Orvieto in June

May I ask why a daytrip? I've been to Orvieto twice and both times found it a nice stop in between Florence and Rome. One of the times I stayed in Orvieto overnight and it was a very charming stay. In addition, if you're at Orvieto you should also go see Civita! But if you're still going to make it a daytrip I'd still say go. Orveito is a hard site to miss in my opinion. Next to Siena and St. Peter's I thought it had one of the most impressive Duomo's.

I agree with David - if you can make an overnight trip, do so! While I haven't been to Orvieto in the summer, I expect it will be a bit cooler than Rome, as it's at a higher elevation. The afternoon break you see mentioned has less to do with heat than shop/business schedules, as most everything tends to shut down between about 1 and 3 for the afternoon lunch & siesta.

Hi David, we just plan a daytrip as we would only be in Rome for 4 full days before heading to Amalfi for another 4 days.

I know everyone has their own thoughts/opinions but here is my suggestion. Amalfi is great ... When we went we stayed two nights. Stayed in Massa Lubrense (which was great). We really spent one day driving through all of the small towns and loved the scenery. We maybe could have used one other day to go to Capri, but I was fine just having one day. We arrived the first day towards the evening because we had spent the day in Pompeii (a must!). But here is my suggestion - take it for what it's worth. Why not plan for 2 days in Amalfi? Unless you really want time to spend on the beach etc., I think 2 days in Amalfi is plenty. I'd definitely include Pompeii in your itinerary. It's right on the way from Rome and it's really truly unbelievable how well it is preserved. It's truly like you are walking through an old Roman city. I stayed a night in Naples and LOVED Naples. That said, Naples is not for everyone. One of my friends really didn't like it -it's dirtier than most Italian cities, the driving is crazy (but what an adrenaline rush it was!!), and it's probably not the safest place. But the charm! It felt so Italian. And the Archeological museum (while a pain to get to), was a nice stop before Pompeii - you basically get to see artifacts that were taken from Pompeii in the museum before you go and tour Pompeii. This is my personal suggestion. I would take 2 days from Amalfi. I'd add Orvieto and Assisi with an overnight in one of them (Assisi beats out Orvieto for charm in my opinion). Stop in Naples for the Archeological museum before hitting up Pompeii. Then spend the 2 days on the Amalfi. But of course there's no right way to do it. To each their own! Enjoy! I'm going to Eastern Europe in a few weeks and am pretty excited, but still jealous of your trip - I LOVE Italy!!!

Hi David, thanks for your suggestions. We will have Sorrento as our base as I read it is convenient in terms of transportation to other parts of Amalfi. We will definitely do Pompeii . I am really not sure what to do in terms of 4 days there. I figured the next time we go back to Europe , we would try other places. With all the positive feedbacks about Orvieto, I am evaluating if a daytrip is enough. I just don't look forward to lugging our roll on Rick Steve's luggages with us to spend one night there. We try to travel light but still some load there. After Sorrento and the Amalfi, we will head to Barcelona. I understand that we will kind of lose one day in the trip as there is only one flight per day with Vueling Air.
BTW, my original plan was Eastern Europe but chose Italy instead as my husband has never been to Rome yet.

You will definitely want to go back and stay a few days in Orvieto when you return to Italy. We were there for two nights and returned to spend five days a few years later. It's one of our favorite towns.

Save Orvieto for your next trip. Sounds like you are focused on Rome and south, 8 nights. There is more to do in Rome than you can possibly do in 3 1/2 or 4 days: Ancient Rome, the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's (a full day), The Borghese, all of Rick Steve's "walks", ducking into interesting churches, hanging our in a piazza with a bottle of wine and your loved one for aperitivi. Ah, Roma! We have not been to Sorrento yet, but here's how I am planning our time for later this year: -One day to Naples and the Archeological Museum plus the R.S. walking tour; -One day to Pompeii (with transfer time to-and-from Sorrento, plus a three hour tour and lunch, it's a pretty full day) -One day to hike the Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods), again lots of transit time on busses so a full day with a 3-4 hour hike
-One day for Amalfi/Positano aside from the transit through for our hike so we can really see these towns, shop a little, etc. Might go to Ravello as well. We are staying 6 nights so there's an unplanned day. I don't like to over-schedule too much so there's time to relax most afternoons (riposo). I agree on not shlepping luggage for a one nighter. Do Oriveto next time and head on into Tuscany or Umbria or Le Marche from there.

Thanks Laurel for sharing your itinerary . I haven't done much reading yet but you're right there is much to see in Rome. I would still do a daytrip to Orvieto. Just have to shuffle the time allotment of 3 cities.Was planning to do 4 days each of Rome/ Amalfi and Barcelona ( not including one day travel to Barcelona from Naples as there is only flight per day thru Vueling Air). Might need to add one more day to Rome to make it 5 days. Then 3 days to Amalfi then do 3 or 4 days in Barcelona.

HI, Sally! I was in Orvieto in early June at the beginning of my Italy trip (Rome-oriveto-siena-florence-venice-ferrara-rome) in 2005. Orvieto was very cool -- the only place on our trip that was. I believe it was raining the first day. It was a nice, low-key place to visit and overcome a bit of jet lag before touring in ernest.
Good luck and enjoy.

HI, Sally! I was in Orvieto in early June at the beginning of my Italy trip (Rome-oriveto-siena-florence-venice-ferrara-rome) in 2005. Orvieto was very cool -- the only place on our trip that was. I believe it was raining the first day. It was a nice, low-key place to visit and overcome a bit of jet lag before touring in ernest.
Good luck and enjoy.

Orvieto would be a nice break from the hustle & bustle of Rome and the other cities you plan on visiting. It would also give you a taste of a hilltown and give you a reason to come back to Italy to experience other hilltowns. Yes, you can do Orvieto in a day trip. It's a bit over an hour train ride from Rome. Upon arrival in Orvieto, you simply take the funicular up to the hilltown. The streets are very quaint and the Duomo is spectacular. Go for it and enjoy!

I have to agree with Laural; skip Orvieto on this trip. 4 days in Rome is barely enough to scrape the surface. Sorrento is a great base for the Amalfi coast. Don't forget to alot some time for the Museum in Naples; all of the beautiful "finds" from Pompeii are in that museum.
And eat at some of the wonderful and lo-cost restaurants on the waterfront in Sorrento.