lisa

My husband and I are planning a 20-night trip to Tuscany and Umbria in October. We are flying into and out of Rome (but don't plan to stay there on this trip as we have enjoyed it previously multiple times but want to see more of other areas this time) and plan both to take trains and to rent a car for part of the time. For the last 10 days of the trip we are staying with family in Arezzo and plan to do day trips from there to Siena and other nearby places because we will have a car. We know that for part of the first 10 days we would like to stay in Florence for at least part of the time because DH has never been there and I haven't been there in over 25 years, so we want to see the major sites and museums and spend perhaps 3-4 nights there. In addition, we are thinking of spending some of those 10 days in Umbria because neither of us has spent significant time there and we would like to see Orvieto, Assisi, and perhaps some of the smaller hill towns. We have previously visited San Gimi, Volterra, and the Chianti region, and loved those but are prepared to skip them this time in the interest of seeing places we haven't been yet. In particular, we are looking for accommodations in places that have great views, whether in cities/towns or rural locations. We are interested in B&Bs, agriturismos, palazzos/castles, etc. but max would be around 170 Euros/night and preferably less. We both love photography, wine, food, hiking, and cultural festivals. We prefer not to change accommodations too often so would rather spend 3-4 nights in each place rather than 1-2. Any recommendations appreciated.

jamikins

We stayed here for a week over NYE a couple of years ago.

http://www.santantonio.it

It's perfectly located about 5 min drive outside of Montepulciano and a lovely owner. Very helpful.

We love the area of Val d'Orcia. You can see our pics here, obviously winter

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gi...57639164500734

Happy planning!

massimop

It is not difficult to go to Assisi when you are in Arezzo if you have a car. On 4 October it is the feast of St francis and the time before and after is very crowded so it is better to wait to go later.

If you fly into Rome it is possible to go to Orvieto by train and sleep there the same day. Then if you rent a car you can visit many beautiful small towns like Spoleto, Spello, Bevagna, Todi, Gubbio, Montefalco, Narni. Then you can go to Florence and leave your car. After Florence, you can go to Arezzo by train. Montefalco is nice town to stay with very good red wine with the name Sagrantino.

It is very easy to take a train to Perugia from Arezzo. It is easier to take a train to Perugia, not a car, because it is not easy to drive in Perugia. There are many beautiful small towns that are easy drive from Arezzo that are not in the Chianti. Loro Ciuffena, Sansepolcro, Montone, Lucignano. Civitella in val di Chiana has a terrible story from the second world war, but it is a very nice town to see.

WoinParis

Just to be sure. You have been to Hadrian's villa ?
Worth a trip.

greg

>>> We are flying into and out of Rome (but don't plan to stay there on this trip as we have enjoyed it previously multiple times

In case if you have not thought about it, there is a risk in staying far away from the airport on the last night unless your flight home is in the late afternoon. You plan hinges on things working as expected on the last day morning, and you have built in a margin to deal with possible foul ups.

On my last trip to Tuscany in October, I incurred an unexpected 2 hour detour into Tuscan country side due to landslide caused by heavy rain.

StCirq

I would suggest you look into places in Umbria like Paciano,Panicale, and the spa towns in the hills around there. Remote, but gorgeous. And all the towns around Lago Trasimeno.

andreak

Jamikins, where did you stay in Val d'Orcia? It is exactly the kind of trip we want.
Andrea

jamikins

Hi andreak - the link above

http://www.santantonio.it/

lisa

Thanks for the recommendations so far, Sant'Antonio near Montepulciano looks great and I am looking into the recommended towns in Umbria as well.

We have not been to Hadrian's Villa before so I will look into that also. Many thanks and please keep the recommendations coming!

andreak

Jamikins, which apartment did you stay in at Sant Antonio? There are so many? Also, I saw appartamenti alpoggiolo, I think you might have stayed there. Did you like it? was it in the village?
Thanks,
Andrea

jamikins

We stayed in Signorlli at San Antonio and we also stayed at Al Poggiolo in Montepulciano. Loved them both!

TDudette

Here's our Perugia TR--a couple of side trips:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...in-and-bus.cfm

From Spoleto (which we loved), we took other side trips:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ellagio-tr.cfm

Have a great time!