We are leaving for Italy in 2 weeks and now I'm starting to second guess my itinerary. I'm now wondering if I should drop a day trip to Perugia and Gubbio and add a day trip to Chianti via S222 from either Cortona or Montepulciano. We love food and wine but not necessarily winery tours - we'd much rather combine food with wine and not have to worry about driving which is why I planned 4 nights in Montepulciano so it's not about tasting wine it's more about the scenery. We enjoy wandering about smaller towns but have a limited interest in churches and museums which is why I'm thinking the day trip to Perugia and Gubbio is the most logical to drop. Our taste in art is definitely on the contemporary side so I'm pretty sure we will get our fill of history and historical art in Florence and Rome. Which brings me to the question of whether we should try and fit in the Chianti route for the scenery and the 'sense' of the region. The distance and timing to Greve is relatively similar from either Cortona or Montepulciano so it's quite doable to change things up. Here's what our trip looks like now:
Arrive in Rome in the afternoon (September 4) and take a train to Orvieto (3 nights and 2 days, one of which I'm sure will be a 'recovery' day). The next part of our itinerary looks like this:
Pick up car and drive to Cortona via Spoleto and Assisi. (4 nights & 3 days):
- Day trip to Perugia & Gubbio
- Spend the day in Cortona (market day)
- Day trip to Arrezo
Drive to Montepulciano via Chiusi (4 nights; 3 days)
- Explore Montepulciano
- Day trip to Sienna
- Day trip to Montalcino & Pienza
Drive to Lucca via Volterra & San Gimignano (drop car in Lucca) (3 nights; 2 days)
- Explore Lucca
- Train to Pisa
Train to Florence (4 nights; 3 days), Tuscan Coast bike tour (6 nights); Rome (5 nights; 4.5 days). Return home October 3.
What do you think - should we add Chianti and drop Perugia and Gubbio?