Lake Como and Umbria area

[Kportgrl]

Advice requested on order of my itinerary on a 2 and a half week trip planned for next fall. We will fly in and out of Milan and I’ve read some threads here and there which seem to say when combining these two areas, one should hit Como area first because it’s closest to the arrival city. When we were in Italy two years ago and were in Tuscany after being in Positano and Cinque Terre, at times we were a bit underwhelmed. Not that we didn’t appreciate the beauty and serenity of the hill towns but we almost wished we’d done things in a different order. So my question is, apart from having to do a bit more driving at the beginning, is there any disadvantage to doing Umbria area first? (We’ll probably spend a couple of days in Parma on the way from Milan). Or is the lakes region still so crazy in September that we will be wishing for the serenity of Umbria near the end of the trip? Thx for any advice.

 

[RachelP]

Where are you planning to go in Umbria? I guess if you go to Como first, you will need to back track, so I wonder if doing it at the end is better?

 

[Kportgrl]

HiRachelP. Thanks. I’m such a novice at booking flights online that I didn’t realize that I could likely book a flight “multi city “( Milan one way and Rome the other) without punitive pricing. So now it’s just a judgement call on best weather. Historically and geographically, it seems Umbria, further south, will remain warmer longer. So it will likely make more sense to do Como area first. My husband would love to be able to swim in Como, me I’m fine if we can Kayak and it’s not too chilly. And of course, who can ever say anything for sure about the weather‍.

 

[RachelP]

That makes sense. Just wanted to add that we have based ourselves in Spello, Umbria. It's just a little town, but we love the ease of parking after a day of sight seeing, and the beautiful cobbled streets and lanes. It's close to Assisi (20 min) and so many other great day trips.
Not a mistake at all, we often go into and out of Rome, and our first visit is different to the last.
We have done a fair bit of Umbria, so if you want to chat further, let me know.

 

[Kportgrl]

Oh wow. Spello is exactly where we were planning to base ourselves. Is there a particular place you’ve stayed that you would recommend? Yes also would love to get your recommendations on day trips, restaurants or experiences that would be fun/interesting. I notice Casa Spello has come up a few times so we were looking at that place.

 

[RachelP]

Haha that's amazing!
There are lots of apartments to choose from. Location is the key, as the free parking spaces are all on one side of town. How far you have to walk to your car depends on where you stay.
We are a family of 6 people, so we have to stay in bigger places. We stayed in Casa Spello in their big apartment on our first trip. On our trip in 2018 we stayed in an apartment called "Old Stones". (you can find it on VRBO) It has an excellent location closer to parking at the top of Spello. That said, it doesn't have the views that Casa Spello has, and the shared garden (which is lovely).
Happy to chat further if you want to PM me so we don't bore everyone to death

 

[Sara]

So now it’s just a judgement call on best weather. Historically and geographically, it seems Umbria, further south, will remain warmer longer. So it will likely make more sense to do Como area first. My husband would love to be able to swim in Como, me I’m fine if we can Kayak and it’s not too chilly. And of course, who can ever say anything for sure about the weather‍♀.

Indeed, who knows about the weather, the temperatures vary every year. As a Northern Italian I can only say that in the last years September has always been quite warm. The "warm season" seems to start later (may still quite chilly) but, as a consequence, it ends also later...October is still quite warm. So, unless something "weird" happens, September should be "ok". Also consider that the Como area, thanks to the lake, tends to have a temperate climate.