Our current early October itinerary leads us to 2 nights in Volterre, where we will stay at an agritouismo. We prefer train travel, but this opportunity was so inviting we decided to rent a car in Pisa to make Volterra possible. From there we will drive to Siena, a return visit for us. Our host at this agritouismo kindly convinced us to stay for 3 rather than 2 nights.
As we considered returning the car in Sienna rather than Florence, I checked the map, curious about the possibility of driving from Sienna to Assisi for a day trip or on our route back to Florence.
As I perused Google map, I came upon eye popping images of Spello. So, I am inquiring about this embellishing revision to our itinerary: stay 2, rather than 3, in Sienna. Drive to Assisi, and after our exploration of the cathedral, drive south to Spello for dinner, passagiotta and night’s rest. After breakfast and a morning stroll in the village, drive toward Florence with pauses in Città di Castello and Arezzo. Have you stayed in Spello? Our home town in the US recently became a sister city to Cagli, an Umbrian mideival town, dear to our hearts. In Spello, even for one night, we may feel at home, and both Città and Arezzo appear to be sites to behold.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15244 posts
Yes, Spello is worth a visit.its small, so all you need is a few hours, and it’s only minutes from Assisi.
You are putting a lot of stuff in a day. From Siena to Assisi, it’s a 2 hour drive, once you take into consideration finding parking outside the walls and walk inside. Assisi alone can easily take a day. The drive to Spello is another half hour, after parking and walk. So I think you only have time for Spello and Assisi on a day trip. The drive from Assisi to Florence is over 2 hours. So where do you find the time for Arezzo? That’s not even a small town like the others, it’s a small city of over 100k within the city limits alone, and it has several things to offer to the visitor.
Posted by
Washington DC
27207 posts
I haven't been to Spello, but I can tell you that Assisi deserves more time than just what you allot for visiting the basilica. It's a beautiful town, and away from the basilica you can get lost in medieval streets where you may well be the only tourist.
I also liked Arezzo, but it didn't feel quite as magical as Assisi. Possibly of interest, given your stated timing, is that Arezzo has a major antique market on the first Sunday of each month and the preceding Saturday. At least that was the case in 2015; Google to verify. If you have no interest in the market, you might prefer to avoid those days since it wasn't quite as easy as it would otherwise be to appreciate the architecture in the areas where the market stands were set up.
Posted by
Boise, ID, USA
2191 posts
Yes, we spent a week in Spello. It's lovely, but I agree that you don't need it on this trip. Plan to spend the night in Assisi, where there are wonderful restaurants and back lanes to wander as someone else mentioned. Next morning, walk up to the castle.