My girlfriend and I are heading to Italy August 15th for 2 weeks, flying into Venice. We are looking at heading into either Tuscany or Umbria and finding an area of small towns/villages we can explore that aren't too touristy. Any suggestions?
Also, while I know Orvieto doesn't fit the "not touristy" descriptor, is it somewhere worth spending some time?
Loved, loved, LOVED Orvieto. We stopped there enroute from Rome to Florence.
First of all, it is darling.
It is very easy to get into and out of.
They have an amazing Duomo, plus many unique features that my family continues to talk about: the well, the underground, the cloth that was bled on by the bread (believe the story or not, it was a very interesting story), the fununcular (that doesn't look right by I can't remember what it was called if not that) that gets you up the hill.
I didn't find it nearly as touristy as Venice or even Florence. It was very quiet a month ago.
Highly recommended by our family!!
For pictures, check out Ron in Rome's blog because he really sold me on it before I left. I rearranged our whole schedule to go, and we are all really glad we did!!
Have a wonderful trip!
I just looked at the pictures of Orvieto and I am sold! How much time would you recommend spending there?
Assisi in Umbria and Cortona in SE Tuscany are hilltowns that are somewhat less touristy and not too big. Both are beautiful to walk through. For Venice, go early to avoid the cruise crowds.
Aviva,
I'd recommend spending at least two or three days in Orvieto. The town has somewhat of a different "character" at night when the day-trippers have left.
Of course, one other benefit of spending a few days in Orvieto is taking a day trip to one of Rick's favourite hill towns, Civita di Bagnoregio. If you're only going to be using public transportation, you'll need to take the Bus from Orvieto to Bagnoregio and then the small shuttle to the bridge at Civita. The details are all listed in the Italy Guidebook. You might also have a look at the Civita website.
Happy travels!
From Florence we took in Lucca, which I found to be wonderful. In Umbria we stayed in Perugia, and visited Assisi, Spoleto, and Gubbio...all day trips, all lovely. And if I may add, don't be afraid of "touristy" places...Pompeii, Florence, Rome, and Venice are touristy - and for good reason! It has been my travel experience by and large that if something is off the beaten path, there is usually a good reason.
We really liked Spello, in Umbria. Not many tourists there, and, except for one ugly modern building (I think it's the police station), I don't think much has changed in Spello in the last thousand years.
We loved Orvieto. We stayed at Hotel Duomo, just steps from the Duomo Piazza, and had a great time there. Orvieto is on a high butte with cliffs all around it, but once you get up there it's mostly flat and walking is easy. We didn't find it crowded with tourists when we were that in late May. There were plenty there, but we didn't feel crowded.
We were only there as a daytrip (taking advantage of the baggage check in the RS book). I can imagine that we'd have found more to do if we'd been there longer, but we saw alot in seven hours. Worth visiting even if you have to squeeze it in!!
How about not staying IN one of the well-known tourist centres like Orvieto, Siena ... but sleeping at an agriturismo just outside? That'll give you an opportunity to explore a life that is a bit closer to the "real" Tuscany or Umbria and you can still do daytrips into those more touristy places that for very good reasons attract so many people.
Aviva,
We are headed to Italy in July. Our plans include a 3-day visit to Volterra and Lajatico, both are in Tuscany and close to Pisa. Rick Steve's 2009 Tour book has a section on Volterra. You may want to reference that section for more details OR just Google Volterra for more info.
Good luck!
Wow - thank you everybody. I have never used an on-line forum before (yes, I am a bit of a technological dinosaur!)and I am finding all these tips VERY helpful.
You may also want to consider Verona, which we think is a real gem. It is about an hours train ride from Venice. There is a summer opera festival there and I understand that it is rather crowded on opera days. In August, the opera schedule is Saturdays and Wednesdays. It is a walled city with a fabulous colosseum that is mostly intact and functional for opera and concerts. Verona would only be a slight detour on your way to Tuscany, but well worth the trip in our opinion. Enjoy your trip!
Also a vote for Verona...beautiful. Walk through the city and then along the river. And we liked Vicenza also...Palladio's back yard and packed with his works. These are, I think , in the Veneto rather than Tuscany/Umbria but easy train access from Venice, I believe. For the record we spent a few days in Padua too, using that as our Veneto base, and liked it a lot. The Scrovegni Chapel was in the Top 10 of a month in Italy. I found Padua to be a nice mix of old and new Italy personally.
