Umbria & Tuscany
 

My husband are will be traveling to Rome for two nights, then to Umbria for two nights, Florence for two nights and Tuscany for two. We'll be renting a car in Rome for travel to the other areas. If we stay in Florence, where can we park overnight?

Also, should we stay in Perugia or Cortona proper, or on the outskirts. Same with Siena.

Thanks

When we were in Florence, we were directed to a large guarded carpark just outside the centre. Our hotel was able to direct us there. They also had a closer garage in the city but it was much more expensive. It really depends where your hotel is.

We stayed in a hotel in Siena, once again, just outside the walls, with a reasonably priced garage we could rent. There was a lift that took us up to the city. The hotel wasn't anything special but it was very convenient.

Do you need to keep your car in Florence? If you are thinking of visiting other places in Tuscany one full day you have in Florence it would be better if you stay clearly outside Florence and not bother getting into Florence until you ditched your car. If your actual destinations are not Perugia or Florence, it is best not stay inside the city with a car. Both cities are hassle getting in and out and definitely more so for Florence. Even in smaller towns, it is not that easy. I am staying in Montepulciano now at a lovely inn inside the city wall overlooking the valley. However, this type of place is a hassle to stay with a car. The closest parking lot, if a space is available is 100yrds away and more likely to be available lots are 200 to 300 yards away. Between the parking lots and inn are serious steep hills.

What are your interests? Obviously not sightseeing as you don't plan enough time for somewhat decent visits of the places you mention.
As long as we don't know the reason of your trip, wen cannot give any serious advice.

>>>My husband are will be traveling to Rome for two nights, then to Umbria for two nights, Florence for two nights and Tuscany for two.<<<

If you haven't been to any of these places before, you are not allowing enough time to see anything. Two nights somewhere only gives you one sightseeing day. With only 8 nights, you need to narrow down to two cities or at the very most, three.

>>>Between the parking lots and inn are serious steep hills.<<<

There's the little local bus that runs through town. Maybe use it to reach your car?

http://www.sienamobilita.it/mappe/montepulciano.html

I've just been told that cars are not allowed in most of the inner city in Florence and heavy fines are levied. If your hotel offers parking, they need to issue you with permission to drive into the city. If they don't, check the parking lots outside that area as well as the walking distance.

You really have left no time at all to appreciate your destinations. Consider that you don't need a car in Florence or Rome. Why not rent the car upon leaving Rome and return it before reaching Florence. Trains in Italy are excellent. Consider 3 days in Rome, 3 days in either Tuscany or Umbria and 2 in Florence. If you don't cut back on your destinations, you won't see much of anything.

Another option would be to stay four nights in your Tuscany lodgings, and use one of those days to take the train into Florence for a day trip. I agree with the other posters that 2 nights in four locations will feel really rushed.

thank you all for your advice and kind wishes

I'm also in agreement. Too many hotel stops. When you say Florence for two nights and Tuscany for two nights I'm assuming you mean two nights in the city and two nights traveling around the countryside since Florence is in Tuscany. You're trying to cover a lot of ground in eight nights. Have you already booked your flights? It might help us if we knew if you are locked into Rome-Florence.

We stayed in a hotel just outside Siena that had a parking lot. At least in 2006, it was free parking. It was a lovely hotel. www.villascacciapensieri.it/en/home.html

You could base in either Rome or Orvieto (Umbria) and train one day to see the other -- it's only about an hour by train and is easy.

I have my trip journal with photos at wwww.travelswithdiane.homestead.com/Trip2006Page13Tuscany.html where you can see the cities we visited and hotels we used.