orvieto or assisi??

Both are very lovely places, but my favorite of the two is Assisi. Orvieto could be done in a day on the way to Rome if you really want to see both, but Assisi has more than enough to see and do for both nights. I highly suggest a stay at hotel La Pallotta.

If you don't mind moving then do one night in each. However, two nights in Orvieto would be my choice simply because I think it has more to offer and I enjoyed it more. Nothing wrong with Assisi -- just a personal preference.

thank you!

I love them equally but I spend more time in Orvieto. If you haven't been to either one, I would suggest Orvieto as a daytrip from Roma and spend two nights in Assisi.

I'm with Zoe. 2 nights in Assisi and a day trip to Orvieto. Orvieto is lovely, but once you've walked to the church, (the outside is much more impressive than the inside) and down St Pat's well, and do the underground tour...perhaps walk to the wall and enjoy some quiet time in the park there, you can see Orvieto in 6-7 hours and head back to Rome for dinner.

Assisi is wonderful, larger, and there is the upper and lower part of town. Lots of churches (obviously) and I'd encourage you to walk up the hill to the castle for a quick tour and the view of the valley below from this vantage point.

You could easily stay one night in each town and enjoy the quiet after the day trippers leave.

Either way you go, you'll get enough in the time you have.

Hmmm, cyndileepete, a choice between two nights in heaven, or two nights in paradise, or one night in each. Tough choice, both towns are WONDERFUL in my estimation. I would read what the RS Italy book says about the two, and see which speaks to you more. Both are ancient stone towns. Most of the sites in Assisi are religious in nature, as it is a pilgrimage site related to hometown hero St. Francis of Assisi. Orvieto is more of a typical hilltown, with more secular sites, plus a lovely Duomo. Both towns have good inns, restaurants, small stone lanes and quality shopping for crafts, etc. Really you can't go wrong.

Ditto what Larry said.

We stayed five nights in Assisi and hated to leave. Never ran out of things to do. We'd go back in a heartbeat. Best times in Assisi are in the evening and early morning, when the daytrippers are gone.

Hard to compare/contrast these two places. I spend 3 weeks in Assisi every year (I run a music festival there in July) and am always captivated by it's charms. Great place for art! Early mornings and evenings can be amazing to walk the beautiful streets and alleys. Orvieto is almost completely different. For me it's a shopping town with some beautiful views.

I arrived around noon in Assisi, spent one night, then left about 4-5 p.m. I felt I'd seen everything I wanted. From there I went to Orvieto for 3 nights and loved wandering around the town away from the crowds, then sitting in the piazza sipping Aperol spritzes and watching the cathedral colors change as the sun gently dropped.

Both are great choices. Try to see them both, one way or another.