Since we are driving to Perugia, and it only takes about 2 hours, I was looking for a place to stop on the way. Thinking about Lake Trasimeno. Or any other ideas? Is the Chianti area too far out of the way?
We have been to San G, Siena, Montepulciano, Montalcino, etc. in that area before.
I haven't been to Lake Trasimeno, but that does seem like it would make a nice stop. Have you already allowed for a day in Assisi while you're staying in Perugia? Assisi's not far at all beyond Perugia. Or there's Cortona, which isn't far off the driving route.
Yes, I have my day for Assisi! I thought about Cortona, but it seemed like it got too touristy.
I did not find Cortona overly touristed in my visits in late September or October. However, I preferred Gubbio as a destination - more substantial, very pretty (and with elevators up the steeper inclines). Note that many museums close for lunch and the Palazzo Ducale is closed on Mondays. Some guiding colleagues also like the larger town of Arezzo, but I haven't yet made it there. You could also lose yourself in ceramics shopping at Deruta.
Lots of great choices, but probably not enough for all.
The following are along the route (no detours required).
Colle Val D’Elsa
Monteriggioni
Passignano sul Trasimeno
The following require a slight detour:
Lucignano
Cortona
Castiglion Del Lago
I listed them in order of appearance as you travel west to east. I have bolded the most visited, however all of them are pretty popular destinations.
If you start in the morning you can easily visit two (half day each). Monteriggioni is ultra small and you can see it in a very short time. Although there is a winery with wine tasting inside the walled village, so you might be tempted to stay longer.
Arezzo is certainly worthwhile. I happened to hit it on the one weekend a month when it has a large antique market. I really enjoyed that, but it made it just a bit harder to appreciate the architecture of the historic district.
I think Gubbio is a great idea because it's not so easy to reach by public transportation, at least not from the base cities most of us use. It would be great to take advantage of the car by going to a place for which a car is really helpful. (That's my theory as someone who never has a car in Europe.)
Thanks everyone! Now I have more research to do, the fun part!
