Orvieto or Venice or Avignon

Food and travel isn’t cheap in Venice. I had enough with a week there and wouldn’t want a month there in the height of summer. Venice isn’t easy on the legs.

I am all for making trips easy in the current climate, so I would stick to one country, therefore, although I have never been there, my vote would go to Orvieto.

I avoid France in July and August. June is a much better month for travel.

I agree with everything Jennifer said. I would also pick Orvieto for what you say you want.

you won't find much genuine gelato, made correctly, in Avignon.

you won't find cobblestones in Venice. paving stones not cobblestones.

Orvieto, while a place I like a lot, is quite small.

No buses in Venice but oodles of vaporettos which are level entry as is the dock. lots of seats inside too, for the resting of tired pegs while looking out at fabulous architecture.

Avignon is larger than Orvieto and flatter, centrally located with a large train station as well as car rentals, and probably not as crowded with tourists as Venice and Orvieto. Much to see in the surrounding area for a multitude of day trips, and the markets are a lot more interesting than Italian markets!

You have made 3 wonderful options. Orvieto was a favorite. The weekend we were there was filled with activities-a palio running up a hill, flag twirling, a simple parade. I liked it because it was small and walkable. We just got lucky. Day trips without a car are more awkward. Venice if you are staying away from the “tourist trail” and near a neighborhood piazza could be a place to settle in. There are a lot of day trips to be made by train to choose from. Flying home from the Venice airport is very easy. Avignon has a different culture to offer you and a few more challenges in traveling around. I love my French pastries in the morning with the walk to the bakery seeing the world wake up. Let us know the choice you made.

Avignon is, overall, a hair less charming than Aix en Provence. Also, the shopping is less good, and the cafés and eateries are less polished. It might lead to a slight disappointment, and therefore my vote also goes to Orvieto, which will be totally different and thus will not lend itself to too direct comparisons.

Orvieto is great but small for a month. I'd research places in Siena which has everything you mentioned and has excellent day tripping potential.

We spent a month in Venice when we retired a few years back, and it was perfect for us. But we like to walk—-8-10 miles a day, so spent much of our time exploring all over the city. We had a 2-bedroom apartment so could host friends for visits. We did a short (3-day) trip out of the city during that time, to Orvieto and Ravenna, but otherwise stuck close to Venice.

But that trip was in October. We don’t include Venice in our summer trips at all, due to the heat and crowds. But that may be different these days, with covid and the reduced cruise ship tourism.

We loved Orvieto for a short visit, but I would find it too small for a month’s stay, considering our travel style (lots of walking from our door, minimal train travel elsewhere).

I cannot comment on Avignon—-we are Italophiles through and through.

I agree with Balso, but I'd say a lot less charming rather than a hair less. It's famous for the 14 C Papacy, but in modern times, it's frayed and rough around the edges, except during the theater festival in July.

Lack of transportation in Venice? The Vaporetto service is excellent, and weekly passes are available. OTOH, if STAIRS are a specific problem for your knees, the bridges are an entirely different issue. I certainly don't see Venice as a bargain, but I haven't stayed there in over five years.

For a one-month stay, I think you should be considering how easy it is to get from your proposed housing to the train station. That's easy to do on Google Maps today. I hope you're not using AirBnB, which is harmful to the local housing cost structure, and to permanent residents of the town or city. It's not a victimless-crime.

I think Venice is the best choice for a primarily car-free visit, of the three places you named. Both Orvieto and Avignon lean towards having a car for more days. (Assuming parking the car isn't too expensive.)

True, I admit I didn’t pay attention to the fact that this is for a month. If you have a rental car, that is fine, but a bit long without.

If you had not been to any of these, then Venice hands down -- but since you have been there, maybe Orvieto which is an interesting town. Be sure to visit the caves in the tufa and maybe take a trip to Civita Bagnoregio It is a quick visit of a curiosity but still pretty stunning site. There is nothing there, but what a view.
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2011/10/07/civita-de-bagnoreggio-adrift-in-the-clouds/
There is on the way to Civita a really gorgeous view of Orvieto perched on it tufa outcropping; alas we didn't stop and get the photo and then returned by a different route.

We found Avignon unpleasant and the papal palace has all the charm of a parking garage since it has long been stripped of its interior furnishings etc.

Tim just made an excellent point about Air BnB and its negative effect on the locals. If you are looking at their rentals for the more affordable monthly rates, you should also be aware that Air BnB’s special rates for full-month stays come with an onerous cancellation policy——as in, you can’t. (Unless they have totally changed their policy recently).

It looks like Avignon is not recommended at all, and the two Italian options have equal numbers of advocates. How about 2 weeks each in Venice and Orvieto? And to avoid Air BnB apartments, you could book your time in Venice with this Venetian-owned company, which I highly recommend (and they have a reasonable cancellation policy):

https://www.veniceredhouse.com/

I think Richard's suggestion of Siena is a good one to stay a month longer in Italy.

Since you said you will be in Rome for 10 days prior, perhaps you would like a change from Italy since you mentioned Avignon. In that case, I would research Colmar, France as an option as well. It is located in a great wine region of Alsace. It is about an hour from Switzerland and on the France/German border. The weather will be a lot milder than Italy as well.

We found Avignon unpleasant

Ditto. Avignon was our least favorite town in the region.
I'd also suggest sticking to one country- the COVID requirements are so unpredictable.

Orvieto seems too small for a month.
Siena might be a better choice

We love Venice but don't think I'd want to spend a month there with the crowds and heat.
Maybe take a look at Padua? It's more walkable and has a tram system. Lots of day trip options by train.

If you had a car for most of your time, I would say Orvieto, because there’s a lot of nice towns to explore in that region. But just checking train times on Trenitalia, even Perugia is two hours away. Venice is on a much more convenient train line. So I think it comes down to what you would also like to see during your month and how convenient it would be. We have stayed at all three cities, and I would pick Orvieto & Venice over Avignon. And since you did this previously in France, those two would give you a different experience.

If you choose Orvieto, be sure to go to the Arezzo jousting festival!

Love reading this thread as we are researching our next place to stay after our glorious month in Aix-en-Provence. We like the same things you do although I need access to some sights 😊

I would think Orvieto would be too small with a population of only 20,000. I haven’t been in several years but I don’t recall it having the squares and daily markets that Aix has.

We never made it to Avignon when we were in Aix during September so I can’t comment on it. We did go to L’isle sur la Sourgue and loved it. But I’d say it’s too small for a month. We would consider Toulouse and Nice.

Venice may offer everything you’re looking for. I think it will be busier and a faster pace than Aix.

Agree with others about Padua. Also consider Verona, Vincenza, Bassano del Grappa and some of the other towns in the Veneto. Lucca or Balzani are closer to the size of Old Town Aix and charming.

I don't think Avignon is anywhere near as 'charming' as Aix. I also wouldn't want to be there during the Theater Festival which your dates might be. I also agree that in this time of Covid keeping a trip to one country is a smart idea. So I would eliminate Avignon.

Pre covid (and pre Cruise ship restrictions) I wouldn't want a whole month in Venice in summer. But if the number of tourists is down from it's peak a few years ago it could be wonderful. And there are many wonderful places to visit in the Veneto and other regions that are close to Venice. Some are too far for good day trips. If you have a decent price for the month maybe you'd be willing to do one or two overnight trips away from Venice.

Orvieto is pretty small but also surrounded by great day trip (or one or two overnight) options. But a car would be a definite plus there (as opposed to Venice where most of the day trips are doable by train).

But even though it's not one of your three choices, I agree with the posters who suggested Siena. That tops the list of places I would want to spend a month or so in.

Browse my photos of all these places, perhaps something will grab you. https://andiamo.zenfolio.com/f739967755

I'm always puzzled about people's dislike of Avignon, because I liked it fine when I spent eight nights there back in 2017 (took a lot of day-trips). I enjoyed wandering around the historic area on multiple occasions. Avignon's a good public-transportation hub with buses to smaller towns as well as trains to some larger ones; that's why it was a great choice for me. However, since you've made an extended visit to Aix, I'd choose somewhere outside Provence this time around.

I spent two weeks in Orvieto in 2015, taking language lessons. The hilltop historic center is very pretty, and it's a very pleasant town just to be in. I often recommend it here, including for overnight visits. However, it's not overly blessed with great day-trips for those without cars. And it's very small if you think you'll be spending--say--20 or 25 days just hanging out in town. At the very least, I'd spend some time researching possible day-trips to see how many of them don't require an inordinate amount of time sitting on trains and/or buses. Timewise, remember that the train station is down at the bottom of the hill, a ride on the funicular or a bus from the historic area. Is your potential lodging in the historic area? I definitely wouldn't choose Orvieto for a month if I were not staying on top of the hill.

From this trio I'd choose Venice. However, I am a huge fan of glass and would anticipate needing at least a full week in the city just to see the glass galleries. Even for me, two weeks would be about the limit, but you are looking for a different kind of experience. You may need to budget for weekly vaporetto passes (60 euros per week per person) if only because of all the hump-backed bridges you'll need to cross. I assume the potential lodging is in historic Venice, not in Mestre.

We spent two weeks in Venice one time in May and it fits your requirements. However being in any of the places you mention in July would be too hot for me.

I personally wouldn’t want to do Venice for that long just because I find the vaporetto transportation a bit inconvenient. But there are plenty of other great places to stay near Venice. I would happily stay in Treviso for a month or longer!

Thank you for all the feedback! Based on this I think I will drop Avignon as a possibility and add Siena.

I hate to admit that you’re probably all correct that it would be wise to stick to one country - I’m flying in and out of London and that’s already two countries so probably unwise to add France.

I know first-hand the damage Airbnb can do. I owned a home in a small town outside of a National park and it is now overrun with Airbnb’s. Whatever sources anyone has for inexpensive month stays in Italy are very welcome.

My concern with the vaporetto is that relative to, say, a month of the metro in Paris or the bus in Rome, the vaporetto is quite expensive. But not out of the question!

The vaporetto does not have to be expensive for long visits.

There is a small office (ok, very small) off P.le Roma which houses the ACTV pass issuing office. Usually for permanent residents it also sells a card which allows you to buy tickets at resident rates which are timed but extremely reasonable. Until mine expired during covid I had held one for many years.

They are completely impractical for short visits, but if you don't mind a small office in an inconspicuous corner and will be there a month they will be money savers.

It is past my bedtime to tell you all the ins and outs but here's the official website, in English - https://actv.avmspa.it/en/content/prices

Have a dig around...

I believe those monthly passes are based on a calendar month, so they work best for folks whose visits do not run from mid-June to mid-July. However, I may be mistaken; I've never bought one.

I see you’re open to more options than the first you originally mentioned. In that case, I would also place Siena ahead of the others. And I would also consider Torino, Ferrara, Lucca & Arezzo.

I'm speaking about Carte Venezia and individual rides in the carnet on the card.