Towns to visit in Tuscany and Umbria

Lucca, San Gimignano, Siena, Orvieto and Assisi are all towns I have visited on your list and it's hard to pick one to remove, but I don't think I would add Pisa, even though it's so famous. Assisi- Loved it, just wish I had more time there, I didnt get to go to the embattlements further up the mountain. Orvieto- very cool, had a jazz festival going on, I believe you can drive up, although I took the funicular. I'd go back to either of these 2 in a heartbeat. San Gimignano and Lucca are interesting in their own right, but for perhaps a half day visit as is Sienna, where I found a restaraunt with a waiter who is a dead ringer for Mr. Burns on the 'Simpsons'- and he knows it! I don't see Florence on your list, to me that was an essential visit.

My only concern might be that you're packing too much in. Each and every one of those towns is lovely, but they also each have more to see than you might expect, especially if you're interested in seeing all of their artistic and historical gems. Orvieto alone takes a full day, if you want to see the Duomo with the side chapel by Signorelli, the Etruscan museum, do an underground tour, and still have time to walk around and explore -- all of which are must-do's in my book. In the same vein, I'd say that Siena takes about 1.5 to 2 days to do properly, as does Assisi and Perugia. Doesn't mean you can't hit all of these sites in the timeframe you're talking about, but if you really want to enjoy these towns and not feel rushed the whole time, you might want to cut down on your list. www.revealedrome.com

As Rick Steves' mentioned in his Italy book, Montalcino is only worth a visit if you want to buy a bottle of wine. For us, it was not worth the time. Really enjoyed Siena, Volterra, & Orvieto.

Sandy, I have to agree with a previous reply, in that you're trying to fit too many stops into a relatively short time frame. While it may be possible, you likely won't have much time to explore or enjoy the places you're visiting. You'll be covering a somewhat wide area, and especially as you plan on driving you'll need to allow for adequate travel time between locations, finding parking, etc. Note that you'll also require the compulsory International Driver's Permit for driving in Italy, which must be used in conjunction with your home D.L. You might also want to research previous posts here with regards to "ZTL" zones, which carry hefty fines! IMHO, all of the places you listed are worthwhile to visit, so I can't recommend any to "drop" from the list. One other site in Orvieto you might want to see is St. Patrick's Well. It was an incredible engineering feat when it was built! Be sure to allow at least an hour for the Duomo, as it's beautiful (especially the Frescoes in the room at the end)! You might find it helpful to go through the Italy 2011 Guidebook and read the descriptions of the sights in each city. That way you'll be able to determine which ones will most closely fit your interests and preferences. That may help you to narrow down the list a bit. Good luck!

I think we've been to all but Lucca and Volterra from your list. All are interesting places to visit, and there are plenty of other towns in the area such as Spello, Spoleto, Gubbio, the Chianti region, etc. Combining 2 or 3 smaller places on a day lets you see more; we went to Montepulciano and Montalcino in one day. One suggestion would be to focus some days on a region; driving thru the wine region would be a good way to see Montepulciano and Montalcino in one day and maybe stop to poke around some other towns you pass thru too. I do think that going out touring every day might get a bit tiring; I'd suggest planning for a rest day in the middle of the 8 days where you perhaps just go on a picnic in the countryside, or to spend the day at lake Trasimeno. Also allow some time for spontaenity; driving around you might see an old ruin up on a hill that isn't listed in the guidebook you used, and these detours can be some of the most enjoyable times.

We were there in September and REALLY enjoyed the towns on the SR222 corridor including Greve, Castellina and Siena

I would add Cortona to your list an excellent Tuscan hill-town with great food, views, and ambiance

You don't say when you'll be there, which would be helpful to know. We've been to Lucca, Siena, and Assisi on your list. Loved Siena and Assisi. We were underwhelmed by Lucca which had been overpraised by friends. It's fine, but nothing all that special. Assisi is indeed beautiful, if you can ignore the Franciscan kitsch everywhere (which we could). Do the RS walking tour while there. Siena is beautiful, but lots of international students everywhere, FWIW.

Hi: We will be in Italy for 19 nights next March/April. We will arrive in Rome on the morning of March 16. We're thinking of staying in Rome for four nights, taking the train to Florence, staying four nights there, and then taking the train to our first town in Tuscany to pick up a rental car. If we spend our last two nights in Rome before flying home, that would leave us 9 nights to drive through Tuscany and Umbria. We're older travelers with some mobility issues, so we're thinking of having two or three "home bases" from which we would visit close-by towns. That would reduce the number of times that we have to re-pack and re-settle in a new hotel or B&B. Based on some of the posts on this helpline, we're thinking of picking up the car in Lucca and returning it in Orvieto. How does that sound, in light of the list of towns that we're considering? Thanks.

Sandy:
We did 8 nights in 3 locations last month: Siena (3), Montalcino (3), and Orvieto (2). If I had it to do over again I would do two places and daytrip from them so I would pack and unpack one less time. Siena is convenient, but we did not like it a lot in itself. If you are going to stay in Lucca (north) and Orvieto (south), maybe you can daytrip to Siena on your way to Orvieto when you reposition. The Duomo is marvelous, I have to say. Montalcino, San Quirico D'Orcia (so cute!), Pienza (charming!), Montepulciano make a nice daytrip/drive, too. No one says you have to stop and see every church and museum. Our best times were just walking through the towns, having coffee or a meal, observing. You don't have to do everything on every town list. Play it by ear! Stop in towns you've never heard of!