Not necessarily wine-related, but looking to do a 1-2 day trip from Rome to one of Florence/Perugia/Sienna in August (third week of august). Any suggestions? Don’t need it to be wine focused; just want to make sure it’s not dead. Heard Florence has a heatwave…
A mix of “pretty” architecture, decent nightlife and great food scene is what I am looking for (in addition to being easy to train to from Rome).
GIVEN FEEDBACK PLUS THE EXCRUCIATING HEAT, I’M THINKING MAYBE I SHOULD ENDEAVOR TO AVOID SWAMP ASS THAT WOULD BE A VIRTUAL CERTAINTY IN GOING MID AUGUST TO THOSE THREE PLACES AND INSTEAD GO SOMEWHERE BY THE WATER??? THAT ARE CUTE??? IF THERE ARE ANY NEAR ROME? I AM ALREADY PLANNING ON GOING TO SARDINIA…
ON THAT POINT, MAYBE SOMEWHERE IN GREECE AS WELL THAT YOU ARE AWARE OF THAT IS NOT LIKE MYKONOS…
August likely to be hot most years, but there’s a risk of it being oppressively so. It’s also the time of Ferragusto, the traditional 2 week shut down of industry, and an exodus to the seaside / countryside. I don’t know the precise dates, but it’s easy to check online. There will still be stuff open, just not as much.
In general cities are the worst place to be at this time of year, but as you’ll be in Rome already, none of these should be worse than Rome.
I’ll throw in Montepulciano, which is definitely wine related and a fraction closer than Perugia/Siena. For 1-2 days, it’s a nice size. It will be less busy than Firenze or Siena (and probably Perugia as well).
Alternatively Bologna, because it has extensive porticoed streets, which can protect from the sun as well as the rain, making even a big city like this, a viable option. The nightlife good there, as is the food, though students being away from the place will take some of the vibrancy away.
you can find a very reasonably priced, direct, high speed route from Rome to Florence on Trenitalia. only a 90minute route if I recall correctly. At least that was the approx time it took me (in the reverse) a couple months ago.
We loved Florence and visited annually for many years. Unfortunately, the City has become uninhabitable as it is too small and its systems too antiquated to adequately serve the hordes. I’d go to Siena for the 1-2 days.
Siena is a town that’s worth spending time in. But I simply was heeding the requestor’s ask for an easy train travel from Rome. While it only takes 90 minutes Rom-Flo; there’s no direct train to Siena and he will more than double his travel time (almost 4 hours) within his planned 1-2 day trip.
That’s on my bucket list. I’ve been in Siena just after the July Palio and it is one of the few events that are worth attending despite the heat and crowds.
By the way, the very good municipal bus service between Siena and Florence, thru Chianti, costs 10-ish Euros and takes about an hour. Florence central bus terminal is 10mins walk to Piazza del Duomo. If you have a couple of days, you can spend half of one and/or dinner in Florence.
jack, i would say the ligurian coast might have more favorable weather. i am a big fan of genoa but it is 4+ hours from rome by train. a possibility tho.
1-2 days is often a logistical pain. All that effort to pack everything up and lug it around, and barely have you unpacked, then you’d be packing it all up for the return journey. A different matter if staying with friends in Rome and you’re thus carrying little more than day packs, but with full suitcases… it’s not a good experience.
Just seen the edit. Here are a couple of options (assuming there’s not a reason to be out of your Rome lodgings for 2 days). Day trip:
To the coast as you mentioned
To one of the nearish lakes (albano, nemi or bracciano).
I haven’t any direct experience with the coast / lakes here, but I’m raising the idea of day trips so you can leave it flexible to suit your mood / the weather, plus being able to travel light with maybe a day bag between you.
I am all about pecuniary irresponsibility so I booked same hotel in rome for 2 weeks (intercontinental? idk if it’s any good in rome) and then just go in and out (day trip or 2 day trip here and there)
I made a comment above, but will stress it here. Day trips don’t need to be inked into an itinerary, but I always like to go armed with some options for them. In that way we can decide at the last minute (often over the meal the night before). We get to decide what we want in the moment.
It looks like transport options to the water will be the local ‘regionale’ trains, which offer no advantage for pre-booking. Simply turn up at the station, buy the ticket, validate it in the machines between the ticket office and the platforms, and hop on the train.
Check out Terracina if you want something on the water. Great town in Lazio not far from Rome with a temple overlooking the beach.
I lived in Rome for a period and two stints in Florence. Unless you are an art history and Renaissance buff, I would pick Siena over Florence. Florence is an oddball town: swamped in tourists (to an even greater degree than the others), dirty, too small to be exciting, too big to be charming. Siena has charm up the wazoo (not to get too technical).
Also if you want something a little off the beaten path near Rome, check out Nemi. They had a strawberry festival in June and are famous for them…but the real attraction is the lake that the town overlooks. It’s beautiful but also has a cool historical connection to Caligula.
I’d skip Florence and go for a smaller town. We were on a family trip a few years ago and my aunt had to do Florence so we day tripped in for the day. It was very hot and very crowded. She said it was the worst day of the trip.
Smaller towns have a lot of charm and will easily keep you busy for a day. Siena, Orvieto, Cortona, Perugia, Montepulciano - are all easily done in a day trip.
In the beach, another vote for Terracina - we stayed in San Felice Circeo.
