Umbria and Tuscany Hill Towns

Some suggestions for Umbria: Gubbio, Todi, Assisi, Spello, Trevi, Montefalco. A few years ago two friends and I spent a week in Assisi and visited many towns by car, two per day was not strenuous.

That same year, we based in Siena and visited Arezzo, Sansepolcro, Pienza, Montepulciano, Montalcino.

A question, Zoe. Exploring all those hilltowns, two a day. Wasn't there a sameness to them? Did you have to do advance research to be able to seek out the differences in them?

It's human nature to want 'something else', and except for this last trip where we spent almost a week in Rome and could've easily done another week, I have to admit I've gotten a little restless in places like Florence or Salerno after a few days.

We did a daytrip last month from Rome to Orvieto and it was fabulous, but a week?! For me, unless I really wanted to go deep into the Etruscan history and so forth, a couple of days would've been plenty. but I suppose the base aspect and biking the towns around Orvieto has some merit, and would be fun in its own right.

Jay, yes, there are some similarities, but differences, too. For example, architecture from the same period shares similarities in many towns, but there are subtle differences, too. I also visit cities for the whole of the city, do seeing the similarities and differences in town planning is interesting to me. For example, the spatial relationship between palace and cathedral or principal church (usually the highest points in the city): are they near each other, or at opposit ends of the city?

Then there is the difference in styles of artwork: does one "hometown" artist predominate?

The histories can be similar, but it is interesting to see how the "enemies" experienced the same events.

Each town I have visited is a treasure in its own right. And I enjoy the treasure hunt!

And I would think it's interesting to see the remnants of the balance of power shifting to these hilltowns after the fall of the Roman Empire. When I was there, I couldn't believe when I heard that Rome's population dropped from 1.5 million to just 10,000 over about 100 years.

I agree that Jay asked an important question. It's desirable to experience different kinds of Tuscan towns, if you can possibly take the time to create a plan for your visit. Some criteria might be:

• Giant and important tourist centers, like San G or Siena
• Highly "efficient" stops, like Orvieto, that deliver a lot in a half or full day of light walking
• Special art that never travels to museum loan shows
• Vestigial "memories" of hill towns, like Sant Angelo in Colle
• Authentic if kitschy, unique settings, like Monteriggioni
• Special settings, like with a lake (Castiglione del Lago) or fine views or biking
• Places with good restaurants
• At least one with easy parking or near your winery visit, as a relief from driving.

We happened to be near Siena the day of the Palio, but after I read how difficult it is to have a pleasant experience that day, we decided to stay away. We were disappointed to be unable to view anything about it on our resort's TV news.

Agreed, Tim. The great thing about Italy (or any European country I guess) is that for most destinations one can do a fly-by, touching on the superficial, tourist-driven historical aspects, or one can stay and get their hands dirty. I'm not a Italian history buff by any stretch, but I found myself totally drawn in by the timeline. Saw 10th Century B.C. early Iron Age artifacts at the Baths of Diocletian in Rome all the way up to about the 4th Century A.D. around the rest of Italy, then almost nothing for about 600-700 years. Hence, the Dark Ages. Fascinating.

Zoe, thanks for the response and suggestions. Sienna is definitely on the list of places to use as a base.

Tim and Jay, I would agree with Zoe that each hill town is unique. A few years ago we biked in Umbria and we stayed at an agriturismo in Orvieto and found it a perfect spot to explore from and we enjoyed having the time to devote to several of the local towns and actually I would say that one should devote at least a day to Orvieto as there are many Etruscan ruins in the area.