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Tuscany, Umbria and Cinque Terre-May 15-31, 2020

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First of all..thank you to anyone who is willing to help us plan our visit. Let me just say that we mistakenly jumped the gun and purchased non-refundable air flights for May 2020. We were considering a group tour at the time, requiring flights into Venice and out of Milan. Big change of our plans.....we want to visit in Tuscany, Umbria and the Cinque Terre. Yes, not the greatest travel plan. Round trip from Florence would have been ideal. Regrettably....non-refundable/ non-changeable flights. Super in-expensive , but restrictive. It is what it is.

Therefore, we will rent a car at Venice-Marco Polo Airport, Friday, May 15, 2020, and return it to Milan-Malpensa Airport, Sunday, May 31. We have driven in Italy, and are familiar with the stress related to driving and parking. My husband is up for the challenge. LOL!

We have 2 solid weeks to visit when subtracting the flight dates. We'd like to spend our 2 weeks in Tuscany, Umbria and the Cinque Terre. We've been blessed to visit Venice, small northern villages , and the Lakes region on the last trip. For this trip Siena would be great, but not Florence. . Prefer the smaller villages on this trip. We realize a car in the Cinque Terre is not a great plan, so we will have to park and train in.

Does traveling from Venice to the Tuscan and Umbrian region, then on to the Cinque Terre make sense directionally since we must depart from Milan? We are very open to other ideas given we have to work with our airport conundrum.

If we go to from Venice to the Tuscan-Umbria region first...(if this routing makes sense)..it looks like a 5 hour drive. My husband can sleep almost immediately on a plane, (blessed) so I think we can make it to the region on the 15th.

Looking for advice on how we should break up our stays in the Tuscan -Umbria region? Love the idea of agarturismos and small hotels. So much to choose from in this region.

Thank you kindly for your help!
Monica

Posted by
11651 posts

First, I do agree that the flights regrettable at all. MXP is often our airport of choice especially for the CT.
So, 14 days to divide:
6 days each for Tuscany and Umbria, two for the CT. Perhaps take a day from Umbria to CT
CT: We drove to Monterosso and parked in the large lot there. Never used a train.
I highly recommend Spello for Umbria.

Posted by
2212 posts

Monica,

I have a few suggestions, but first, what time does your flight arrive in Venice? Do you have anything special in Umbria you want to see?

We flew into Rome, arriving mid-morning. We immediately drove to our agriturismo just outside Greve. We slept well on the plane (Skymiles let us fly First Class) and arrived rested. It was a 3 hour drive and we had no problems, but I would be concerned if our flight was longer and/or it arrived later.

My suggestion would be to find somewhere an hour or so down the road from Venice and spend the night, then continue to your first destination the next morning. I'd consider dividing your trip into three stays - on in Umbria, one in Tuscany and finish with a couple of days in CT. You need to be in CT when the thundering hoards aren't there, which requires an overnight stay.

As far as a specific recommendation goes, we stayed at the Castillo di Verrazzano near Greve. It was convenient for us, but we visited mostly the northern part of Tuscany. Somewhere more centrally located, near Siena, might fit your needs better.

Posted by
30 posts

Thank you both of your quick replies. We arrive in Venice at 10:50 am on Friday, May 15. As to the Umbrian region we think we’d like to visit Assisi, Orvieto and Civita di Bagnoregio and maybe Montelfalco which is near Spello. . Still researching on the area. Saw a Rick Steve’s lecture and he was big on visiting Umbria. . Also, we are seriously considering the idea of a one night stop on our way from Venice.. Thank you! And thank you for the info on the parking garage near the CT. Will study up on that too. Do you both think 2 or 3 locations in the Tuscan and Umbrian region is practical before moving on to the CT? Thank you for the Spello suggestion. Also,I will check into Castillo di Verrazzano near Greve.

Also, which CT town would you suggest we stay? We could be in the CT the last 3 nights. Wed-Thursday and Friday. Leave the CT Saturday morning May 30... the day before our flight.. but not sure what to do with that last night before our super early Sunday, May 31 departure ? Flight leaves at 6 am. Probably need to be at the airport 2-3 hours earlier. Middle of night-yuck! Maybe we should just stay up on Saturday night and skip trying to stay somewhere for such a short night . We will need to return our car at MXP. Your thoughts about that idea would be wonderful. Thank you very much !
Monica

Posted by
83 posts

Hi Monica,

For your Tuscany leg of the trip, I would suggest using Montepulciano as a base, which is usually what we do. Montepulciano is smaller than Siena, but has fantastic shopping, art galleries, wineries, and amazing restaurants. Using Montepulciano as a base, you can explore many towns in both Tuscany and Umbria with just a short drive. Siena is only about 45 minutes away for example. There is also Cortona, Pienza, Montalcino, Montefollonico, Chiusi, Arezzo, Assisi (Umbria), Perugia (Umbria), Castiglione del Lago (Umbria right on Lake Trasimeno), the list goes on an on.

I think you are on the right track with Venice to Southern Tuscany/Umbria to Cinque Terre and then to Milan. That makes the most logical travel sense. I do agree with the other response about travelling from Venice and staying overnight somewhere mid-journey. It will help ease some of the travel stress and fatigue.

If you decide Montepulciano is a possibility and would like some restaurant and accommodation suggestions, please let me know. Have a great time!

Posted by
693 posts

Potential 'sleeper' base (i.e. lesser-known) =Bevagna in Umbria. It is an attractive town with easy access to any number of worthy daytrips.
Good luck!
I am done. The end.

Posted by
30 posts

Once again thank you for your time and experienced advice. Very helpful!! Was able to find a farmhouse B and B not far from Montepulciano. We were able to book a week. May 20-27. It includes a very nice breakfast each day.

That leaves us with 3 nights at the very end of the trip for visiting the CT. May 27,-29 . Looking for help with where to stay in the CT. We have a car to deal with.

We will depart the CT on Saturday, May 30. Flight out of MXP very early Sunday May 31. Not sure what to do with Saturday, May 30 as far as a hotel goes. We have to be at MXP between 3-4am Sunday. Should we find something near the airport or just stay up all night and skip a hotel? Not sure where we should go. Would prefer to skip Milan. Not a big city trip this time. Any suggestions?

Also, working on the May 15-20 portion of our trip in the Umbrian Region And seriously factoring in tiredness on arrival day, May 15 at Marco Polo.Intl My husband says he can drive 5-6 hours after we arrive. He always has, but I think it might be best to stop for one night as we head south to Umbria. But not sure where to stop. Any suggestions?

Also thank you for the suggestion of basing ourselves in Bevagna in Umbria. Will look into that soon.

Thank you all!

Best,
Monica

Posted by
5233 posts

That leaves us with 3 nights at the very end of the trip for visiting
the CT. May 27,-29 . Looking for help with where to stay in the CT. We
have a car to deal with. We will depart the CT on Saturday, May 30.
Flight out of MXP very early Sunday May 31. Not sure what to do with
Saturday, May 30 as far as a hotel goes. We have to be at MXP between
3-4am Sunday. Should we find something near the airport or just stay
up all night and skip a hotel? Not sure where we should go. Would
prefer to skip Milan. Not a big city trip this time. Any suggestions?

If you drop the car (La Spezia is one option), you can enjoy Cinque Terre without having to deal with the car, then just deal with one night in Milan (via train). Otherwise I would probably just do a scenic drive the last day and find a hotel near airport (not necessarily an airport hotel--there must be options).

Also, working on the May 15-20 portion of our trip in the Umbrian
Region And seriously factoring in tiredness on arrival day, May 15 at
Marco Polo.Intl My husband says he can drive 5-6 hours after we
arrive. He always has, but I think it might be best to stop for one
night as we head south to Umbria. But not sure where to stop. Any
suggestions?

Two hours to Ravenna would be far preferable to a 5-6 hour drive.

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