Arezzo or Assisi ? Spoleto or Sansepolcro or Saturnia ?

I have been to both Assisi and Arezzo. I much preferred Arezzo because it was LESS touristy. I stayed 3 nights and I enjoyed the town. It is a very old city with everything at the top of the city hill. Assisi was nice, but too many tourists.

Boun viaggio,

RB

We were in Assisi last July for 3 nights and it wasn't touristy at all. We loved it there.

I've been to Arezzo, Assisi and Sansepolcro. Assisi was a definite highlight. It's beautifully situated on a hill and it's unbelievably photogenic. Yes, it is touristy, but that's because it's so beautiful (and, of course, because of the connection with Saint Francis). The RS book section on Assisi was very helpful (he has a wonderful self-guided walk). Arezzo and Sansepolcro are less touristy, but for a reason - they're not as interesting.

Haven't been to Arezzo, but spent 3 nights in Assisi this past May. Really enjoyed my stay there. Relaxing atmosphere in the evening, and close to a number of other interesting towns if you have a car (which it sounds like you will).

I've been to both Arezzo and Assisi. I much preferred Assisi. It is very touristy during the day; however the Basilica is amazing and the town is really nice after all the daytrippers leave.

Arezzo has a nice older center, but outside of that it just seemed like a big modern city to me.

Thank you all so much for the response! I want to see everything and we don't have a month! So I am trying to pick and choose. Rick has his favorites in his books. Are there any other towns that anyone has stopped in that were surprises???

Assisi! Beautiful, charming, historic. Stay at the Hotel Berti - perfectly located and Franco make a delicious cappucino. Take the mini bus to the tip top of the village and wander back down to the hotel. Visit the Basilica San Francesco in mid to late afternoon after all the tour buses have come and gone.

We stayed in Spello just 10 minutes south of Assisi at Palazzo Bocci it was great. Small town two cobblestone streets but you would have to bus or have a car to Assisi. Great view of the Umbrian Valley

A couple of years ago I took a daytrip to Arezzo from Florence. By train, it took about 90 minutes and the train stopped about a dozen times along the way. It was a nice way to enjoy the countryside. I was considering Arezzo for a longer stay, possibly using it as a base for a later trip. While I liked the town and enjoyed walking thru it and up to the park at the top, I don't think there is enough there to hold my interest for more than a couple of days. I believe a B&B there would be inexpensive, compared to Florence. Arezzo might be a good place for a "vacation from my vacation." If you are driving, Arezzo has been mentioned several times on this website as a generator of traffic tix. Those zone things. So figure out the system before driving thru town. It may be best to park near the train station at the bottom of town and walk from there.

I've been to Assisi. It's worth visiting, maybe worth a couple of nights. The religious "atmosphere" there is unique with the St Francis connection and brown-robed monks walking around town.