I need some advice about how much time do you think my husband and I would need in each of these towns: San Gimignano, Volterra, Orvieto/Civita di Bagnoregio. I was thinking we could pick up a car in Pisa and stop in these towns on our way to Rome. We would drop the car in Orvieto and take the train from there. I originally planned on visting Florence, however, my husband is not much of museum person (he is more interested in historical sites). I have already been to Florence so other than spending more time in the Ufizzi I'm okay with skipping it. We would be coming from Cinque Terre to Pisa and have 2 nights before we needed to be in Rome.
Posted by
Palm Beach, Florida, United States
536 posts
Deb - Excellent choices - San Gimignano and Volterra can easily be done in a day AND - the same goes for the other two. Of course, more time would be nicer, however, you will ceretainly get the highlights and be able to catch the train into Rome with ease.
Looking for a Great B&B in the area please look at my Italian friend's!! http://www.casolarelibbiano.it/
Just outside of San Gimignano and a great base of operations to see the four villages.
Ciao, Greg
Posted by
Los Angeles, CA, USA
1449 posts
Deb, others may differ but after some trial and error I've found that what works best for me is 2 towns a day. Start in the morning at one, if I enjoy it have lunch there and then go to the 2nd. If not such a remarkable town, move to the 2nd and start with lunch. So my time range is 3-5 hours per town depending on how much I want to see, energy level, etc. For example you ought to climb the tower in San Gimignano, see the well and underground ruins in Orvieto, and everwhere take time to savor coffee and gelato!
Posted by
OP
Chicago
15 posts
Thanks Greg and Mike: I was just looking at the underground tour in Orvieto-- looks awesome. We would certainly need a hotel so I will take a look at the B&B you suggested also. I think I will definitely skip Florence then -- I think my husband would enjoy these smaller towns and it would be more relaxing before hitting Rome.
Posted by
Los Angeles, CA, USA
1449 posts
One other suggestion if you're going to spend more time in Tuscany/Umbria -- look thru RS's book and other guidebooks, watch the episodes RS has on the region (on PBS, or often in your local library), etc. There are many delightful towns, and with a car you can explore quite a distance. If you are willing to drive out an hour or so in the morning and then stop at a 2nd town on the return trip, then the radius of the area you can explore is pretty big. You can find hilltowns with plenty of historical importance, and also visit some of the wine region if interested.
Posted by
Chicago, IL, USA
93 posts
I did pick up a bunch of books from the library and am in the process of looking through them now. Initially I wnated to see Assisi but I was thinking it might too far out of the way or force us to rush.