My husband and I will be going on a RS's tour visiting Venice, Florence, and Rome next spring and then plan on adding a week or more afterwards. Currently we are thinking of taking a train from Rome to Assisi, renting a car from Assisi to Siena, then train to Cinque Terra, wrapping up with train to Milan only to catch a flight home (e.g. not much touring in Milan). We both love the idea of driving so we can stop and see places but understand that many cities are not a good place to be straddled with a car. A few questions, 1) How many nights should we plan in each of those towns? 2) For the mid-portion of this week, when we have a car, would it be better to stay in a smaller town as a home base and then do excursions from there in our rental car vs. a few days in Assisi and a few days in Sienna with just a day drive from one to the other? 3) Is Pisa a good addition to this plan or too much? If so how would you suggest incorporating it into the schedule? 4) Is there a better suggested itinerary or some must see places along this entire route? Thanks!
Posted by
Washington DC
28436 posts
What time of year?
I'm among those who prefer Lucca to Pisa. Assisi and Siena are both great. I think being at those places in the evening (i.e., spending the night there) is an excellent idea, but churning hotel rooms gets old after awhile. I'd try very hard not to have any one-night stops except for the last night in/near Milan for your return home. I'd opt for two nights in Assisi and Siena.
Bergamo is east of Milan, not the direction from which you'll be approaching the city, but it is an atmospheric place with a hilltop historic center. Depending on your timing the last day, you might be able to spend a couple of hours there.
Malpensa is pretty far from downtown Milan, so you might prefer to stay somewhere else (possibly less expensive) on the last night if there's no city sightseeing you want to do. The Duomo is certainly worth a visit.
All the cities you mentioned are accessible by train. If I were planning to rent a car (something I've never done in Europe), I'd be looking for ways to make it really useful by traveling to smaller places that are trickier to reach by public transportation. But that's just my penny-pinching philosophy at work.
Posted by
Idaho, USA
7953 posts
Hi, have you considered the RS Best of Italy trip, instead? You would see all of the places you’re mentioning, plus a few more wonderful locations. We loved that trip and felt like it was a “wow moment” throughout the trip.
Otherwise, Montepulciano is somewhat near Siena; I definitely recommend it, especially if you’re in the area. Tiny Pienza next to Montepulciano is charming, also.
A very convenient inexpensive & modern hotel at Milan’s Malpensa airport is MOXY, which is located across the street from Terminal 2. There’s a free shuttle between terminals since you will leave from Terminal 1.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thanks for the responses. We will going in May and did consider other RS tours but thought it would be fun to do some on our own as well. I’ll check that other one you suggested now that I’ve done some research since we can still make a change in our tour without a penalty
Posted by
3124 posts
Note that it's Cinque Terre (not Terra). It's plural (Five Lands) and in Italian the feminine plural ends with "e"; the masculine plural ends with "i" and the feminine and masculine singular endings are "a" and "o," respectively.
Posted by
Portland, Oregon, United States
907 posts
Well, what a great plan. Driving in Italy is a lot of fun, at least for me. I hope you like it too. It sounds scary but it really isn't.
2 nights = 1 full day, You will need a full day in Assisi, Siena (one n not 2), and 5 Terre. Note that 5 Terre is virtually impossible to drive to. You can drive there but it takes a while to get to Monterosso Al Mare. Most go by train from La Spezia.
May is a great time of year in Italy, the best as far as I am concerned. Fewer crowds and green hillsides.
I prefer smaller towns as bases, largely for the convenience of parking and getting out of town when I want to. Be sure wherever you stay you have parking. It can be a problem.
Some day trip thoughts. Deruta for ceramics, Perugia for chocolate, Montefalco for wine (Umbria). These from Assisi.
From Siena you have a bunch, San Gimignano, Monteriggioni, Montepuciano, Pienza, even over to Chianti, like Panzano and Greve. Florence is easily reachable from Siena on the SiFi Autostrada. Also, think about Lucca, a great little town close to Pisa and 5 Terre.
Have a great trip.