Assisi

[suzzek]

After our cruise, we have one extra day in Rome and would like to go to Assisi for the day, if possible. We will leave the ship in the morning, take Bob's Limo to the Hilton airport, leave our luggage and hope that it's not too complicated or lengthy to take a train to Assisi. Does anybody know how we can accomplish this, and is it overly ambitious? Our flight leaves the next morning at 9:00 a.m. Or, we could swap our plan and take a day trip to Assisi on the Sun. b/f the cruise and go to Florence for a day trip post cruise. The advantage/disadvantage (?) of going to Florence after the cruise is that it would be a Fri. and more things are apt to be open than on a Sun. Any thoughts?

[cruisemom42]

Several thoughts for you to consider:

 

First, there's not that much difference between a Friday and a Sunday in Florence in terms of what's open. Monday is the day you'd want to avoid being in Florence as many museums are closed.

 

Second, from Termini (Rome's main station) to Assisi takes about 2 hrs 30 minutes with one change of trains enroute. That's 5 hours of train travel, not counting the travel time from Civitavecchia to Rome, which is about another hour.

 

Is there a reason you've chosen to stay by the airport? You will lose time getting back into Rome's Termini station in order to start your journey to Assisi (another 30 minutes by express train).

 

 

To me, this seems like an overwhelming amount of travel for one day, and you'll be spending much of your day in a car or train.

[chaz2010]

As crusie mom mentioned, the trip to Assisi would be ambitious because of the length of train travel time.

 

I did do a one day trip to Florence from Rome, but it is much easier to do if you stay at a hotel near the Termini station. The high speed train to Florence takes less than two hours. So you could get off the ship, take the train from port to Termini, take a short cab ride to a nearby hotel to drop off your bags, then return to Termini to take the train to Florence. This could still be rushed, depending on the time your cruise disembarks. But if you can get a train to Florence about 11 am, you can be there by 1 pm, and have at least 4 hours of sightseeing (some museums and churches may be open later). You can then have a dinner there, and get a train back to Rome around 8 pm, and be back in your hotel by 10 pm. You will be tired, but it is doable. Also keep in mind that you need a reservation on the Rome-FLorence high speed trains.

 

There are many hotel options, but I highly recommend the Aberdeen Hotel- it is about 4 blocks from Termini on a nice quiet street.

[suzzek]

Thanks cruisemom42 and chaz2010. I'm not sure what we will do on the last day post cruise. I had already booked the Hilton airport hotel and it's non refundable, so I'm locked in. I wish I would have posed the question earlier. The Aberdeen sounds like it would have been a great fit.

I'll be sure to throw some coins in the Trevi Fountain so I'll be back in Rome again--I just hope it won't take me 40 years, b/c that is the last time I threw a coin in the fountain!

[cruisemom42]

If you haven't been to Rome in 40 years, why not spend the day enjoying what it has to offer?

 

If you feel that you don't want to do the more touristy things, spending a half day at the Borghese gallery (reserving tickets in advance is a must) will give you a nice Renaissance/Baroque fix. And Rome has many beautiful churches with artwork to visit. While not always having the same spiritual feeling as Assisi, they can still be quite an experience.

[suzzek]

If you haven't been to Rome in 40 years, why not spend the day enjoying what it has to offer?

 

If you feel that you don't want to do the more touristy things, spending a half day at the Borghese gallery (reserving tickets in advance is a must) will give you a nice Renaissance/Baroque fix. And Rome has many beautiful churches with artwork to visit. While not always having the same spiritual feeling as Assisi, they can still be quite an experience.

 

Well, I guess I should clarify...we will be spending 3 days pre-cruise in Rome, visiting many wonderful sights. I've been to Florence, but husband hasn't ever been to Europe. I've not been to Assisi and I understand that the Umbria region is where truffles are "hunted" and Nov. is the prime time for them. My sister was in Italy several years ago and she highly recommended Assisi. I was really hoping that we could take a train from the airport area directly to our destination of either Assisi or Florence w/o having to go to Termini Station. From what you have told me, it sounds like we would have to begin at Termini for either destination.

[nparmelee]

From the airport you can only get to Rome Terminii or Trastavere area by train. To get to Firenze or Assissi you do need to start from Temini. There are faster trains going to Florence with 1.5 hours each way. You would probably not be able to get to Termini until 10 or 11 at the earliest so you are already getting a later start. Orvieto is also in Umbria, only about an hour out of Rome, that may be worth the half day that you really have.

 

With only 3 days in Rome at the start, I would still stay in Rome. We usually spend 4-5 days there pre or post cruise and never feel like we have enough time to see what we want to see.

[cruisemom42]

From the airport you can only get to Rome Terminii or Trastavere area by train. To get to Firenze or Assissi you do need to start from Temini. There are faster trains going to Florence with 1.5 hours each way. You would probably not be able to get to Termini until 10 or 11 at the earliest so you are already getting a later start. Orvieto is also in Umbria, only about an hour out of Rome, that may be worth the half day that you really have.

 

With only 3 days in Rome at the start, I would still stay in Rome. We usually spend 4-5 days there pre or post cruise and never feel like we have enough time to see what we want to see.

 

I echo this completely. I was also going to suggest Orvieto as an option, but there is always plenty to do in Rome. :)

[suzzek]

From the airport you can only get to Rome Terminii or Trastavere area by train. To get to Firenze or Assissi you do need to start from Temini. There are faster trains going to Florence with 1.5 hours each way. You would probably not be able to get to Termini until 10 or 11 at the earliest so you are already getting a later start. Orvieto is also in Umbria, only about an hour out of Rome, that may be worth the half day that you really have.

 

With only 3 days in Rome at the start, I would still stay in Rome. We usually spend 4-5 days there pre or post cruise and never feel like we have enough time to see what we want to see.

 

Thanks! I will definitely consider Orvieto for our last day in Italy. Also, I might just take your advice and stay in Rome to see more sights. Is there anything interesting around the airport area to see?

[ksps cruise fan]

Thanks! I will definitely consider Orvieto for our last day in Italy. Also, I might just take your advice and stay in Rome to see more sights. Is there anything interesting around the airport area to see?

 

If you visit Ovieto, you'll marvel at the beautiful duomo, perhaps the prettiest in Italy. Umbria is a ceramics center and you'll have fun strolling the atmospheric streets and investigating the ceramics stores.

 

I enthusiastically recommend having lunch at a nice trattoria named Trattoria La Pergola. (There's a restaurant by the same name in Rome that is Michelin starred and extremely expensive, but the Orvieto restaurant is completely unrelated.) The menu offers lots of Umbrian specialties. The menu may be written only in Italian, but I belive I heard both the waiters speaking English. Be sure to drink some Sagrantino, a red wine that you'll love if you like Chianti. Montefalco is another excellent Umbrian red.

 

Trattoria Le Pergola

Via dei Magoni

 

Indoor and outdoor eating in the rear

[suzzek]

If you visit Ovieto, you'll marvel at the beautiful duomo, perhaps the prettiest in Italy. Umbria is a ceramics center and you'll have fun strolling the atmospheric streets and investigating the ceramics stores.

 

I enthusiastically recommend having lunch at a nice trattoria named Trattoria La Pergola. (There's a restaurant by the same name in Rome that is Michelin starred and extremely expensive, but the Orvieto restaurant is completely unrelated.) The menu offers lots of Umbrian specialties. The menu may be written only in Italian, but I belive I heard both the waiters speaking English. Be sure to drink some Sagrantino, a red wine that you'll love if you like Chianti. Montefalco is another excellent Umbrian red.

 

Trattoria Le Pergola

Via dei Magoni

 

Indoor and outdoor eating in the rear

 

Wonderful info, thanks for chiming in! I love ceramics and I also love to try regional foods. I'm really leaning this way and hoping we will plan another trip in the future so we can visit places that we will miss on this trip. I will definitely try the wines you suggested. Maybe I can buy some and bring it home, too.

[Hlitner]

We will jump in and agree with many of the suggestions. DW and I really enjoy being in Assisi, but prefer this city as a place where we stop for 1 or 2 nights when we are driving in this part of Italy. The location of Assisi does not lend itself to day trips from most major cities (especially Rome), but the city is worthy of a visit. So my advice to the OP and other travelers is that you should visit Italy for at least 2 weeks, rent a car, and explore Assisi and many other places that you will never see on a cruise or short tour.

 

Hank

[Karennella]

I absolutely agree with the post above. We have just spent three weeks in Sicily and Sorrento; last year we spent two weeks before a cruise in central Italy and the year before we had four weeks touring. Only now do I feel I am pretty much over Italy for a while, especially the airports (!!) and am actually looking forward to spending our holidays next year in my own country.

There is simply so much to see that cruising gives you only a taste of the country.

[suzzek]

I would love to spend 2-3 weeks exploring Italy, or Europe in general. I'm not sure if I could get DH away from home for that long, but I'm trying to break him in.

So, if we take the train to Ovieto, will we be able to see the sights on foot or will we need to rent a car? I'd prefer to get around on foot but I'm not sure how spread out the town is.

[Hlitner]

I would love to spend 2-3 weeks exploring Italy, or Europe in general. I'm not sure if I could get DH away from home for that long, but I'm trying to break him in.

So, if we take the train to Ovieto, will we be able to see the sights on foot or will we need to rent a car? I'd prefer to get around on foot but I'm not sure how spread out the town is.

 

If your intent is to simply explore the hill town of Orvieto then you will do everything on foot. The town is quite compact...but you will be walking up and down since it is not a flat town.

 

Hank

[ksps cruise fan]

I would love to spend 2-3 weeks exploring Italy, or Europe in general. I'm not sure if I could get DH away from home for that long, but I'm trying to break him in.

So, if we take the train to Ovieto, will we be able to see the sights on foot or will we need to rent a car? I'd prefer to get around on foot but I'm not sure how spread out the town is.

 

There are a considerable number of trains from Rome to Orvieto daily. (You'll be traveling north from Rome.)

 

When you arrive at the train station in Orvieto, go across the street to the lower station for the funicular. This will take you most of the way up the plateau. At the top of the funicular ride, you'll take a small bus for the final ascent to the top of the plateau. The bus will deposit you at the outer edge of the plaza in front of the duomo. I believe the Information office is located in a storefront ringing this plaza.

 

Definitely stroll some of the smaller streets off the two main streets. Someone in the town makes wood sculptures -- both freestanding and wall reliefs -- and places them throughout the town on the smaller streets. We saw plenty of folks climbing up on the full-size horse sculptures.

[suzzek]

Thanks all. I just finished listening to a Rick Steves discussion w/ two travel guides from Italy regarding the differences between the north and the south. One of the guides is from Umbria and now I am even more excited to go. Sounds like the food is going to be really special. I wish we could spend more than a day there but it will be a wonderful way to cap off the trip.

[ksps cruise fan]

We will jump in and agree with many of the suggestions. DW and I really enjoy being in Assisi, but prefer this city as a place where we stop for 1 or 2 nights when we are driving in this part of Italy. The location of Assisi does not lend itself to day trips from most major cities (especially Rome), but the city is worthy of a visit. So my advice to the OP and other travelers is that you should visit Italy for at least 2 weeks, rent a car, and explore Assisi and many other places that you will never see on a cruise or short tour.

 

Hank

 

 

Assisi is perfect as a base for a week-long visit to Umbria. Years ago, we rented an apartment there for a week-long stay. We made no effort to go farther afield to places like Florence or Rome. Who wants to bring a car to either of those destinations?

 

The many large parking lots that ring the town to accommodate day-trippers to Assisi make parking a breeze for this town. Basically, we'd pull out of the parking lot each morning as the day trippers were arriving and we'd return as the parking lots are emptying out.

 

The main city, Perugia, and the Umbrian hill towns of Spello, Spoleto, Todi, Gubbio, and Orvieto are simply fabulous places to visit. If you like Jazz, time your visit to coincide with the annual jazz festival in Perugia or if your cultural interests are more eclectic, visit Spoleto during its annual festival.

 

Deruta is the ceramic heart of Umbria. While there is a historical center to the town, we barely visited there. Along the main road, dozens of famous ceramics houses have established their factories. The quality is uniformly high and it becomes a matter of personal preference where you shop.

 

We're friends with an American ceramicist who has her multiple pieces manufactured at the Grazia factory so that's where we headed. Grazia gives tours of its production facilities. There's also a museum which shows its products going back to 1800. In spite of the dozens of styles on display, we couldn't find quite the right design so we special ordered a large platter. What arrived was just what we ordered and we're thrilled with our souvenir from Umbria.

 

Here's a link to Grazia's web site. It's fun to visit the site if only to heighten your anticipation for a visit to there someday:

 

http://www.ubaldograzia.com/home-en.html