From Bologna to Rome in 7 days

From Bologna to Assisi it's not that difficult. Check on Trenitalia.com for options. Likely one to two changes: in Florence at least generally. From Assisi station take a bus or taxi up the hill to the town center.

Is it "worth" going to Assisi? Changing trains (except in Florence) is somewhat of a challenge with a suitcase (going up and down stairs to change platforms). And it is time-consuming, using up the better part of two days just traveling, when I add the time getting to/from hotels.

Does anyone have any suggestions for other places (conveniently accessible by train or bus) to visit?

Chani, if you use trains you must learn to travel light. So pack only a carry on size suitcase and a back pack. There are many trains from BO to Assisi that require only one change, with sufficient time to change platform. Most of those changes are in Florence. I like Assisi, but whether u want to visit it or go somewhere else instead is up to you. Italy has plenty of choices, but many will require some changes of trains or even changes from train to Bus. From Bologna, without train changes, you are pretty much limited to the big cities (Florence, Venice, Verona, etc.). If you want to visit some smaller town in Tuscany or Umbria, a train change in Florence is likely no matter where you decide to go.

Chani, it does take some time to get from Bologna to Assisi. All routes I see on www.trenitalia.com will take you via Florence. Almost all require a train change at Florence. The journey time ranges from 3.5hrs to as much as 5.0hrs depending on which run you take out of Bologna. 1-3 train changes. We've taken the train from Florence to Assisi and it took 2.5hrs just for that journey. Note that the Assisi train station is not really in Assisi - it's in Santa Maria degli Angeli. Not a problem. You can take a 5-7-minute taxi up the hill or you can go next door to the train station and buy a ticket for the bus. The bus stop is in front of the little shop.

From Assisi to Orvieto, journey time is 2.5hrs-3.5hrs again depending on the run you choose. 1-2 train changes. From Orvieto to FCO, 2.0hrs-3.0hrs for the journey time and 1 train change at either Roma-Termini or Roma-Tiburtina.

Hi Chani, another Larry here chiming in with two words: yes, and yes!

Yes, it can be a time-consuming hassle to travel from town to town by public transport, but there seem to be various train schedules throughout the day that will get you from Bologna to Assisi with just one change in Firenze, meaning no stairs. And while you would then need a taxi into the town of Assisi, the taxi should be able to deliver you right to the door of your lodging, making things considerably easier and quicker.

And definitely another YES, Assisi is so worth the time and hassle to visit. It is a wonderful very old and historic town, with many sites, especially beautiful and very old churches, endless ancient residential lanes, and shops that are often a cut above the norm in popular hill towns. The Rick Steves walking tour, you can download it to your phone or tablet, offers a great walk through the whole town, although I'll warn you to pay especially close attention to getting on the right track at the beginning of the tour, with a map in hand, as I got off-track at the outset, costing me considerable time, and others told me they did too. There are many varied churches throughout the town, culminating at the Basilica di San Francisco at the lowest point in town, actually two basilicas, the upper and lower. I found the lower and smaller one to be especially beautiful, intimate and moving. The RS downloaded tours of the Basilicas were great too. I only wish that I had had more time in Assisi, also that it had not started raining when I got to the Basilica(s), although early evening as the rain wound down was special too.

If you can manage to visit the large church in the lower town near the train station, that is lovely and significant too. Without checking, I think that is the one that contains the tiny chapel where St. Francis began his ministry.

Enjoy your trip Chani, and let us know how you find Assisi. Shalom, Larry

There are also a handful of connections to Assisi from Bologna via the Adriatic coast. So if there is anything you want to see on that side, it can be done. I'm thinking Urbino, bit of a bus ride from Pesaro station.

Chani, I've done this many times. Santa Maria Novella station in Florence is a terminus, so you walk across the platform - no stairs. You can easily take the bus from the train station in Santa Maria deli Angeli to Assisi, even with luggage. Depending on where your hotel is, you might want to take the bus to the parking garage piazza at the opposite side of town from Saint Francis' Basilica, then you will be walking downhill rather than uphill.

I have studied the Trenitalia timetables again and this is definitely not as time-consuming as I originally thought, so I'm going to do it. Thanks for the encouragement.

Bologna to Assisi via Florence, leaves at 17.20, arrives at 20.50, with about 15 minutes for the train change (I may even spend a day in Florence)

Assisi to Orvieto - there are lots of trains, with one change, that take a little over 2 hours.

The routes from Assisi to Orvieto go via either Terontola-Cortona or Orte. Is there any reason to prefer one over the other?

How much time do you recommend for each place (net)? I'm thinking about 2 in Bologna, 1-1.5 in Assisi, 2.5-3 in Orvieto. If I can extend by 2 more days, should I add to any of these? My alternative would be a return visit to Ravenna, which I loved.

Personally, I would spend two days in Assisi and go back to Ravenna for whatever time is left. I love Ravenna, too, and it's a short train ride from Bologna so you could put it at the beginning of that segment. If you need to spend less time anywhere, two nights in Orvieto might be sufficient, but if you haven't been there before, you will be surprised at how much there is to see/do, or just spend some Piazza time people-watching.