Umbria - When?
 

We normally try to plan our trips for a combination of the longest days and when we have the best chance of dry weather.

Originally, we were planning on going to Umbria in mid-June using Perugia as our main base.

However, we have a scheduling conflict and then thought of 2nd and 3rd week of July.

With Jazz Festival issues in Perugia we then thought of pushing it down a few days later.

My main concern then is walking around in the heat.

So, now I'm looking at the first 2 weeks of June which would place us just before our scheduling conflict.

To summarize, our choices are the first 2 weeks of June or the last 2 weeks of July.

How much different weather can we expect during these two periods?

You would expect that July would be hotter than June, so it's a no brainer. If you want comparatively cooler weather, then June it is.

You can get crushing heat and humidity in July in the flattish bowl of Umbria's main valley below Perugia, and even in the higher elevation of Perugia, the breeze will not really offset the difficulty of climbing so many stairs and inclines in the heat.

Umbria has a true spring that lasts from March until the middle of June, but in the beginning of June, you are much more likely to experience rain as a passing shower rather than lively tempests and downpours -- but no guarantees. Umbria is known as the "the green heart of Italy" because it gets more rain than other regions.

One thing that would sway me but might not mean a fig to you is that in July, Perugia chocolate makers often don't produce because the extreme heat ruins their product. As a lover of Perugia chocolate, I would hate being there and not being able to get it.

Myer,

Absolutely early June. We visited Tuscany in May and got to seen the gorgeous red poppies blooming. Temps were perfect.

I visited Umbria in mid-Sept. Took pictures of all the gorgeous grapes almost ready for harvest. Again, temps were perfect. Sunflowers were done and wheat fields in Tuscany and Umbria had been plowed under.

Buon viaggio!

Due to scheduling conflicts I think we have zeroed in on the middle two weeks of September.

We do not rent a car and thus travel by train and bus. Depending on the options we could throw in a minivan tour for a day.

It appears the plan would be as follows:

We will start and end in places from which we can fly in and out. The options were Venice, Milan, Bologna and Rome.

We have been to Venice and Rome twice each so they wouldn't normally be at the top of the list. However, the daytrips available from each of the choices holds a lot of weight.

At this point it appears we'll start in Venice where we'll spend a day or two plus side trips to one or two of the Islands and a selection of Verona (I'd like to somehow fit in Mantova but that may require an overnighter in Verona), Treviso, Padova, Ferrara.

Then on to Perugia where we'll see/visit Perugia and a selection from Spoleto, Spello, Gubbio and or maybe another.

Then to Rome where we'll spend a couple of days in addition to a daytrip to Orvieto.

Comments / ideas would be much appreciated.