from rome, tuscany or umbria in march, april? travel suggestions please!

ah, yes, five or six days on ground. i like an open itinerary, time to sit, time to enjoy being someplace different...

Kent,

Just curious, if you had to choose between a stop Siena and Orvieto during a train trip from Florence to Rome, which would you choose - and why?

Thanks,
Melissa

Melissa: Other repliers here know Italy and the train system better than I, and I hope they will jump in here. When the question is to choose between stopping at either Orvieto or Siena, for a day trip, on a train trip from Rome to Florence, it introduces a complication because Siena is not on the main train route between Rome and Florence (I'm not saying Siena can't be reached from Rome by train, it can). Siena is often seen as a day trip by bus (or train) from Florence, or as a separate destination and not a day trip. Orvieto is on the main train route from Rome, although it's not a stop by all trains going Rome to Florence.As an apples to apples straight comparison of Orvieto to Siena (excluding the complication of the train trip), each traveler would answer the question differently. My personal preference would be to see both of them, but if I had to choose only one of them, I'd pick Siena, because of the Piazza del Campo (one of the most famous squares in the world), and the Siena Duomo, with its world class architecture, pulpits, altars, and sculptures--including a Michelangelo not everyone knows about (one of the sculptures near one of the altars), the story is that he abandoned the Siena Duomo project to begin The David in nearby Florence. But Orvieto also has a world class Duomo with colorful facade.The folks at Michelin, in their well known (in Europe) Green Guide series, give Siena *** (top rating, highly recommended) and Orvieto ** (recommended), a difference I can understand.Bottomline: My thought would be: 1) do Orvieto as a day trip on the way from Rome to Florence (if you're not planning on a driving trip through southern Tuscany and western Umbria); and 2) then give Siena the time it deserves by allowing it a full day as a day trip by bus from Florence, or spending one or two nights there.

To answer Melissa's question about Siena vs. Orvieto--I can't compare, having not been to Siena, but Kent is correct about the trains. Orvieto is 1 hour from Rome by train, and about 2 hours from Florence. The slower trains (Intercity) stop in Orvieto while the faster Eurostar Italia does not. Generally it is recommended to bus from Siena to Florence or vice versa and as I recall from looking at maps, Siena is kind of out of the way between Rome and Florence. Just from a train logistics (and because I really, REALLY like it!) I'd pick Orvieto.

For Deborah's questions. Traveling alone you will be perfectly fine--no worries there. Cooking classes are possible but quite expensive. Most people who ask for information are usually shocked at the cost. I don't think you can go wrong with Tuscany vs. Umbria, but I actually think the coast won't be much help in early spring. It won't be that warm yet.

With only 5 or 6 days on the ground, I would recommend you stay pretty close to Rome, assuming you are interested in seeing the main sights there and haven't been before. I would actually perhaps stay in Rome the entire time and just take a daytrip or two out to Umbria. Rome can easily eat up 5 or 6 days on its own.

If you want to get out of the city (either for a night or two or just as a day trip), consider Orvieto, which is a charming hill town in Umbria. If it were me, I'd spent 4 nights in Rome, including a (half) day trip to Ostia Antica, and 2 nights in Orvieto.

kent, let's try different from well, let's say, kansas to start with.

yes, liz, there is the possibility of "just staying" in rome. there is certainly plenty & varied venues to keep me occupied (& fed).

i am wanting to see what other folks have found that made them happy with their travel to the area...

Deborah: Dorothy said it better than I can, "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more." (now, my family is mostly from Missouri, over near the Kansas line, so I'm not saying anything bad about Kansas). The great thing is, you can love both Kansas and Rome, for different reasons.

Melissa: About Siena, I got so wrapped up in the Michelangelo sculpture, that I forgot the main reason to go to Siena: so you can see where James Bond chased the bad guy in Quantum of Solace (Piazza del Campo)

deborah,
I am afraid that kent does not know Kansas. You are going to see the same old things in Italy. Say you go to Orvieto. What will you see, St Patrick's well http://www.bellaumbria.net/Orvieto/pozzo_eng.htm big deal I am sure you have been to Greensburg. An underground http://www.bellaumbria.net/Orvieto/orvieto_underground_eng.htm , not as extensive as Huthinson's salt mines. A church http://www.bellaumbria.net/Orvieto/mosaici_duomo_orvieto_eng.htm , we got churches. You could take a short bus ride to Civita di Bagnoregio http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/italy/civitabd.htm , it ain't no Castle Rock.

Kent,

LOL, you are too funny. If I mention the Quantum of Solace thing to my sons and husband, I've lost them for sure! (Big Bond fans)

Thanks for the input and ideas,
Melissa

Henry: I'm glad you corrected me on Kansas. I'm certain Italy does not have a salt mine to match the fine one at Hutchinson. On the other hand, as Dorothy said: "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more."Melissa: Re Siena and Quantum of Solace (I got these details from Wikipedia): The film's 2nd unit did some filming of the actual Palio horse race in August 2007, before main unit filming started. Later they hired a thousand extras for the scene where Bond emerges from the Fonte Gaia in hot pursuit of the Bad Guy. Originally the script called for him to emerge from the city's cisterns at Siena Duomo, but apparently this was considered to be disrespectful so they changed the script.

ha! this IS getting good.
yes, realize there is the same limestone soil in much of italy as in kansas. we are trying to grow grapes here too...
yes, there are some interesting churches here but not 400, 600 hundred years old nor the 2000 yr old streets still used in rome.
yes, if dennis craig was still filming in italy i would probably take a train to see if he looks that good for real.
yes, kansas can be loved for it's own reasons. having a biology background & a fossil/rock collector helps. this IS a lovely state - and the sixth one i've lived in...
if someones leaves a note that they were in based in rome and did such and such overnighter or an afternoon's drive, i would consider working that in.
i am looking forward to some really good food. where we are we rarely eat out as i can cook alot better at home - and i'm just a fair cook with an occasional inspired meal.
keep sending the notes. this is getting to be good reading. i would like people to mention a particular area they liked, a gelato store, coffee house favorite. a good piazza or park to watch children play & young couples walk. smaller churches or museums that left a big impression. a street that had tiles, ancient reminders of history, interesting architecture. modern art galleries with good abstracts.
oh, should i mention i havent entirely ruled out venice? :]

Deborah, or may we call you Dorothy now that we're getting to know you better? :)In Rome you can walk in the footsteps of Julius Caesar, see the Pope, and do a hundred other things you only dreamed of until now. But the limitation of a website such as this, is that we can only tell you about a few of the things you should know about before finalizing travel plans. If you haven't already, search on Rome at Google.com and you'll get hundreds of visuals and text. This page from Rick's Best Destinations will get you started in your serious research http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/italy/italy_menu.htm And books have been written about what Rome offers, hundreds of them--buying one of them will be your next step. There are so many marvelous things in Rome, Italy and Europe. Happy travels!

deborah,
I hope my attempt at humor was not lost on you.

I suggest you spend your time seeing the sights and not on travelling. On arrival in Rome go straight to Orvieto about an hour away by train. My previous post has links to highlights and things to do. After two or three days train to Rome. See http://www.romaturismo.com/v2/romain48ore/en/romain4896ore.html for things to see. Consider a day trip to Ostia Antica http://www.ostia-antica.org/indexes.htm
only about forty minutes outside Rome.

kent, call me ishmael...

have i mentioned i have not ruled venice out entirely? cooler time of year = less stinky canals less tourists. or will it mean more cold rain?

any thoughts on rome vs venice?

p.s. henry -

no your humor was not lost. however, the banks of the missouri or the river valley of wichita are still different lands from the dry high plains....

Hi Deb, we spent the first three weeks in April of '08 traveling around Tuscany and Umbria and really enjoyed the one night we spent in Orvieto - the ride up the funicular to the town on top of the plateau is unique and the views from the town amazing. The cave tours under the city were very interesting and the cathedral is the best. Great food and good shopping and no cars in the town so a great town for walking. Don't overlook Assisi for a one day stop - there is the huge basilica, the fortress on top of the hill and the Temple of Minerva. On our arrival day in Italy we took the train for about 80 minutes to Spoleto in Umbria. Spoleto has a beautiful small Roman amphitheater right off the main square of the old town and a very good archaeological museum (the Appolinaire restaurant right across the narrow alley is wonderful) and a fortress and amazing aqueduct over the valley - all this but it doesn't feel completely touristy like some of the towns. The weather was cool but pleasant most days but I think if we had waited another week or two we would have seen more poppies and had really pleasant weather.

Kent, my husband and I were in Siena the day they filmed that scene on the Campo. A serendipitous blast from home...

Sorry to hijack your thread Dorothy.

jo - spoleto sounds exactly what i would like to find - treasures of smaller renown but no less impressive, status. love the sound of the amphitheatre, aquaducts & the restaurant.

linda - ishmael! ishmael! no dorothy here. these posts are geared to the community of travelers - it is not just my thread!

With only five or six days ground time I'd minimize my travel time and pick a place or two to really enjoy.

Is there any way to add in a few extra days?

Orvieto and Siena both are lovely and each has it's own charm. Either would be a nice choice.

You could arrive in Rome go straight to Orvieto via train spend two nights then back to rome for four nights.

OR go straight to Florence for three nights, take the Sita bus for a day trip to Siena then from Florence take the ES rapido back to Rome for three nights There are some fairly inexpensive half day cooking classes you can take in Florence through CAF tours.

OR go straight to Orvieto for your first night train to Florence for two nights then back to Rome for the last three nights.

The key to making a short trip enjoyable is to be realistic about what you can comfortably do and to make reservations for important things in advance if possible.