Soriano Nel Cimino area

Grab that timeshare now if you haven't. Palazzo is fabulous!! If you've already got it, let me know and I'll definitely give you some ideas for your travels. We stayed there for two weeks and even commuted into Rome on the train for several days. We also did day trips to Orvieto and Montepulciano. We are dying to go back here sometime ourselves!

Our hope is to stay there for a week, then continue to Orvieto, stay there for a few days, then on to Montepulciano for a few days. So we won't be doing day trips to those towns. But would like to do day trips to other sights. So glad you enjoyed Catalani.

Do you already have the unit booked, Charlie? It is in high demand and I wouldn't wait for 2 seconds to get it. There's lots to see and do in the area. Many charming towns...of which one of them is Soriano.

We are planning our trip for spring 2017. This will be our forth trip to Italy. Just starting the planning stage puts a smile on my face. So I think we have time. We plan on being in Italy for a month, or maybe more (if we can manage it). I actually looked into our timeshare site and it's too early to even try to book.

Palazzo is part of the Diamond Resorts inventory, I believe. If you are interested in going here, I would find out when they will open the reservations so that you can set your alarm clock. Like I said, it is in high demand. Regarding things to see, the easiest thing for me to do is give you the link to the blog I wrote following this, our first trip to Italy in 2010. http://kaybobdoitaly-2010.blogspot.com/ It is quite long but I was so enamored with our travels that everything was pure delight and I couldn't stop writing. I advice you to scroll all the way to the end where I start the trip in Venice. Next we went to Florence and then to the Cinque Terre after that. You might want to start with the entry, "LaSpezia to Volterra to Soriano nel Cimino," since you might go to Volterra on your Montepulciano stay. After that, continue to work your way backwards to the top. You can click on the photo and it will take you to a group of photos for that entry on Picasa. For now, the best way to reach me is to send a message here on RickSteves.com if you have questions. There are also lots of comments on TripAdvisor to review.

Your trip almost sounds like our first trip in 2003. We started in Venice, then Florence, Cinque Terre, Montepulciano, and Rome. In 2010, we went to Florence, CT, Lucca, Siena, Panzano in Chianti, Sorrento and Rome. In 2013, we expanded Montepulciano with trips to Pienza, Montalcino, Cortona, Parma, and Venice. We can't get enough Italy. We always go to the CT, and usually Florence (actually stay in Fiesole). I looked at your blog. It is long, but I plan to read every bit of it. Thank you.

Catalani is part of diamond resorts. We have to wait until 9 months out to book. But I am setting my alarm!!

Good luck, Charlie! We're dreaming of a return trip to Italy. This year, to Scotland.

Agree with everyone. My husband and I stayed for a week here at this resort. It's a tiny little town, not much to do there, but loved the resort. Sign up for one of their local events. We did the cooking class where they took us to the tour director's home not far away and we made the best pizza ever in an outdoor pizza oven. Not enough people signed up for the 'opera' night so didn't do that one but hear it is a blast. We drove to Assisi, Perugia, Orvieto, Lago di Bolsena, Civita di Bagnoregio. This is great area with lots of hill towns and history. We'd already done Rome so concentrated on the nearby sites and there is plenty. Get thee there!