After we drop off the kids in Naples for their trip home, my husband and I are driving to Venice (long ride, we know). We would like a few recommendations of towns/hotels to stop at for one night somewhere about half way or so to Venice. Where would you suggest we stop and do you have a favorite place to stay?

Thanks in advance.

Hi M,

Enter Naples/Venice at www.viamichelin.com

Both Orvieto and Arezzo would be nice to break the trip.

If you have a car it is best not to book yourself right in the middle of a town because most of these towns don't let cars into their historic centers -- or even if they do, you don't want to be driving in them. You want to stay outside the city walls.

If you take a route that goes near Urbino, I can highly recommend Hotel Nene, which is about 3km outside of the walls of Urbino in the woods. You can find it on the web.

My suggestion would be that you first plot your highway route, and once you know that, ask people for recommendations for hotels/stops along that route.

Otherwise, you're likely to get a lot of responses urging you to visit this place or that, and the suggestions will be, literally, all over the map.

You will love Ferarra

I second ira's recommendation of Orvieto. For that matter, Assisi would be nice too.

KC

Do you actually *want* to drive ? Why not fly ?

Caroline, my husband wants to drive. We wanted to drive to Siena 2 years ago before going to the French Riviera but we changed our minds. So this year, he really wants to do it and drive all the way to Venice. What we are trying to decide is where to make a one night stop between Naples and Venice - nothing too far off the main roads since we have just the one night. Siena was one place we have considered, but we figured others here would have a few other good ideas for us.

Nessundorma, we will try to plan the exact route we would take this weekend. Again, maybe someone here can help us with that also.

Thanks.

Ok. Here's another suggestion for the pot, then - Arrezzo. If you are interested you could spend a day doing the "Piero della Francesca" trail to Monterchi, Sansepolcro & Urbino.

It is really quite a pain to have a car in Siena. It's a walled medieval hill city, and autos are not allowed inside the walls.

Also, it is a top tourist destination, so parking outside the wals is at a premium, unless you are going off-season.

If you want to visit Siena, you should take the train to Siena from Naples, and rent the car in Siena. That would additionally spare you the agony of having to drive in the vicinity of Naples. It's not like the coast of France, that's for sure!

I can't tell from your posts if you want to go sightseeing via smaller roads as you make your slow way to Venice, or rather intend to get on the autostrade but would like a nice place for just one night that is easily accessible from the autostrade.

If it's the latter, I think a town like Ferrara is a good suggestion for lunch or an overnight (depending where your car journey starts). It's not difficult to navigate, it's not a mob scene, it's a very pleasant town, has great food, etc.