Hi, i am going to Assisi for a course and i have about 4 days to travel around after. I think it would be nice to just see one or two other towns. i don't want to spend the time on trains and buses getting to places, even if i went to one other town for a few days that would be great. If anyone has any recommendations that would be great? I would be interested in gardens, art and horses!
thanks
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32214 posts
Woodsie, One of my favourite hill towns in Umbria is Orvieto and it's easily reachable from Assisi in about 2H:20M by train (usually one change). I don't recall anything about gardens, art and horses there, but the town has an interesting history and a beautiful Duomo. The room at the back with the frescoes on the ceiling is incredible! Hopefully one of the others will have suggestions for you on gardens, art and horses. Happy travels!
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32214 posts
Woodsie, To answer your question, I stayed at Hotel Corso on my last visit, and had a very enjoyable stay there. However, I have to agree with a few of the comments on Trip Advisor that some of the staff aren't able to function in English at all. That seemed to vary depending on who was at the front desk, and some spoke English well. I can function in Italian to some extent, so didn't find that to be a problem.
Posted by
OP
Dublin
2 posts
Hi Ken thanks for that, i have seen that name pop up a good few times so it must be a popular destination! Where did you stay when you were there?
Posted by
Chicago
2876 posts
It's a city, not a town, but Perugia is a very interesting place to visit and houses a very good art as well as an archeological museum, and a botanic garden. It's famous for its chocolate, too. You might also consider Spoleto, which has a Duomo with beautiful frescoes as well as an art museum.
Posted by
Boise, ID, USA
2186 posts
You'd probably enjoy Spello, just six miles from Assisi. It's less touristy and they're really big on flowers there.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
Orvieto is amazing. We stayed there two nights last month and wish we had planned for longer. We stayed at B&B Garibaldi As you can see from his TA reviews, the owner is incredibly helpful and the place is located very conveniently. I can't recommend this place highly enough. (My review is the one titled "Great place and wonderful owner", if you want to read more.) The duomo in Orvieto does indeed have a chapel with jaw-ping, shocking frescoes by Signorelli on the walls. They look as if they were painted last year. And the facade of the duomo is considered possibly the most beautiful in all Italy. If you stay at Garibaldi, do trust his recommendations for places to eat. He knows his food. :-) And there are beautiful views down into the valley from all around the perimiter of this hilltop town. The walls that hold up the cliffs are monumental, in every sense of the word. Here's a collection of some of the photos we took while there: Orvieto pics