My daughter and I are flying into Milan in early May and then taking the train to Lucca for 3 days, then train to Rome for 5 days, next on to Salerno for 4 nights (day trips to Amalfi, Pompeii, Naples maybe). We have 4 more days until we fly home out of Milan. We'd like to combine some sightseeing with other activities such as light hiking, biking, wine, cooking... open to suggestions to things we can do or an interesting spot/city to stay using train or buses as we make our way back to Milan
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11396 posts
Umbria is very nice and less visited than Tuscany. Assisi has history, hiking in the mountains, and I imagine though I do not know, biking too. There seem to be cooking classes everywhere. While in Assisi you can visit cute little Spello, Spoleto (more hiking), and I highly recommend a wine tour with Gusto Wine Tours. We had an exceptional time and tasted wines we would not have otherwise found. You might look at the blog Brigolante where you will find a great deal of info on what to do in Umbria.
Posted by
North Carolina
2470 posts
If you're in Umbria, and have an interest in pottery, you could take the bus from Perugia to Deruta - majolica capital of Italy.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thanks for the tips. Would you recommend staying in Assisi for transportation? I stayed on a farm in Chianti years ago and loved it, but definitely needed a car to get out and about.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
I stayed in Assisi and managed to get to several places I wanted to visit by bus and train. You can check rome2rio.com to see types of transportation between cities, with links to bus/train schedules. Generally, for small towns, travel within a region (Umbria) is easier than inter-regional transportation.
Posted by
California 🦋
5253 posts
Catherine,
You could take fast train back to Milan & travel to one of the lakes close to Milan (Lake Como or Lake Maggiore).
You could also spend some time visiting The Cinque Terre.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
That's what I was thinking. Maybe save a day of train riding from Salerno to Umbria, even though we'd love to see it. I think it might be better with more time and a car. I prefer to have a home base for several days and day trips from there to save moving in and out of rooms or apts. I would love to see Cinque Terra but we'll see Amalfi coast so going to a lake or maybe Bologna for a day trip might be nice.
BTW, I see you've recommended not buying in advance, your train ticket from Milan to Florence because of possible delays at the airport, but it looks like there's a big savings if you chance it. I was thinking of buying the advance tickets for early afternoon following a morning arrival in Milan, and getting something to eat and wandering around a bit. Does that seem sensible?
On our last night, if we're staying at apt near duomo in milan, what's the best way to get to the airport in the morning? We really don't want to spend the last night at airport hotel, but we will if we need to. THanks!!
Posted by
California 🦋
5253 posts
Catherine,
- If you decide to stay at Lake Maggiore ( Stresa) instead of Milan, you may want to read this thread, especially Roberto's post, where he explains how to get to Malpensa Airport from Stresa.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/transportation-an-hotels-in-and-around-stresa
If you want to take your chances and buy your train tickets (Milan>
Florence) in advance, you can... but give yourself more than a couple
of hours--- your flight might be delayed + time to go through
immigration( passport check-point) plus waiting for the Malpensa
Express train ( every 30 minutes) plus 52 minutes to arrive to Milano
Centrale.If your hotel is near the Duomo, I'd recommend taking a taxi to
Cadorna train station which is closer than Milano Centrale.
The Malpensa Express train from Cadorna station will take 26-32 minutes
to Malpensa vs 52 mins. if you leave from Milano Centrale.
When you check the Malpensa Express train Schedules: type Milano Nord Cadorna