Puglia vs Umbria

Because Bologna is a given, how about Emilia-Romagna and Veneto? There are so many train-accessible places close-by, and that would really make things easy.

If the decision really comes down to Puglia or Umbria, then I would compare the flights. You can get down the coast to Puglia fairly easily, so if you can fly from Bari or Brindisi, then the only challenge is the public transport in the region. It is more challenging, but it is doable. I am less familiar with Umbria, but others will chime in. It does seem like a lovely place to be in October...

@ valadelphia These are great ideas and I'll look into them! We had planned to fly to Brindisi (or train if we did Rome first). Once in Puglia, we would have a private guide for 2 or 3 days and the 4 day we'd use public transport. Same for Umbria, we likely would hire a private guide to meet us 2 or 3 days. We had planned 4 full days in either of those regions depending on what we selected.

I appreciate you taking the time to reply. It really does help!

Have you changed your mind since your previous post about Rome—-Puglia—-Bologna? Has something caused you to have doubts about Puglia? I think it would be easier for people to help you decide if they knew what factors motivated the possible change in plans.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/rome-bologna

I will just say that I believe Umbria is much easier without a car. For Puglia, we ended up going with a Road Scholar tour when we realized that we would be pretty much limited to the coastal towns + Lecce if we didn’t drive. For Umbria (plus a bit of Tuscany), I had a trip all by train all planned for next April—-and then we decided to go hiking in the Dolomites in July instead.

Hi Janac,
I count 15 nights for your trip, correct?

Consider flying into Milan and going straight to Lake Maggiore (2-3N), to get over jet lag, then take train to Lucca (2-3N) then take train to Siena (2-3N), then train to Orvieto (2-3N) then train to Assisi (3-4N) with day trip to Spello (via bus), then train to Rome (1N) and fly home from there.
I took this route some years back and had a wonderful time visiting all these beautiful places.
If you’re interested in reading my trip report I’d be happy to share the link with you.

If you’re set on going to Bologna
Then go from Lago Maggiore to Bologna ( via train) and do the day trips you’ve planned ( ie; Parma, Ferrara, Ravenna) then travel to Lucca or Siena from there.
So many possibilities!

I’ve not traveled to Puglia (yet) but I’m sure others will chime in with ideas for you.

Enjoy your time in beautiful Italy!

Hi, @ Lola. Yes, our months changed. We had originally planned in September with a small group tour in Puglia. However, due to a shoulder injury, we had to move to October and the Puglia small group tour was no longer available. If we do Puglia, we would use a private driver/tour guide. If we do Umbria, we would likely use a private guide or book with Cook in Umbria where we'd take cooking lessons in the AM and they would take us to a few cities for tours in the afternoon.

If you decide on Umbria without a car, if you base in Perugia you could do day trips to Gubbio (bus), Assisi (train), Spello (train), to name a few of the possibilities. Orvieto could also be a daytrip from Perugia or stop (for a day or overnight) on the way to or from Rome by train if you decide to fly in or out of Rome. When I was in Umbria some years ago, I also traveled easily to Siena and Cortona by train.

I am also in my 70s, and visiting Bologna as a base this October without a car. I am flying in and out of Milan, but prices and timing were comparable for Venice, though more for the Bologna airport. As Miuccia already mentioned, there are so many great day trips from Bologna for food, art, architecture, and city wandering. I am also planning to visit Padua for art (Scrovegni Chapel), and for scenery, Varenna as well as Ortisei.

Paying attention to your interests, and taking Bologna as a must, consider flying into Rome and immediately taking the train to Orvieto (Google thinks 2.5 hours from the airport -- I've done this exact thing and it was perfectly fine but took more time than that). Stay in Orvieto for a few nights --- it retains its charm somehow, so much to see, and great food. Then take the train to Perugia (have also done this --- you do have to change trains near Cortona). It's a 2.5 hour trip. See the towns in Umbria that you want to --- we loved Gubbio, but its streets are steep. Then train to Bologna (3 hours) --- I can highly recommend the apartment where we stayed while my husband took various cooking classes. It actually has a DRYER. We've spent 3 weeks total in Bologna, taking just a few day trips. Fly home from Bologna (probably an early morning flight, sorry about that). I can expand on all this, if you like the sound of it.

Thank you @ nancys8. I would love to hear more about your apartment in Bologna. We had one originally booked for September, which is no longer available for our October dates.

I was in Orvieto with my immediate family and agree that my mother really might enjoy that city. I only spent a few hours there, so I could likely use more time. If we do Umbria, we plan to stay in a Farmhouse outside Perugia taking cooking classes in the AM and they will drive us to a few towns in the PM (making transport easy).

You are correct on the Bologna flights. In September, I had a 9:00AM and 10:30AM to select from, but October leaves me only 6:00AM flights back to San Francisco. My mom is luckier and has 9 and 10AM back to Seattle available to her.

Bologna: We had planned 4 full days here, but would consider more time if you think it's worthwhile. We do want to take day trips as well.

thank you for your kind reply and helping me craft a great trip for my mom!

The Bologna apartment is: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/21986732?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=40eafcb8-3039-4d17-b8b0-0156ab07fae3
It's the host's actual apartment, but he travels a lot --- I'm guessing the calendar shows no dates available because he doesn't know whether he'll be traveling this fall yet. Worth emailing him. We were there in December.

Our Perugia apartment was a good one: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1077640?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=15a96475-73c8-4407-a32e-7aadeea0b16e

Our Orvieto apartment was great --- you can see my review from November 2021: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/12501343?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=5e86a1a5-00be-49d2-a6ea-04e1711c62a5

Where we ate in Orvieto:
Labirinto Di Adriano (our favorite during our 4 night stay)

Also:

Trattoria la Palomba

Il Malandrino Bistrot

La Pergola

While it is possible to eke out an itinerary in Umbria using trains, it's not really well served by public transportation, and I don't think Puglia is at all.

Last fall we were in Puglia and traveled exclusively by public transit; train for most of it, bus from Lecce down to Otranto. And there are direct trains from Rome to Lecce. But given that you're going to be in Bologna it seems a bit easier to reach Umbria then Puglia.

Well, I'm in love with Puglia and October is the ideal time to go there, still mild sunny weather and very few tourists.
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2024/03/why-i-love-puglia.html
But having read Nancy's suggestion above, it makes so much logistic sense I'd follow her advice.
If I had to sum up the difference between Umbria and Puglia I'd say Umbria is medieval art and architecture and green - and in October some autumn - landscapes, whereas Puglia is all about (for me) seascapes, fresh produce, light and mellow sun and "Romanico Pugliese" architecture of light sandstone.
You can't go wrong with either. Weather will probably be better further south, but a lot to do in Umbria even if the weather isn't so good.

Hi!
I can't help on the Puglia/Umbria dilemma, but I do have a recommendation for Bologna if that's of any help?

My mom and I were in Bologna for 2 days in March 2023 and the highlight was the full day food tour we took with Italian Days. It's not cheap, but it's a full day tour with breakfast and lunch included where you stop at Parmigiano Reggiano, balsamic vinegar, and Parma ham producers along the way. We will never look at a wheel of Parmigiano the same way ever again! I highly recommend it if you are food lovers!

We also really enjoyed lunch at Sfoglia Rina, it's simple and very busy but delicious.

Also, I'll just say that I always love posts like this about parent child trips and wanting to make it special for them. My mom is my travel buddy too and I cherish the memories we make so so much.

I hope you have a fabulous adventure together.

PQ