Tuscany/Umbria without a car

We've actually stayed in 3 of those (not Orvieto). My vote is Perugia since it has a major bus terminal in town, and it is easy to get down to the staffed train station. Spoleto was a great town, felt we were back in the 15th century at nite, but without a car it would not be the best. The train station at Cortona is unstaffed, so you need to use the machines on the wall and they are not the modern ones in many stations that have a big screen and english menu. I must say, though, that for this region a car does help a lot. With the train figure you can see maybe 2 towns a day; take the train somewhere in the morning, explore until lunch, then either have lunch in town and depart or go somewhere else and have a late lunch. A car gives the flexibility to go to a town and stay if you like it or leave after an hour if you want to keep moving on. We've done it both ways, and for us when in Tuscany or Umbria we'd use a car.

Frances, We spent 5 nights in Spello (near Assisi) without a car last December. We chose Spello specifically for a very small town experience (and a great apartment I found there). We day-tripped to Assisi, Spoleto, Perugia, and also took a one day wine tour with Gusto Wine Tours (fabulous!). We did not miss having a car. Our apartment was a 15 to 20 minute walk from Spello's unmanned train station as well as the major bus stop. We took the bus to Assisi (with the schoolkids) and the train back. Train between Spello and the other two daytrip locations. The unmanned station didn't present any particular problems, although I speak and read a little Italian. Spello is very small and charming. We were the only native English speakers there in mid-December. There is one taxi in town, which we used to get to our apartment with the luggage and also to get to Foligno train station when we departed (Foligno has better connections to Rome). Some great restaurants here; Very local, typical cuisine, not fancy. If you decide to stay here, by any chance, PM me and I'll give you some recommendations. Spoleto is a bit larger and also quite charming and beautiful. It depends on what you want to do. There's a lot of good hiking our of Spoleto. Stayed in Orvieto in October 2010, and loved it, too, but I don't think it is as good a location for accessing other towns by public transportation. You can easily research connection times at the Trenitalia website. Laurel

Hi Frances, I've not been to Perugia or Spoleto, but I stayed in Orvieto (great town!) and also Cortona, which was also fun, but felt really crowded during the day. Yes, all towns in Italy are crowded during the day, but Cortona just felt different.
As Laurel stated, Spello is a wonderful town (il Trombone restaurante is likely the best view I've ever had while eating in Italy. No kidding.), and is really close to Assisi, my favorite hill town in Italy. I've travelled Tuscany/Umbria with and without a car, and a car is definitely best. However, we had a lot of fun even by Public transportation. The only downside to this is you often leave the towns before the evening, which is when these hilltowns really shine.

Frances, I've also visited all these towns with and without a car. I preferred traveling by train and bus, actually, since I didn't have the responsibility of driving and I could daydream out the window. You might consider Todi as a base - it's a beautiful medieval hill town in Umbria (not far from Spello and Assisi) with good transportation.

I've also been to all of these towns on public transportation. Of the four, I would prefer Orvieto, though Spello is high on my list of "next places I want to visit."

Thank you to all for your thoughts and recommendations. We still have a while before making definite plans. I love what I see and read about Spello and would consider that right now over Perugia which has been our first choice. I agree Orvieto is fabulous. We visited the town a few years ago. Is Spello about the same size. I liked the idea of Spello because it was further into Umbria and I thought we could visit areas unseen in the past; i.e., Gubbio for one. If Spello would we need to rely on buses instead of trains? From Rome do we take the Ancona train route/will we have to transfer from one train to the other? Recommendations for hotels in Spello. I have arthritis in one knee. Walking is okay but need to rest periodically. Thanks to everyone for any help with my plans.
Frances

Seeing the Tuscan Hilltowns without a car is a challenge. It's one of the few areas in Italy where a rental car may be worth the challenges that come with that choice.