6-weeks in Italy for 1st-timer senior. Where to wrap up and relax?

I would rent a place for a week in a hill town in Tuscany and explore Tuscany with a rental car for that week. We have done this from a small place near Lucignano, from a small hamlet near Siena and from Montepulciano. It is nice to be in a hill town with lots of restaurants and amenities for the evening and also have parking and good access for driving out to nearby locations many days.

Thank you. I will get out my map and start dreaming. I wonder if I can wait until I get there to rent the car, or does it need to be done in advance or from a major city?

Well, are you a high school senior, or a college senior?
Two of my favorite spots in Italy are Orvieto and Assisi, both in Umbria, and not so far from Rome. There are many other interesting towns nearby -- Spello, Gubbio, Deruta, and on and on. You might choose one or two spots in Umbria to stay, and then relax and explore from there. Lovely area, similar to Tuscany, but different. If you are a college senior, not a high schooler, you can even enjoy the wines!

:-). I am a senior senior! 72 years old. And I do enjoy my wine! Assisi has come to my attention before. I think I will do some Googling. Thank you!

Larry's suggestion was my first thought too. I spent 3 nights in Orvieto, took it slow and loved the town. I only spent one night in Assisi but could have happily spent another. Neither works as a day trip to the other and I don't think either has enough to fill up a week.

The other place I might recommend is Bologna. Great food and I loved the city. It's not a big tourist destination, which for me was an attraction. It is perfect for easy day trips to see some places you may not have managed - Ravenna (superb 5th-6th century mosaics in well-preserved churches), Ferrara, Padua, and more.

I'd also consider adding a little more time to Rome. I could spend 2 days just in the Vatican Museums, and there are other top-notch museums as well. Explore Trastevere, a day trip to Ostia Antica, another to Hadrian's Villa . . .

Thank you so much. I will check out your ideas. I have heard others mention the food in Bologne and lack of tourism appeals to me, too. I will have been in Rome 3 days at the beginning of my trip and will set aside a few days at the end depending on what I left undone, so there should be enough time there.

You should arrange a rental car from the states; it will be cheaper. We always get a manual transmission which is the norm there. But if you require an automatic you need to use a major city airport and hope for the best. We have either picked up the car at the Florence airport or the Rome airport. Last time we did this we flew into Rome and spent 3 nights (we don't like Rome but had a few things we had not yet seen there e.g. Borghese Gallery and Ostia Antica and a couple of churches, so we stayed the first two full days there and did those things. We then picked up the car and drove to Montepulciano for 2 weeks which was just heavenly; we spent some days in town or just sitting on our tiny terrace enjoying the views and reading and some days driving to other hill towns, abbeys and once to the gardens of LaFoce; you can see a couple of our excursions here: https://janettravels.wordpress.com/category/tuscany/ Unfortunately we did our earlier trips to Tuscany before I was doing the photo journal and so there aren't as many entries here as would be helpful.

The area between Rome and Florence is fabulous. Since you will be there so long let me recommend three sites that are less well visited and amazing. One is the Saturnia with its hot water waterfall in a local park; no changing facilities -- we just stood beside our car and coped with the bathing suits -- but one of life's most wonderful experiences. My husband was not into getting wet, so he kept the valuables with him. I wouldn't ever leave them in the car. http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/tuscany/hot_springs.htm I can't stress enough how amazing this is. Two other interesting sites. Sovana where you can get a map of Etruscan sites in the nearby hills and drive and hike up to see Etruscan tombs. Tarquinia and Cervetari north of Rome which each have amazing and quite different Etruscan tomb cities.

6 weeks in Italy; good choice. (and we are your age and did the two weeks in Montepulciano and week in Florence (before two months in Paris) just a few years ago.

Thank you so much. I can't tell you what a pleasure it has been to have received such thoughtful responses to my little dilemma. I have felt everyone digging into their memories and reliving their experiences as they write. It seems that 6 weeks will not be enough as I am dying to visit all the areas described. I guess travelers are probably the most friendly and generous people! I am grateful.

If you need a car for 6 weeks consider a lease instead of a rental. Much better terms and price, full no deductible insurance included.. I have reserved a lease car from autoeurope.com for our two months (Sept-Oct). Brand new car with GPS. My pickup is in Milan Malpensa airport but they also have a location in Rome.

I've spent well over 6 weeks in Italy over the past several years and the only time I rented a car was in Sicily. I never felt a need for it anywhere else. Traveling solo and first time in Italy, you do not want to rent a car. Driving in Italy is anything but relaxing.

Bologna doesn't have major tourist attractions so most visitors only go through it on the train. I chose it after several trips to Italy, both because it would be a new place to see and because I could take day trips to other places. I really loved it. It has some interesting sights, especially the University, and I just enjoyed walking through the streets of the historic center.

I chose an inexpensive hotel that was about half way between the train station and the center (a 10-15 minute walk).

Edit I forgot to add that if you like your wine, that's one more reason to eschew the car. One afternoon, instead of a glass of wine, order and Aperol Spritz. That quickly became a habit for me.

I am wondering if you can push your Sorrento dates back, and make a leisurely journey south to Sorrento after you finish your Cinque Terre hiking tour.

27/9 Arezzo
30/9 Assisi
2/10 Orvieto
5/10 Sorrento
10/10 Rome
13/10 Fly home

Just one train stop away from Assisi is Spello, a lovely little town.

If you use public transportation, to visit some of the Franciscan sights in Assisi, you can book a taxi for a few hours. The driver will pick you up, drop you off at one sight, return for you at an agreed-upon time, and drop you at the next place, repeat.

I disagree with Chani. If you want to tour the Tuscan countryside you need a car.

Maybe it's just me, but it seems you will be all over the map, doing a lot of back tracking. I agree, staying in Tuscany would be a nice relax time. It is so beautiful, and the food and wine wonderful. To get there from Sorrento is a long trip, going back through Rome. Have you considered flying into Naples and going to Sorrento first? That way you could go to Rome on your way to all your other choices, and not have to do so much back and forth. Just a suggestion.

We rented a car when we stayed in Montepulciano. We actually picked up and dropped off the car in Chuisi, right across from the train station. Did day trip to Montalcino and Pienza and another trip to Cortona. Wonderful scenic driving.

Have a great trip.

I would just point out that the OP is spending a week at a Tuscan cooking school with daily side trips (presumably part of the deal and presumably in Tuscany). The OP specifically stated am looking for a different place.

I returned in mid-July from a RS Best of Italy. You might look at the itinerary to see how a master and his team plan travel. Orvieto, in Umbria, was THE BEST place to relax before taking on Rome. We stayed at Alta Rocca, a wine resort, about 7 miles from the Duomo in Orvieto. Spending a week at Alta Rocca would have been LOVELY.
A small group chose to go into Orvieto with our guide to see the fabulous frescoes (sp) at the Duomo. We were treated to the MASTERPIECE
of Lucas the "Quick" at the Duomo, gelato, and a visit to a ceramics studio which specializes in black, unglazed ceramics. Classic.
The wine at Alta Rocca was as great as the food and the Spa. Look for their website.
Pam from Bath

Since you will be in Sorrento, I would suggest going a bit further south to Basilicata and to the town of either Aqua Fredda or Maretea. (not Matera, although it is nice also) It is incredibly beautiful and I believe that you can get there by train. Since you will have already been in Tuscany, I think a new area would be nice. I could go to either of these two small towns and spend weeks, just relaxing. Both towns are on the coast and seem not be overrun with tourists. You should be able to get a lot of information about them, with many photos, on the internet.

We have taken many extended trips to Italy and the most laid back and relaxing was staying in Bellagio on Lake Como. No rental car needed, just hop on a ferry to explore the lake's villages. In fact these visits have been our most relaxing trips anywhere.

Wow! 6 weeks in Italy! The most my spouse and I have spent there on our last 9 trips was 4+ weeks. Our last trip in April was only 10 days so we envy you! BTW, we are retired and 72 years old also.

We have always rented a car (Autoeurope) and find it very easy to get around the countryside and small cities. I peter not to drive in large cities (Rome, Florence, Naples). Since you are ending your trip in Sorrento before returning to Rome (my favorite large Italian city) you might consider the countryside of Lazio (south and east of Rome and north of Naples) where you can kick back and relax amongst 'real' Italians and few tourists. Sights like Monte Cassino, the castle in the beautiful hill town of Fumone, the historical small city of Anagni (La Citta` dei Papi - the City of Popes), the spa town of Fiuggi with its gardens, the little known but fantastic Cesanese wines, the fabulous gardens of the Villa D'este in Tivoli just east of Rome are all within easy reach by car. An easy train trip back to Rome and you are back where you need to be with no long journey or backtracking.
Buon Viaggio!

I like your attitude Tony ... living the life

I just want to thank all of you for your thoughtful responses. I still haven't made a commitment, but have researched all of your advice. I am hoping that since it will be October when I reach this point, that I will find vacancies wherever I end up choosing. I guess I am seeing that it probably doesn't matter, what I choose, everywhere in Italy will be a beautiful place and a memorable experience. Thank you all again.

I am hoping that since it will be October when I reach this point, that I will find vacancies wherever I end up choosing.

My first trip to Italy (2008) was in early October for 2 weeks. I started planning in August I had quite a bit of trouble finding vacancies that fit my budget. If price isn't a consideration you should be okay, but if you're trying to keep costs down you should book as soon as possible, especially if you want single rooms.