How would you do it - 5 nights - Southern Tuscany/Assisi/Rome

We have a five year old, and are in Italy now with him, actually. I would pick either option 1 or 2, although you may want to check train schedules before you plan to take the train from Orvieto into Rome for the day. Someone who is more competent at train schedules than I am should double-check me, but the only morning trains that I see from Orvieto to Rome are at 7:25am (55 minutes, direct), 8:57am (1h 47m, 1 change in Orte), or 8:57am (1h 52m, direct). 1.5 hours is about our personal max for a day trip, so just make sure you're up early enough for that 7:25am train, or be comfortable with the expense of a private driver.

In general, I prefer to change hotels as few times as possible, but it may be worth an extra change if you're set on spending time in Rome. That way you can minimize the extra commute time from back and forth.

Where are you departing from? If you are flying out of Rome, I'd end with a day or two there then.
If not flying home from Rome, and you don't skip Rome entirely, I would start with Rome, tale train to Orvieto, pick up car there. Saves you a few days on the rental and avoids a long day trip by train.

Max, option. 3 Orvieto 2 Rome.

You need the car for only the Assisi/Val d’Orcia.

Driving after a long flight is not recommended, especially with kids in the car.

Trick is getting your family to Orvieto.
Suggest you do this…

Train from Fiumicino airport to Tiburtina station. 48 minutes. You won’t make the first available connection because it’s only 10-11 minutes. Absolutely not done with small children & luggage. You have to go under the tracks and into the station. Instead 2 tickets or 1 with your required intervals. Write them down to buy at the ticket counter.

Example…
FCO-Tiburtina 11:12-12:00 48 min.
Tiburtina-Orvieto 12:40-13:43 1H03m.

Rent car Orvieto. Explore Assisi/Val d’Orcia.
From Orvieto drop the car at Tiburtina rental return. Taxi into central Rome 10-15 min.

It’s not an interesting drive from Rome-Salerno. 3+ hrs.
Train is 1:30-2:02

From Rome train to Salerno, Ferry, dock is about a city block from the train, ferry to Cetara.

This suggestion is based on having taken both children and grandchildren to Italy: skip Rome this time, go straight to Orvieto (which one of our sons just adored at age 8, even the art in the duomo), day trip to Assisi if you want to, day trip to Gubbio and take the birdcage funicular to the top of the hill and also explore the great little historical center of this town. You only have 5 nights and both you and the kids are likely to be jet-lagged or just unable to sleep at first--- our grandchildren kept their parents up half the night on their first night in Italy.

We spent 5 weeks in Umbria last fall, and Orvieto and Gubbio were far and away our favorite towns. Pretty sure they would be better for kids the ages of yours than a day in Rome sandwiched between "long" train rides.

So much great input here, thank you all for taking the time.

Just a bit more info to help here. We will first be laying over for a day in the UK with the intention of working out the jet lag, prior to flying to Rome. Also, after Cetara, we will be driving down to Puglia, so we will want to keep the car.

Erin, I’m leaning with you. I also dislike switching accommodations (when traveling with the kids), and my goal is also to keep day trips under 1.5 hrs. All other stops will be several days with the exception of potentially doing an overnight in Matera. Have a wonderful remaining time on your trip. May need to get a few more of your thoughts once you return.

Nancy, yes! that was exactly why my initial thought was to skip Rome. However, the prospect of doing so may be difficult so I will need to weigh. My kids are good travelers and while it might be a long day, I also know they will enjoy taking an hour train since most of our trip will be in the car. I am certainly going to add Gubbio to the list! 5 weeks in Umbria, so lovely.

Gerri, still good considerations. That is why option 2 could work. A taxi could pick us up from the Airport and drive us into the city center of Rome. Staying 2 nights would allow more time to adjust before getting the car in Orvieto.

Not sure I am any closer to a decision (and not going to Rome could still be it), but will need to ponder more. Any option selected will be wonderful.

Any and all additional thoughts are certainly welcome.

I also forgot to ask. I was planning on staying just outside of Orvieto to make coming/going easier and quicker However, am I overthinking it and therefore missing out by not staying in the town.

Thanks!

Hi Max, we're actually in Italy for the whole summer, so feel free to send me a private message if you have any other questions! We flew into Rome, spent 5 nights in Florence, then moved on to Treviso. We're spending time in Treviso, Stresa, and Mantua/Mantova, then we'll make our way to Orvieto or Rome (like you, I haven't decided!!) before our flight home in August. My kiddo is younger than yours, so I'm not sure I'll be too much help, but I'm happy to share what has or hasn't worked for us. And I'll be sure to let you know what we end up doing on the Rome vs. Orvieto debate and how it went. Like you say, we can't really go wrong with either!

One comment regarding your location on the outskirts or central Orvieto - just make sure to factor in walking/transit time with kids. This is our first trip post-kiddo without bringing the stroller, which is great, but also means our pace is dictated by 5-year-old legs. So when google says the walking time is 15 minutes, it may actually take us more like 20-25. We're staying "15 minutes" outside of Treviso now, and although our apartment is great, I really wish it were closer. The tradeoff is that our apartment is incredibly spacious, but it definitely takes us longer to get into town than I'd prefer. Just adding my two cents, feel free to ignore me haha! :)

Hi Erin!

I hope and I am sure you had a wonderful time and would love to hear a little more about it, especially your experience traveling with your kiddo and your Orvieto stay.

I'm torn between staying in Orvieto vs. staying just outside of the town. I would love to stay in the town, but during the week we are there, we have multiple car day trips planned (<1 hour), so there will be lots of coming and going. I know there is a parking lot with an elevator/escalator for easier access compared to the funicular, but not sure how much time that will take (maybe you can provide insight) compared to easy car access in the countryside close to the town. Also, Great food is easy to find in Italy, but my other concern is that we aren't feeling like we are scrambling just to keep the kids fed and happy so we can enjoy other things. It is easier when you stay in location for a long period as you get to know the markets, etc.. but slightly more difficult when you are only in the location for a week and move on to the next (without kids, not a problem). Also, restaurants open much later in Italy and I'd prefer not be up at 9pm with my 5 year old in a restaurant every night, but, I also don't want to be cooking dinner every night in Italy. This place is a little further out of the way, but peaked my interest - antica olivaia

Overall, I had thought about doing 5-6 bases in a month, but really tried to pare things down so we enjoy each place more.
Tuscany/Umbria (Base around Orvieto) - 7 days.
Amalfi (Cetara) 5-6 days.
Puglia - 8-9 days
Annecy - 7 days (flight from Puglia)

Would love to hear your experience and thank you so much!
Max