2 Night Stay PreCruise

[OneMoreTime]

My husband and I are going to spend a week in Montepulciano and then would like to move to a different location for 2 nights prior to leaving on a cruise out of Civitavecchia. Prefer to be no more than 1.5 hours away from the port in order not to feel rushed getting to the ship the morning of embarkation. We are considering Orvieto appreciate your suggestions.

[cruising cockroach]

Spent a few hours there. It's a spectacularly-located city overshadowed by nearby Rome. You could easily spend two days there taking in the sights. We wish we did.

 

How are you getting to Civitavecchia? I think the drive by autostrada may take a little more than 1 1/2 hrs accounting for traffic. There's a train lne - high-speed and regular, which should get you there with a maximum of one change of trains.

[Hlitner]

Interesting choice for a week long base. Orvieto is a real cut hilltop village, but does get overrun with tourists during the day (not an issue in the evening). Since it sounds like you are looking for rural places you could be a wild person and stay in Viterbo. And to make it even more adventurous, why not spend two nights at an Agritourismo. Those kind of places can be quite interesting...and sometimes really wonderful. Of course the art is choosing the right Agritourismo...but there are some excellent web sites where you can do research.

 

Hank

[marazul]

Look at Porto Ercole and Porto Santo Stefano on the peninsula of Monte Argentario. About one hour North of Civitavecchia. Tuscany on the sea...

[OneMoreTime]

We will have a rental car and plan to use Montepulciano as our base and take day trips from there. We are more interested in taking in the everyday experiences of Italy - small villages, wineries, food and people watching - than formal sightseeing.

 

Appreciate the suggestions given.

[brunello22]

We will have a rental car and plan to use Montepulciano as our base and take day trips from there. We are more interested in taking in the everyday experiences of Italy - small villages, wineries, food and people watching - than formal sightseeing.

 

Appreciate the suggestions given.

 

My type of travel as well! We usually base our ourselves in Montalcino (thus my screen name "brunello") and take day trips from there throughout the week (Siena, Pienza, etc.).

Edited June 17, 2016 by brunello22

[cruising cockroach]

My type of travel as well! We usually base our ourselves in Montalcino (thus my screen name "brunello") and take day trips from there throughout the week (Siena, Pienza, etc.).

 

Just beware that the roads between Montalcino (stayed once - loading up on Brunellos to take on the Prinsendam), pass through before hand) and the Civitavecchia area are or can be brutally slow. Not saying it isn't pretty but you're going to have to like drving on windy, narrow roads. I don't mind but it is tiring.

 

My favorite place within a 1 1/2 hr drive of Civitavecchia is Saturnia.

[Hlitner]

We will have a rental car and plan to use Montepulciano as our base and take day trips from there. We are more interested in taking in the everyday experiences of Italy - small villages, wineries, food and people watching - than formal sightseeing.

 

Appreciate the suggestions given.

 

It's also our favorite way to travel. In Tuscany our favorite area as a base is somewhat North of where you are staying...as we like being in the vicinity of San Gimignano or closer to the Chianti wine road. But staying anywhere in Tuscany for a week or month (or longer) is wonderful :)

 

Hank

[brunello22]

Just beware that the roads between Montalcino (stayed once - loading up on Brunellos to take on the Prinsendam), pass through before hand) and the Civitavecchia area are or can be brutally slow. Not saying it isn't pretty but you're going to have to like drving on windy, narrow roads. I don't mind but it is tiring.

 

My favorite place within a 1 1/2 hr drive of Civitavecchia is Saturnia.

 

 

I'm not the one going to Civitavecchia, it is another poster. I was just commenting on traveling through Italy in general.

Edited June 18, 2016 by brunello22

[Karennella]

what about Tivoli? We had a night there recently and, had my DH not taken the wrong turn, it would have been very quick from the airport via the ring road.