We are traveling to Italy in mid June and are taking the "Heart of Italy" tour for the first 9 days of our trip. The remaining time we have reserved a place in San Savino on Lake Trasimeno and it appears to be fairly central between Florence and Rome. We will be renting a car to take day trips throughout Umbria and Tuscany. We have a few things in mind but would love some must see, must do recommendations from more seasoned travelers. We know we want to head to some wineries in the Montepulciano area (a friends recommendation). We want to use the last days to really explore on our own and soak in the Italian culture!
Posted by
11697 posts
On the lake, visit Monte de Lago. Pretty town.
In Tuscany, Cortona, Montepulciano and Pienza are near enough.
In Umbria, Perugia, Assisi, Spello, Montefalco and Bevagna are accessible.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
12111 posts
How many extra days do you have?
Be aware the DUI limit in Italy is 0.05%---- most of the US is 0.08%-0.10% Plan your winery visits accordingly.
Posted by
Seattle, WA & Bordeaux, France
355 posts
You are staying in such a pretty area! And is super central to explore both Umbria and Southern Tuscany. If you are going to Montepulciano, I'd visit this enotica https://www.enolitecavinonobile.it/it/index.php. It's built over Etruscan ruins and it offers tastes (or full glasses) of wines from all over Montepulciano and Montalcino. Speaking of Montalcino, go visit this quaint town. If you love Brunello wines (or sangiovese) then this is the town for you. There is Santa Guilia winery, which Rick recommends in one of his books (http://www.santagiuliamontalcino.it/) It is a charming, family run winery that offers food with their wine tasting. And there's the larger winery Altisino, perched on a picturesque hillside.
Also while in Umbria you might check out Deruta, for their exquisite pottery, and Assisi (of course.) We stayed in Cortona, which is close to Lagi di Trasimeno. It, too, is a charming hill town and might be nice to visit.
Have a wonderful trip!