Hi - we are 4 adults + a toddler and will be spending 4 nights in Tuscany from Sept 5th through Sept 9th. We are trying to figure out where we go next for 3 nights before heading back to Rome. We looked up Umbria and it looks interesting. I had a few questions.
1. Is it very similar to Tuscany? when in tuscany we will probably visit some of the usual towns like pisa, siena, montelpuciano etc. Would like to plan an itinerary for umbria that offers something different from tuscany.
2. where would be a good base to stay to explore umbria? we'd like to avoid staying in a city center and would prefer countryside villa/farm. I will be driving so that wont be an issue.
3. What are the places to visit when in umbria? we'd like to do a mix of culture + scenery. I've seen that Sibilini national park is really beautiful.
Thanks.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16243 posts
Assisi or Spello are good bases. They both have some traffic restrictions into the historical center (like virtually all towns in Italy), so you need to choose accommodations that are accessible by car and preferably with parking. A villa/farmhouse out of town is also a good option that will not present car access issues.
Besides Assisi and Spello, other interesting towns to see are Gubbio, Spoleto, Todi.
Perugia is the capital city and has a nice historical center. Perugia is not a town however. It's a rather busy mid size city.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15799 posts
Do visit Orvieto. I loved it.
Posted by
Hendersonville, NC
105 posts
I agree about Orvieto. I don't think there is a great difference between Tuscany and Umbria. Both have charming hill towns and beautiful scenery.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8371 posts
I also like Orvieto. It's just over an hour by train from Rome Termini.
There are all kinds of accommodations in and around the town, and it's right on the motorway to get you quickly to other regional cities.
The Hertz office is across the street from the train station, and it's a popular pickup/drop off place for those renting cars going to/from Rome.
Posted by
Atlanta
32 posts
I was going to say that the Monte Sibilini are fabulous and have a very remote and different feeling to them than the rest of Umbria and Tuscany. Visiting Norcia and the small town of Castelluccio are definitely worth the trip.
A trip to Ascoli Piceno (in the Marche) would also be totally worth it and feels a little different than Tuscany/the rest of Umbria.
To see these places I would definitely stay more in Western Umbria near Assisi or Spoleto than on the Eastern side near Orvieto.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11852 posts
Orvieto, while charming enough, feels like more of Tuscany, to me. Spello, Assisi and Spoleto are more heart-of-Umbria. We spent 4 nights in Spello one December and loved it as a base. This blog, Brigolante, helped me a lot in planning our time there. If you like wine, Gusto Wine Tours is terrific!
Posted by
North Carolina
2504 posts
If you like pottery, you could visit Deruta.