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1st Family Trip to Italy Sept 2016 staying in Castel Rinadli Umbria Tuscany Countryside

1st Family Trip to Italy Sept 2016 staying in Castel Rinadli Umbria Tuscany Countryside.
1st week there will be 7 adults & 2 children under 2. The 2nd week only 4 adults will be left. Our son got us 2 weeks in Castel Rinaldi, Umbria Tuscany countryside. We have a van rental picking us up at the FCO early afternoon and driving us to our base And switching to a car rental for the 2nd week.

I am working on an itinerary. The first day or two I am looking for nearby Castel Rinaldi area places to see & experince cheese processing, tasting as well as olive oil processing, tasting as well as other family interest antiques....we want to be within the local cultures to truely experince the culture as locals and not tourist. We want to experince that local area and local dining everywhere we go as well as experience farmers markets.

We also plan a day or two in Rome with hopefully Sonia as a guide. Now what is the closest train station to park our rental and not worry about parking in Rome or closest train or bus stations to Rome.
The 2nd week we would like to take day trips to Venice and would a day trip to Florence/Pisa be dueable as well? Also would you suggest night trains to & from to save time as day trips. Also any discounts for trains/buses?...

Any advise and suggestion very much appreciated. I know we want to cover as much as we can especially the first week. The 2nd week our son wants to go to see the underwater museum in Spain. Our tickets have been bought but now wondering if we should finish from Spain to fly home....

I know so much & so little time to do it all...just have to become an expat to see all of Europe I really want to experience!!!

Posted by
616 posts

There is a bus going to Roma which departs from nearby place.
http://www.italybus.it/corsa.asp?corsa=su3&arrivo=ROMA&partenza=TODI

If you want to get easier train connections, you need to go to Peruggia or Arezzo.
The area you will be staying is very pretty but it seems totally improbable to be able to do Venice as a day trip and even Florence, it would be really difficult. Rome deserves at least 4 days. Try and visit Umbria with the car you have, places like Todo, Gubbio, Assisi, Peruggia, Spoleto, Terni are worth seeing.
Next time, you'll be in Italy, visit Rome for five days, four days in Florence and three days in Venice and do not choose places so remote. San Gimignano, Montepulciano are places with easier connections if you want to visit Florence on day trips. However I feel to enjoy Florence, you' ve got to live in it for at least a few days.
Nonetheless, Umbria is one of the nicest and most authentic part in Italy, so enjoy it and take your time. Go in Spain another time. "Chi va piano va sano e chi va sano va lontano", which means take your Time And you'll be healthy and have a long life.

Posted by
616 posts

Just a tip, take a map of Italy, pin point where you are staying and see where Venice, Florence and Rome are And then decide what is feasible.

Posted by
9 posts

Our choose in base was a gift from our son at a fund raiser for a homeless shelter so we are very blessed!
Any suggestions of cheese, olive family run production/farms locally that would give us tours near Todi, Spoleto, Trevi area? As well as where the lcals eat, shop, and antiques.
Also things to see & do there....local interaction, festivals or must see?

What is going to Italy if you come home not experincing the true culture, people, foods and life!?!

Posted by
9 posts

Our choose in base was a gift from our son at a fund raiser for a homeless shelter so we are very blessed!
Any suggestions of cheese, olive family run production/farms locally that would give us tours near Todi, Spoleto, Trevi area? As well as where the lcals eat, shop, and antiques.
Also things to see & do there....local interaction, festivals or must see?

What is going to Italy if you come home not experincing the true culture, people, foods and life!?!

Posted by
906 posts

I have to add a couple of thoughts. We have spent time in San Gemini, Umbria, just below where your are staying. We love the town and the surroundings. Real Italian life.

First, if you want to visit your own, personal Roman ruins and run free in an amphitheater, explore buildings, travel rutted Roman roads, and generally have a great time feeling Roman life, visit Carsulae, which is just south of where your are. It is a park and there are very few visitors there. Check it out, you will enjoy it I believe. After Caruslae drive down to Portaria and have dinner or lunch at RISTORANTE PESCIAIOLI. We had an experience here and you want quaint, Italian life check out this little berg.

You are very close to Deruta, think Italian ceramics. Ubaldo makes pottery for Sur La Table. Fascination production process. Visit his factory.

Assis, Spoleto, and Terni are three towns close, as is Orvieto. Even Perugia and Spello. With a little extra traveling you can get to Siena.

One our favorite lunch spots in Montefalco. Nice piazza and close to Arnaldo Capri winery. Check it out.

We did day trips out of San Gemini to Rome by taking a train from Narni. Orte is another easy train station. The only problem was arrival in Rome is a bit of a walk to the Termini.

Umbia is pretty darn nice, less traveled and more laid back Italian. Tuscany is good to visit too.

Your second week sounds hectic. Pick one or two places and forget the rest until the next trip, particularly if you are going to Spain. I recommend Venice of course, totally unique city. But, there are important things to see in Florence. A day trip to Venice from Florence is too much I would say so you have to pick one, or travel there for at least two nights, not an overnight, in either city as it just isn't long enough time to see anything.

Have a great trip.

Posted by
9 posts

Gordon Gradient! I was looking also for a great place in Derunta to see the pottery being created!
Thank you for all the suggestions and advice. This is giving me ideas & helping to narrow down our itinarey.

All suggestions & advise greatly appreciated!

Posted by
26829 posts

Since you mentioned antiques: Last summer I made a day-trip to Arezzo and stumbled on an antique market in the Piazza Grande and along many nearby streets. This is a once-a-month market, so quite large. Google tells me that the September market will be Saturday, Sept. 3, and Sunday, Sept. 4. If you happen to be in Italy on those days, I think you'd enjoy the market. Rome2Rio estimates the driving time at a bit over 90 minutes. If those dates don't coincide with your visit, Google "antique market Umbria" and check out other options.

You can hardly go wrong in the area you're visiting--so many interesting places. A few not already mentioned that are west of your location and involve driving toward Viterbo:

  • Villa Lante outside Viterbo has nice gardens.
  • Bolsena is a lakeside town with a small historic district built up the side of a hill. Has a different feel from other hill towns because of the lake. This is about an hour from your location.
  • Tuscania is a very old town, about 80 minutes from where you're staying (by car). It's enough off the beaten path that there were very few other tourists there on the day I visited. If you find yourself getting a bit tired of the crowds in the big-name towns, Tuscania would be a nice change.

Assisi is a lovely city with a truly stunning basilica. The area around the latter is full of tourists, and--as a pilgrimage site--it has a lot of little stands selling religious trinkets. Two or three blocks off the main drag, however, you can be nearly by yourself, surrounded by beautiful architecture. I believe you'll see well-marked parking as you approach the tourist zone. Assisi is between Perugia and Spello and would be less than a one-hour drive for you.

There are Etruscan sites in the Tarquinia area, which is also about a 90-minute westward drive from where you're staying.

Posted by
9 posts

Thank you all so much it would be wonderful to have a video of Umbria as I hear more this is wonderful off the beaten path of the tourist areas & beautiful.

I saw that south from our base there is a place to see waterfalls....has anyone been there & would it be worth the day trip?

Posted by
9 posts

Been awhile since my last question..I saw that south from our base there is a place to see Marome waterfalls....has anyone been there & would it be worth the day trip with other sights in Terni?

Also has anyone use the train from Terni to Rome? Any info on arrival etc.

Thank you all so much!