Pauline
Forums Admin
It seems like all I am doing these days is figuring out flights and vacation rentals for short trips to Europe! I have my April trip to Puglia and Basilicata booked. Our July trip to Switzerland is half booked. Now I am planning two weeks in Italy in September.
The plan so far: One week at Valle Nuova in northern Le Marche, near Urbino. I know Giulia from ST and we met at the 2007 Assisi GTG. I have long wanted to stay there to see the farm, the countryside, see more of Urbino (were there once on a day trip to see the last painting on the Piero della Francesca trail). There are also parts of the old Roman road Via Flaminia to explore. Her website has good local information.
For the second week I was thinking of Spoleto. Umbria Holiday Rentals has some good looking apartments in the center of town. We spent three nights in Spoleto in the late 1990s and have not been back since. I liked the town, even though you always seemed to be walking uphill, and there are interesting historic sites in town - churches, ancient Roman remains. Plus you can walk across the Ponte delle Torri (13th-century aqueduct, possibly on Roman foundations) and get onto walking trails up into the forest.
Spoleto is on the eastern branch of the Via Flaminia, so maybe that can be the theme for the trip. The ruins of Carsulae are nearby (we saw them years ago and would visit again). We can get up to Spello (we spent a couple of weeks there years ago) and even drive to Norcia (we have not been there).
I spent all day yesterday thinking should we go to Lucca instead? Southern Tuscany? The mountains north of Florence?
We could either fly in and out of Bologna, or into Bologna and out of Rome if we end up in Spoleto. Since we would be so close at Bologna airport, we could go to Ravenna to see the mosaics. We were there in the late 90s, but would love to see them again. We probably should spend a couple of nights in Bologna - have not been there - but I don't know.
Any ideas, comments, advice?
The plan so far: One week at Valle Nuova in northern Le Marche, near Urbino. I know Giulia from ST and we met at the 2007 Assisi GTG. I have long wanted to stay there to see the farm, the countryside, see more of Urbino (were there once on a day trip to see the last painting on the Piero della Francesca trail). There are also parts of the old Roman road Via Flaminia to explore. Her website has good local information.
For the second week I was thinking of Spoleto. Umbria Holiday Rentals has some good looking apartments in the center of town. We spent three nights in Spoleto in the late 1990s and have not been back since. I liked the town, even though you always seemed to be walking uphill, and there are interesting historic sites in town - churches, ancient Roman remains. Plus you can walk across the Ponte delle Torri (13th-century aqueduct, possibly on Roman foundations) and get onto walking trails up into the forest.
Spoleto is on the eastern branch of the Via Flaminia, so maybe that can be the theme for the trip. The ruins of Carsulae are nearby (we saw them years ago and would visit again). We can get up to Spello (we spent a couple of weeks there years ago) and even drive to Norcia (we have not been there).
I spent all day yesterday thinking should we go to Lucca instead? Southern Tuscany? The mountains north of Florence?
We could either fly in and out of Bologna, or into Bologna and out of Rome if we end up in Spoleto. Since we would be so close at Bologna airport, we could go to Ravenna to see the mosaics. We were there in the late 90s, but would love to see them again. We probably should spend a couple of nights in Bologna - have not been there - but I don't know.
Any ideas, comments, advice?