What an enchanting part of Italy with Assisi as its heart and soul. Even though it was rainy just about every day (November is rainy season), Umbria is enchanting, definitely worth a trip. Based on Rick's recommendation, we were fortunate to have Daniela Moretti (danyguide.com) as our guide. With Assisi as our base, we went by rented car to Perugia, Orvieto, Gubbio, Spello, Spoleto, and, of course, Assisi. (If you are at all religious or spiritually inclined, Assisi will give you the opportunity for an unforgettable spiritual experience). Daniela's knowledge, religious sensibility, friendliness, and good command of English made those towns come alive even though our time spent was short. Grazie mille, Rick, for the excellent recommendation. We stayed for most of the time at the Fontebella Palace Hotel, centrally located in Assisi, very comfortable accommodations, and friendly staff, especially another Daniela in the breakfast room. If you choose to stay there, be sure to look carefully at the final bill. We are still trying to sort out incorrect changes that we didn't notice until we were on our way home.
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
7330 posts
It’s good to hear that you enjoyed your visits in Umbria. We were there 3 weeks before you, staying at an agriturismo near Spoleto, and pretty much got rained out on 2 days. In addition to Spoleto, and enchanting Spello, we visited numerous other charming hill towns. Also of particular note was wonderful Bevagna, which’s actually isn’t a hilltown, and it dates back to Ancient Roman times, and also still exudes a Medieval presence. We could’ve easily stayed there longer.
Where we stayed was really rural. The navigation system in our rental Ford Puma did pretty well, although it sent us on some backcountry lanes that turned out to not be the most direct, fastest, or best roadway. There were some construction zones in the area, and one closed-off highway exit that the system wanted us to take, and that required some route recalculation of our own.
Frankly, Assisi was not the most pleasant place of the week. What seemed to be mostly pedestrian lanes were just one fast-moving car or truck after another, and having to dodge vehicles, and constantly look over one’s shoulder to see if we needed to hug the right or left side of the passageway for the next vehicular onslaught didn’t allow much spiritual fulfillment. But then, we didn’t have a guide, and that could’ve been helpful. I wonder whether summer crowds would at least provide more fellow pedestrians, and some buffer from drivers?
Orvieto was a fantastic stopover on the way to Rome. In Rome, we did have a guide for 3 days, referred by a booked-up guide who’s suggested in Rick’s book. It sounds like Daniela was good for you, as Marta was for us. Happy travels.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Sorry you had a less than positive experience in Assisi. Cars, etc., and medieval towns are definitely not compatible. I guess there would be a lot more vehicles in Assisi if the town didn't have restrictions on non-residential cars. It took us just a day to get used to the cars, sometimes moving a bit too rapidly down the narrow lanes. Just as with the locals, the sound of the oncoming car automatically led to moving to one side or the other or maybe just stopping and waiting for a moment. But still. for us the spirit of St. Francis and St. Clare filled the atmosphere all around us. It will always remain with us as a very special, unique and spiritual experience.