My wife, 13 yr old son and I are going to Italy this summer. We'll have 4 days in Rome, and then three nights until we make Florence, the CT, Milan & Venice. We're doing everything by train. It's those 3 nights that have me stumped. We'll be museumed out. The only thing I know for sure is that my family will want to be able to swim. I've debated: 1. Assisi & Pesaro. (Train to Florence) But won't Pesaro be like any American beach town?
2. A few nights at an Agritourismo. Problem: tough w/o a car. 3. Siena? Any/ all suggestions would be appreciated! Dave
Posted by
Toledo
653 posts
Last summer two friends and I used Siena and Assisi as bases (we had a total of 10 days in Tuscany/Umbria). All beach towns will be crowded during the summer. Siena has a torture museum (perhaps your son would like it, even though you'll be museumed out on art). A few kilometers from Siena is the little (really little) hill town of Monteriggione, with parapets that can be walked. I don't know about bus transportation to it, but it might be worth checking out. The city of Siena itself is so different from Florence that it might be an interesting counterpoint. Assisi has, beyond the obvious treasures, the Rocca Maggiore (ruins of an old castle) which is fun to explore and gives great views of the surrounding countryside. There's also the small town of Spello a few kilometers away, with Roman mosaic pavements being uncovered every day (in a parking lot, no less). Some agriturismo places offer transportation to the closest town, but I agree it would be tough without a car.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15798 posts
Beaches in the Cinque Terre. Some were pebbly or rocky, but the one in Monterosso was sandy.