Help Needed Itinerary from Montepulciano to Rome in 9 days, last 4/5 days in Rome

[Johnny Canuck]

The holiday planning is currently at two steps forward and three steps backward as I keep changing things around.

My wife and I arrive in Civitavecchia on 4th May and were originally scheduled to leave for home from Naples very early on the morning of 15th May. A couple of friends are meeting us in Rome and the initial plan was to spend 3 days in Rome, followed by 5 days in Tuscany and then the remainder of the time somewhere near Naples.

I followed the link on Sloweurope to Sant' Antonio Country Resort and by the time I had made a decision, I could only book for 4 days and not 5, (7th to 11th May) so that is now done and deposit taken.

We are flying on points and the only option available at the time of arranging the flight was leaving on 15th May. Last night, as so often happens with Aeroplan, another option opened up, so this morning I booked that option and now we are returning home closer towards midday on 20th May. Yippee! 5 extra days, but how best to make use of them. My current thinking is to extend our stay backwards by 3 days at Sant' Antonio and stay there for a full week from 4th May to 11th May, thereby cutting out the first 3 days in Rome.

Our flight home is now from Rome and we still need to visit and see Rome, so I want to spend the last 4 or 5 days there. That leaves 4 or 5 days to investigate somewhere between Montepulciano and Rome.

I continue to read reviews, but those who have attempted to do something like this before may have a better understanding of what's involved than I do, so please feel free to pitch in with your ideas and experience.

 

[Johnny Canuck]

Of course, as long as Sant'Antonio Country Resorts will allow a change of the dates already booked, we could keep the stay there at 4 days, moving them to the beginning of the whole holiday and then we have a whole lot more options.

 

[ellen]

So the original plan to head to Naples was only because of a flight from there? Do you prefer now to stay in Lazio and Tuscany?

 

[Ian Sutton]

I think your revisions make good sense.

Some options for that middle slot
1. Continue north from Montepulciano, but targeting a location with high speed direct trains to Roma. Firenze is the obvious choice for many, but as a hypocritical avoider of mass tourism it wouldn't appeal that much to me. Bologna is an alternative and a city with tourism but not in thrall to it. Pisa, Siena, Lucca all additional options.

2. Umbria. I've not been, but others here have. It's perhaps the most obvious option at keeping the travel miles down for more good holiday time, so I'd always applaud that.

3. Triangular route, heading across into Marche for the middle slot

 

[Sharon J]

The holiday planning is currently at two steps forward and three steps backward as I keep changing things around.

My wife and I arrive in Civitavecchia on 4th May and were originally scheduled to leave for home from Naples very early on the morning of 15th May. A couple of friends are meeting us in Rome and the initial plan was to spend 3 days in Rome, followed by 5 days in Tuscany and then the remainder of the time somewhere near Naples.

I followed the link on Sloweurope to Sant' Antonio Country Resort and by the time I had made a decision, I could only book for 4 days and not 5, (7th to 11th May) so that is now done and deposit taken.

We are flying on points and the only option available at the time of arranging the flight was leaving on 15th May. Last night, as so often happens with Aeroplan, another option opened up, so this morning I booked that option and now we are returning home closer towards midday on 20th May. Yippee! 5 extra days, but how best to make use of them. My current thinking is to extend our stay backwards by 3 days at Sant' Antonio and stay there for a full week from 4th May to 11th May, thereby cutting out the first 3 days in Rome.

Our flight home is now from Rome and we still need to visit and see Rome, so I want to spend the last 4 or 5 days there. That leaves 4 or 5 days to investigate somewhere between Montepulciano and Rome.

I continue to read reviews, but those who have attempted to do something like this before may have a better understanding of what's involved than I do, so please feel free to pitch in with your ideas and experience.

You will love Sant'Antonio, and the owner Nico. We will just miss you, as we are arriving on May 23rd. We try and stay every year, as it is our favorite place on Earth. One of our favorite places between Montepulciano and Rome is Orvieto. La Palomba is a small hidden treasure for lunch there. Reservations are a must. Closed on Wednesday.

 

[Johnny Canuck]

So the original plan to head to Naples was only because of a flight from there? Do you prefer now to stay in Lazio and Tuscany?

Hi Ellen,
Yes, we really only planned to to head to Naples because the flight was leaving from there. Due to flight availability, the original schedule only allowed for 10 days in Italy and we wanted to see Rome and some of Tuscany, which took up a chunk of time, so there wasn't much time left for anywhere else.

We'd like to see everywhere, of course, but it's just not possible if we are going to enjoy Slow Travel. Even a minimum of 4 days in one location is stretching it a bit.

 

[Johnny Canuck]

I think your revisions make good sense.

Some options for that middle slot
1. Continue north from Montepulciano, but targeting a location with high speed direct trains to Roma. Firenze is the obvious choice for many, but as a hypocritical avoider of mass tourism it wouldn't appeal that much to me. Bologna is an alternative and a city with tourism but not in thrall to it. Pisa, Siena, Lucca all additional options.

2. Umbria. I've not been, but others here have. It's perhaps the most obvious option at keeping the travel miles down for more good holiday time, so I'd always applaud that.

3. Triangular route, heading across into Marche for the middle slot

Thanks Ian,
All good suggestions.
I might be way off beam here, but I fondly imagined that if we spent 5 days in Montepulciano, we would be within easy striking distance of Florence and Siena and some other towns in between. We want to keep our daily driving to a minimum, so thought that an hour or so in the car to get there and the same time back later would be manageable. The problem with my planning is that I have a lot of energy as I sit here at home thinking about what we will do and it isn't always matched by real time available energy when we get there.

Although I would like to visit Bologna (especially after reading some of the trip reports), I am quite conscious of the problems of getting luggage to and from stations and on to the train. That's one of the attractions of travelling by car.

 

[Johnny Canuck]

You will love Sant'Antonio, and the owner Nico. We will just miss you, as we are arriving on May 23rd. We try and stay every year, as it is our favorite place on Earth. One of our favorite places between Montepulciano and Rome is Orvieto. La Palomba is a small hidden treasure for lunch there. Reservations are a must. Closed on Wednesday.

Hello Sharon,
It's good to hear your lovely comments about Sant' Antonio.
We'll certainly consider Orvieto.

 

[Ian Sutton]

I might be way off beam here, but I fondly imagined that if we spent 5 days in Montepulciano, we would be within easy striking distance of Florence and Siena and some other towns in between. We want to keep our daily driving to a minimum, so thought that an hour or so in the car to get there and the same time back later would be manageable

Although I would like to visit Bologna (especially after reading some of the trip reports), I am quite conscious of the problems of getting luggage to and from stations and on to the train. That's one of the attractions of travelling by car.

Hi Johnny
It depends how much you like day trips. For us it's one every 2-4 days, as we enjoy really exploring the base location and having the odd quiet day. If you do a day trip every day, then I see your logic. Pisa and Lucca a bit far I would say.

Easy options would include
- Montepulciano itself, taking in San Biagio
- Siena (quite hard on the feet walking around, as there is little 'flat' land). The bus 'pullman' is also an option if you want to leave the car in Montepulciano, as it goes from the bus station and drops you in a central location in Siena
- San Gimignano & Colle val d'Elsa (the former a major tourist hotspot, the latter somwhat under the radar and with a historic glass production industry)
- Firenze
- A day focused on scenic driving and finding smaller, less touristed villages
- Wine tasting in / sound Montepulciano (or indeed over in Montalcino). Easiest option is to browse the cellar doors / shops in the centre (if so, Crociani is a recommendation). If venturing out, Daviddi are my 'under the radar' favourite, a lovely family run winery, very hospitable and also with a back vintage or two available. To push the boat out, Avignonesi make great Vino Nobile, however their vin Santo wines are in the very top echelon of Italian wines. Priced astronomically, but bizarrely I'd say also very fair value for possibly the most intensity I've experienced. They may not have any to sell and you may not even get a taste, such is the demand for it.
- Plenty of other options, including looking for local events / festivals

If having the car then I think I'd agree on excluding Bologna. Yes you could stay outside (e.g. the hills south of the centre) and there are good bus services in, but the car becomes a burden not a friend)

Regards
Ian

 

[Johnny Canuck]

- Wine tasting in / sound Montepulciano (or indeed over in Montalcino). Easiest option is to browse the cellar doors / shops in the centre (if so, Crociani is a recommendation). If venturing out, Daviddi are my 'under the radar' favourite, a lovely family run winery, very hospitable and also with a back vintage or two available. To push the boat out, Avignonesi make great Vino Nobile, however their vin Santo wines are in the very top echelon of Italian wines. Priced astronomically, but bizarrely I'd say also very fair value for possibly the most intensity I've experienced. They may not have any to sell and you may not even get a taste, such is the demand for it.
- Plenty of other options, including looking for local events / festivals

Ahhh yes. The wine..........
Certainly looking forward to sipping some of that. I've got some research to do.

 

[Steve R.]

We've done several of these type trips in the past, although we've never stayed in Montepulciano. In my opinion, a day trip to Orvieto or Perugia or Siena during your week there would be great (each about 1hour away from you - my choice would be Perugia, as we loved it), but I wouldn't do more than one of these. Take the time to savor your week, relax and eat/drink locally. When you get there, you will probably discover that there are 5-6 days of local exploring, etc that you'll want to do (wineries, estates, churches, etc). And, when you leave Montepulciano and have 4 days before going to Rome, I'd highly recommend Florence. If you've never been, you'll be astonished at how many places within the city are visit necessities. Even though it'll be full of mid-May tourists, I wouldn't miss it. And the train to Rome from Florence is quick & easy, even with suitcases. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Johnny Canuck]

It's pretty difficult to plan an itinerary for a short trip through part of a country which you've never visited before.

In a couple of weeks, I'll be travelling for about 4 hours north up Vancouver Island (where we live) to visit a distillery from where I've previously bought some single malt whisky. Three years ago, we drove for about 4 hours in Europe and passed through 3 countries. I can guarantee that in comparing those 4 hour drives that we missed a lot more in Europe than we would in Canada. It's the nature of the beast.

I'm still in a quandary. This trip is turning out to be nothing like I envisaged and is essentially being modified by time available and therefore geographical extent; late planning and therefore availability of accommodation we might want; funds and therefore the capacity to grasp what we desire; lack of personal experience in the area and therefore the feeling of stumbling around blind.

To recap: I ad thought that we would stop in 3 places for about 5 nights in each place and so far I have only been able to confirm 3 nights in Rome, followed by 4 nights in Montepulciano and then 3 nights within the historic town of Florence. I still need to figure out what to do between those nights and Florence and arrival back in Rome, so there are 5 nights to account for.

Come on you experts. Give me a clue. Tell me about Perugia, Spello, Orvieto and anywhere else you recommend and let me know where you've stayed and what you've done and where you've eaten. I'm all ears. Seriously.

 

[ncp]

Have you searched through the trip reports? Most are extremely detailed and are a great source of information and inspiration. They also give you some idea of what is realistic to do in a day.

 

[Johnny Canuck]

Yes, I am reading through trip reports starting at the most recent. They are very informative. I suppose I need to collate the bits of info. that are of interest into one place where it is more condensed.

 

[Ian Sutton]

In such situations, I tend to reach for a rather odd resource - Fred Plotkin's Italy for the gourmet traveller. Odd, as I don't especially rate it as a great resource for food recommendations (the coverage way too thin). However he is a very engaging writer and his introductions to villages, towns, cities & regions really help me consider the different options.

Alternatively, it can pay to look at 'what is logistically ideal' and then read up on the options that fit that ease of logistics. Often it's worked out really well for us, with just one exception (I'm looking at you Forlì!). This especially works if you prize Italian culture, food and people above more mainstream tourist attractions, as avoiding the tourist hordes gets you closer to reality/normality in those three aspects.

 

[Johnny Canuck]

Thanks for the tip Ian. Several years ago, I acquired an "Eye Witness Travel Guide" on Italy. It is a beautifully illustrated book and states that Assisi and Spoleto are Umbria's loveliest towns.

 

[Ian Sutton]

Hi Johnny
Another thought (and one that ought to get me removed from a slow travel website ). Would a very chilled road trip work for you. i.e. if you can't settle on one place, sample others.

If doing this, I'd be diving into the wonderful Italian agriturismo scene, finding lovely places in the countryside to stay, relax, wander a little and after 1-2 nights, move on again. The food can be sumptuous, the accommodation often excellent and the welcome very genuinely warm. Let the places you see that look lovely be your guide to the route.

I use agriturismo.it though there are other sites. Also worth seeing if Special places to stay / Alasdair Sawday website is still going, as these are often especially quirky B&Bs

Regards
Ian

 

[Johnny Canuck]

Slow travel at speed???
I have to say that I tend to think that might be an idea in some cases. In the past, as far as my memory goes, we have often had good results by starting to look for somewhere to stay around about 3:30pm. When you come upon an area that appeals to you, you can slow down and start checking things out.

The other side of that coin is when you are in a sparsely populated area and you've had no luck, so around 6pm, you take the first place you come across, no matter what it looks like, only to find out next morning when you're leaving that there was a superb place just half a mile round the next corner.

Agriturismo appeals in many ways, because it gives you a chance to meet and become acquainted with the local people and culture and as long as it isn't too isolated, it's also possible to visit towns/villages so that you can see a whole cross section of society in that area.

You had mentioned earlier that we could consider going over to Le Marche and until anything else is booked, that hasn't been crossed off the list.

 

[Steve R.]

Well, since you seem to enjoy reading up on these things, maybe even as much as I do, I'd recommend taking a look at Elizabeth Minchilli's site (www.elizabethminchilli.com). She's based in Rome, but has a house in Umbria & writes about it quite a bit. The "Day Trips" section is pretty useful, as are the restaurant recommendations. And I definitely second Ian's recommendation of Fred Plotkin's writings -- he's still very active & we just saw him last month at The NY Times Travel Show, where he moderated a talk with Lydia Bastianich.

 

[Johnny Canuck]

Thanks Steve. Even more to read now................