to plan this part!!!! WHERE DO I START??? If I leave from Assisi, where do I go FIRST??? Shall I choose one place in the "middle" of the region and travel to the other towns from there??? I want to go to cinque terre too, may be that would be my last destination.
Do you recommend DRIVING from town to town in the Tuscan region or going in tours??
(I want this trip not to be stressul for mu husband)
PLEASE HELP!

I posted this the other day to someone who was looking for local assistance in Rome and Tuscany in particular : On a trip a few years ago my wife and I were given an introduction to a madcap expat Australian artist, Peter Kilby, who also conducts personal walking tours of Rome, driving tours in Tuscany etc. Through Peter we began a series of what have been the most wonderful travel adventures in Italy. He is a walking talking encyclopaedia of all things Italian and the most unbelievable introduction to Italian culture, food and wine. He's now living in Tuscany and I'm sure he would be only too happy to give you a couple of pointers. He has a website: http://www.peterkilby-touradvisor.com.au/index.html and we could not recommend him more highly. He was visiting back in Australia recently over summer and a 'friends of Peter' pasta fest & luncheon pulled together nearly ninety of his past clients and people who have sought his advice. It was really quite incredible and as you can imagine, a lot of fun. My wife and I will be in Tuscany in late April and will certainly call upon his expertise once again.

What do expect to do in Tuscany? (Different people have different interests.) How many days do you have for your entire trip? We can help you plan your destinations better if we know.

Relocating less can make for a more relaxing vacation, so choosing one place as a hub (or two, depending on the time you have) from which you can daytrip to other towns is always a good idea.

Also keep in mind that from Assisi you can visit other Umbrian towns that you might enjoy, again, avoiding relocating. Whether by car or public transport, relocating to the next hotel always seems to take up at least half a day.

You will have to decide if driving is for you. Who will do the driving and will that person enjoy it? Not having a car might mean you won't be able to visit some less-traveled towns, but it sounds like this is a first trip for you. You can visit a number of interesting towns by public transport (bus, train) if you choose your hub carefully.

For example, staying in Perugia, we visited Assisi (train) and Gubbio (bus).

From Siena, you can visit the hilltowns of Montalcino, Montepulciano, Pienza, and more all by bus.

Car or public transport is your decision. You can join tours, but be aware that you will be at the mercy of their set schedule--no moseying around town if it's time to get back on the bus. There are also private drivers for hire that could take you around --Hills and Roads come to mind as well recommended here.

BLACKJACK44:
I visited Peter Kilby's website and I lked it!
How much does he charge?
ELLENEM:
We're staying 5 days in Tuscany.
Thanks for your advice!

I would recommend having a car. It allows you the freedom to go where and when you want. Most the tour busses are very large. People looked like they were herded through the towns and spent a fair amount of time waiting around. Also the roads are very winding so I would fear getting bus sick.

If you rent a car ask for one with GPS It takes the stress out of navigating. Although some of the best things we've found have been when we've been lost.

1. Hey am I nuts or has Assisi moved to Tuscany from Umbria?

2. Get a place in south-western Tuscany (Montepulciano, it goes without saying -- as it is Paradise-on-Earth, but with a considerably higher elevation than the original Garden of Eden) and travel around from there to Assisi, Perugia, Cortona, Arezzo and Siena....

If you can possibly fit it in, do not miss the Cinque Terre! We stayed two nights in Vernazza in 8/04 and remember it as one of the highlights of an incredible trip through Paris, Venice, Florence, and Tuscany. Take the train from Vernazza down to Riomaggiore and hike from town to town - if you're short on time, just hike to Manarola and Corniglia, then train or vaporetto to Monterosso, back to Vernazza for a sunset dinner. I wouldn't have missed that for the world.

I'd definitely recommend a car in Tuscany. We shot into Umbria to visit Deruta for the pottery, then on to Cortona, Siena (overnight), Castellina in Chianti, then overnight in Lucca before heading to the CT. Wish we'd had more time in each place but otherwise wouldn't change a thing.

You're going to have a fabulous trip!

I like tedgale's itinerary. Montepulciano is quite central. Driving is best unless you are a very timid driver. The smaller roads (off the autostrada) are quite easy to drive, if not fast (frequently winding and often a fair amount of traffic). It's easy to look up the basic road signs before you go: the stop sign is the same!

When you're done in Tuscany, drive to La Spezia and turn the car in there. Take the train from La Spezia to the Cinque Terre (where you can't drive), and continue your trip by rail.

RE driving in Tuscany -- Who said the Italians are fast divers?

In Tuscany, the "contadini" are SLOW and travel on those smaller roads can be painful -- or, if you wish, an opportunity to sample at leisurely pace those windings hills and the roads that traverse them.

Everything seems to take about twice as long as you expected from the road-maps.

Not that there's anything wrong with it.....

ItalyLove, sorry about taking so long to get back but the time difference gets a bit tricky sometimes! Tedgale and RoadCrazy and all the above advice is pretty good. We've found in the past that a car is probably the best way to go in Tuscany particularly if you are ultimately heading to Cinque Terrra (fantastic area) or San Margherita/Portofino . In Tuscany, Montepulciano is a great spot to base yourself and fan out to Assisi and all the above mentioned highlights etc on a daily basis. Its not far and you go through some great countryside at your own pace. Some good places to stay around Montepulciano include Podere Monti and Poggio Etrusco. Both have the facility for one day or more cooking classes if you have time. When you decide to move on there is a wonderful little town above Florence called Fiesole with a great B&B called LeCannelle. Then hop on the train at Florence and head for the Cinque Terra. I've always found Peter Kilby's prices are reasonable for the one on one service he provides. Have used him on five occasions over the past decade and if you brief him on what you would like to do, he tailors an itinerary based on the wine/art/historical/wine content of the brief and whether you want him to personally accompany you on some or all of the days. Costwise, best idea is to shoot him an email and say hi as his service is customised to your list of must-sees and of course budget. Have a great time. Its a wonderful part of the world and we'll be there in early May, except coming in the opposite direction to exit via Rome.

ps Don't know where you are coming from into Tuscany area but there is a rail station at Chuisi (about 30Km from Montepulciano) and a Hertz depot across the road from the station.

OK now do I get to make my pitch for the Appartamenti Al Poggiolo in Montepulciano, as the place to stay if you want a 1-week rental in Tuscany?

Check out www.appartamentialpoggiolo.it

We were there 1 year ago and sent others thereafter -- all of whom were as rapturous as we at the perfectly appointed apartments, the charming hosts, the magical town and the quite reasonable price.

Appartamenti Al Poggiolo looks excellent tedgale. Will follow it up. Wonder if they would do five days before the high season?

While Cinque Terre is a lovely place, I would not recommend trying to include it on a trip whose major focus is Rome and Assisi, especially if you want to avoid a lot of stress.

There are lovely agriturismos all around Assisi. Rent a car and drive to one of them. From there, make day trips to the many small and gorgeoous towns in and around Assisi. You won't run out of things to do but you won't be stuck to a plan that is too ambitious.

You will probably want to visit Assissi more than once. If you find yourselves feeling TOO relaxed, head up to Perugia for a terrific jolt of energy.

ItalyLove:

We love Italy too and have been there many times in the past few years.

Since you only have 5 days in Tuscany, you'd best find a central base from which you can explore as much as possible. The most central spot in tuscany is Siena. From there you can take day trips to Assisi (which is in Umbria), Florence and the hill towns in the south. Each is about an hour to an hour and a half drive. I suggest finding a B&B, agritourismo, or apartment near Siena, not in Siena. Staying inside the town is difficult with a car (I do recommend getting a car) and adds a lot of driving time when going anywhere.

Please check out my web travel site which included several trips to Italy:
http://www.travel.stv77.com/

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