One Night: Sienna Vs. Civita di Bagnorgeio

Sorrento is waaayyyyy south of Rome, a good two-and-a-half or three hours beyond Rome by public transportation and not an easy drive, either. Are you sure you mean Sorrento vs. Civita? Stay in Civita. Sorrento would take a) too long to get to for one night, b) is not on the way to Rome, and c) requires multiple nights for the area.

Oh geez I totally meant Sienna! Let me try to edit this post...

Thanks for bringing that to my attention Laurel! This planning has totally got me brain dead!

Jenessa, As your travel partner wants to visit Assisi, Siena would probably be easier to fit into an efficient travel route. Although Civita di Bagnoregio may fit your criteria to a "T", it's a somewhat more difficult transportation connection, especially with such a short time frame. If travelling only via public transport, you'd need to first get to Orvieto and then take the Bus (Cotral, as I recall) from there to Bagnoregio (about an hour). From there you'd transfer to the small Shuttle which will take you to the base of the bridge at Civita, and you'll have to walk from there (takes about 10-15 minutes to walk up to the town). Overall, that's somewhat of a "torturous" path to take for just one night. The trip from Florence to Siena is especially easy via Corse Rapide or Corse Ordinarie Bus (about an hour, as I recall). There's only about 15 minutes difference between the "fast and slow" Buses. You'll be dropped at Piazza Gramsci, which is right in town. DON'T forget to validate! Visiting Assisi for half a day after Siena is certainly possible, but it would be better to spend at least one night there, as the travel time is 3 to 5.5 hours, with two changes, depending on train. A departure at 08:04 would get you to Assisi at 13:43. If you can't spend a night there, you may have to spend less time than planned in Assisi. From Assisi to Rome, the trip is about 2 to 3 hours, depending on which train you choose. There appears to be a direct departure at 18:18, with arrival in Rome at 20:30. Good luck and happy travels!

All those "S" towns! :-) A couple of years ago, a Swedish couple wanted to go to CapriCarpi in their GPS. Whoops! Drove to Tuscany looking for the Blue Grotto. But I digress....Why not a Siena day trip and overnight in Assisi?

Here's a vote to remove some of the stress from your trip and just stay in Assisi, and save Siena and Civita for another trip. Assisi is absolutely beautiful and, like most Italian cities and villages, is best enjoyed in the early morning or late evening, when the daytrippers aren't around. I took some photos that you can see here. We really enjoyed it and were sad we only spent two nights there. If you decide to do this, stay in the town's historic center. Happy travels.

Of all the little towns mentioned, I have only been to Siena, and can HIGHLY recommend it. We stayed at the Albergo Bernini as recommended by Rick, and it was fabulous, (simple and relatively inexpensive) with a lovely terrace, right in the medieval area and great views of the incredible duomo and the gorgeous town. We liked this cathedral even better than the Duomo of Florence, and the museum attached is excellent. Siena feels like a little town if you stay in the 800 year old part. There is no reason to go into the newer part of town. The bus is as fast as the train to get there from Florence, and it drops you just a few blocks from the medieval town. That said, I hope to visit Assisi and Civita some day too! I can't get enough of Italy. Jan