Where to stay for 3 nights btwn Bologna and Rome (that's not Florence)

Consider a stay in Orvieto

Two places instantly come to mind.

One, Assisi is a wonderful hill town. Spectacular setting. A very special place. Very spiritual. Downside, it tends to be rather popular, aka, crowded. Nonetheless, you could easily spend a couple days, walking and exploring. Many nice eateries and geleterias.

Second, an equally beautiful hill town in Orvieto. On top of a hill overlooking the gorgeous valleys below. Far less crowded than Assisi, especially after all the day-trippers depart late afternoon. Evenings are truly relaxing. Very historic, aka, old. If choosing Orvieto, be sure to stay in the hilltop area, not down below near the train station. Near the Duomo is wonderful.

We were in Verona last year, and wanted to go to Bardolino (on Lake Garda). Hotel desk manager recommended we walk across the square to the bus stop and take the bus to Bardolino. It was very easy, very nice, very economical for our half day trip.

For a few days between Rome and Bologna, I would recommend Milan or Lake Como. Maybe not in between, but only an hour by train from Bologna. I wouldn't go somewhere too small, because in November there may be businesses closed, if they are 'tourist' related. For example, were on the Amalfi Coast on November 1 and that was the last day that particular restaurant was going to be open ( it was in a hotel in Ravello).

I can highly recommend Lucca in Tuscany.

IMHO it is much nicer than Florence, way less people, and still lots of things to see: ancient city walls, very characteristic city center, good food, there is even an aqueduct (Nottolini Aqueduct) from the 1800 that you can visit (a guided hike is probably better than doing it alone).

Orvieto is great, but with three nights, I think I Assisi is the better choice. From Assisi, you can easily day trip to Perugia, Spello and Spoleto. There’s also more top attractions in Assisi than Orvieto.

Thank you for all the replies -- sounds like Orvieto needs to be on the list for a future trip! I ended up changing my plans and we are flying into Bologna for nine nights (3-4 day trips likely), then Venice for five (possible day trip to Trieste) and a high speed train back to Rome for our final five nights. I decided to embrace long stays rather than add a destination just for the sake of one more place.

Marco, thanks for your post.
Orvieto is great for one day, but yes, Umbria is wonderful. Assisi, Perugia and Spoleto are great.

If you have been to Rome before, you can easily do a day trip to Orvieto from Rome.