Hill Town?

Any opinions on Cortona? I see there is a cooking class, which we loved the one we did in Varenna.

The hilltown of Orvieto, is easily accessible by train and then a funicular up to the town. They could stop there on their way to Rome. It's about one hour outside of Rome and has a beautiful Duomo, lots of shops, Etruscan ruins and wonderful Orvieto Classico wine. We enjoyed staying at Hotel Valentino.

Orvieto is wonderful, as mentioned by Denise, and you cannot beat the accessibility. However, a Tuscan food, wine and nature experience is better served a bit further north. We loved Montalcino for the wine, food and hiking. It's accessible via bus. Montepulciano has a train station. Also a great wine destination. Pienza has potential, as well, right between the two, but no train, only bus. You might want to read up on these three and more options in the R.S. Italy Guidebook. Pick a hilltown from his list and you cannot go wrong.

Metro ride from Rome is Ostia Antica. Great day trip and you are outside in nature. Take a picnic lunch with you for the day, or eat at the cafeteria. You don't really need a guide, unless you want more information. it's really a fun way to spend a day. others recommend Orvieto. It's one of my favorite hilltop towns. Walk down St Peter's well, view the countryside from the walls. From the CT, other than walking the trail, you could take a 1.45 hour train ride to Lucca and visit. Walk the walls, or rent a bike and ride them. The town is really beautiful You can climb the one tower to see the rooftops and surrounding countryside. These suggestions are day trips from either Rome or the CT. From Florence, you can go to Pisa and climb the tower, visit the church. Also in Florence, if you are up to it, there are day bike trips that include wine tastings. You ride out and the shuttle brings you back. Check out florencebybike.com

Thanks ladies! Those are some great ideas. I'll definitely include them.

Orvieto is great and easy to get to from Rome. Here are some photos I took of Orvieto in May 2011, in case you're interested. Since they're interested in outdoor activities, I would recommend the hiking trail around the bottom of the cliff that the town sits on. It's called the La Rupe trail. And the Well of St. Patrick (not Peter) is very interesting and fun. Ostia Antica is a great outdoor activity IF and only if they like ancient ruins. Here are some photos I took at Ostia Antica in May 2008.

We loved Cortona. The train drops you off a Camucia, but there are buses going up to Cortona, or you can catch a cab. It's probably not more than a couple of km. One day we took a cooking class, literally a whole day event from coffee, shopping, prepping, cooking, eating, drinking wine, cooking, eating, drinking wine, oh and forgot about gathering eggs from the neighbor's hen house. Alessandra's Cucina cooking school.
http://www.il-girasole.com/cooking.htm

Leslie A great hill town from Florence by bus would be San Gimignano.
Can't wait to go back.

Wish you had stated how much time they were spending in each place. If they like nature and beauty than Bellagio on Lake Cuomo is beatuful with lots of ferries to near by towns. Also Lugano Switzerland just an hour and half drive away. But because of the travel involved four days instead of three would be ideal. I would be curious how much time they had planned in CT. You can see all the towns in a fairly short time. The towns are not big.