What would be a good home base for travel throughout Umbria and Tuscany?
 

4 women traveling by car through the hill towns for 4 nights..would Assisi be convinent?
Can you recommend a convent or monastary?
Thank you.

Here's a link to two convents in Assisi:

http://www.santasusanna.org/comingTo...ts.html#Assisi

However, four nights is not much time to explore both Umbria and Tuscany from one base. Which hill towns did you want to visit?

Thank you Jean for the information on convents..we are just now planning our car tour through Tuscany and Umbria so any suggestions would be appreciated. We will rent car in Siena after spending 1 1/2 days there and will rt car to Pisa before our rt flight to US.
I would like to spend 2 nights in Assisi..using Assisi as a base for Umbria. We are looking forward to visiting vineyards, the countryside as well as small villages. shopping and nightlife will not be on our must do list!! A 2 to 4 hr hike would also be of interest. SH

I agree with Jean's comment on time and probably would focus on Radda, Castellano-in Chianti, Radda or Gaiole for wineries. Going Northeast to Bologna (the food capital of Italy) would be on my list...wine always follows food!

I agree- 4 days is not much for exploring 2 large regions.

Assisi would be a fine base for exploring some of Umbria. There are also hikes from Assisi.

For Tuscany, I suggest visiting southern Tuscany, staying in Pienza, Montepulciano or at an agrigurismo in the Val d'Orcia. There are plenty of beautiful villages and countryside. Here is a great place to stay, located in the heart of the Val d'Orcia, just outside of Pienza-

http://www.fontebertusi.it/eng/

With just 4 days though, you may be better off visiting either Umbria or Tuscany, but not both. Even 4 days in one area would be just scratching the surface.

When you drive from Siena to Assisi, start early and be sure to drive through the Crete Sienese area of Tuscany. You will see it on your map, located just south of Siena. It is extremely unique, beautiful and well worth the slight detour.

Enjoy your trip!

Chianti and southern Tuscany would keep you a reasonable distance from Pisa. Or you could go east from Siena and explore eastern Tuscany and northern Umbria (Cortona, Umbertide, Gubbio, Assisi, maybe Perugia) and still be not too far from Pisa.

Montepulciano to Pisa is 2+ hours.
Assisi to Pisa is 3 hours.

Don't put too many towns on your list thinking you'll hit 2 or 3 each day. Even 2 a day is moving fast, and 4 people in motion are slower than 1 or 2.

And don't forget that in many towns, things are shut tight during the afternoon, sometimes not reopening until 4pm or later.

I think Assisi, Perugia, Spello, and Montefalco make a pleasant few days, but you'll have to be moving pretty quickly if you want to see some of Tuscany, also.

Hiking around Assisi is pleasant, and the hike from town to the Eremo di San Francesco is very nice, as is the walk from the NE of town out to the Fortezza. The latter walk is on a very pretty tree lined way, where we saw Franciscan relegious praying, reading, comtemplating as we walked along. That was memorable.

Could you arrange your trip to begin with time around Assisi, then move to Siena? From Siena you can see a nice bit of Tuscany, and then make your final way to Pisa.