Looking to make a 1 - 2 hour stop for quick shopping and a early afternoon meal somewhere between Florence and Assisi. Perhaps time to see one site as well. Your suggestions?
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8360 posts
It's just 106 miles and just over 2 hours between the cities. The motorway has relatively few cities on it, according to GoogleMaps.
Arrezzo is maybe 4-5 miles off the motorway and it's approximately halfway. Otherwise, Perugia is about 10 miles before you get to Assisi.
Posted by
Nashville
39 posts
Cortona is another possibility. Perugia is a larger city so getting around and finding parking is a bit more challenging.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16200 posts
If shopping is what you care for, near the A1 exit at Valdichiana, there is the Valdichiana Outlet Village with numerous fancy outlets from Italian designers. My wife likes to drag me there, often against my will.
http://www.valdichianaoutlet.it/en/home
If you are more interested in visiting a nice town, you could consider a slight detour to Lucignano or Cortona. Cortona, however is likely to take a good portion of your day away. It deserves much longer than one hour.
Another nice option could be Passignano on the Trasimeno Lake. The freeway to Perugia passes by it, so no need for a detour, and it would be a good spot for a lunch break on the lake. In my old days the freeway wasn’t finished and you had to drive through town along the lake, so I sometimes took advantage of those restaurants along the lake shore. I bet it will be more enjoyable now without the traffic which is now diverted on the freeway. I don’t remember the names of the restaurants since it has been such a long time, but you can find some good ones on your own.
Posted by
North Carolina
2502 posts
I've read that Arezzo hosts a big antiques market on the first Sunday and preceding Saturday of each month - if you happen to be traveling then, that could be fun.