Hilltown Hantei
In the course of three days, Kathy and I visited no less than 7 hill towns in the regions of Umbria and Toscania/Tuscany. Orvieto, Bagnoregio, Civita (di Bagnoregio), Pienza, Montepulciano, Assisi, and Spello. Here's what I've learned:
1. They all have the following things in common: sweeping, panoramic views and construction cranes. You expect the amazing views, you expect cranes a bit less. They get in the way of the postcard-perfect photos somewhat.
2. Pucci knows what she's talking about. Pucci is the owner of Romantica Pucci, the B&B in Bagnoregio where we spent two nights. Every place she personally recommended has turned out to be spot-on awesome. On Tuesday, she recommended an amazing day trip to the lakeside town of Bolsena, with a nice (but pebbly) beach and a nice, relaxing atmosphere. On Wednesday, thanks to her, we discovered Spello.
3. Them stone walkways are pretty and old. They can also be very slippery.
Enough learning, time for HANTEI:
Winner: Spello. It's the town least spoilt by tourists. On every street we walked we saw locals sitting, hanging out, and enjoying the summer night. We overheard families eating dinner on terraces. There was scarcely any English to be spoken except at the hotels at the very top of the town.
Runners up: Orvieto, Bagnoregio and Civita. These towns retain a lot of local character. Civita, however, is dying. It's populated by about 14 people, many of them quite old. It's a tiny place, which is on a beautifully isolated hill which is accessible only via a narrow footbridge which is probably hundreds of feet off the ground. Bagnoregio is also a very unpretentious little town with two main (one-way) streets and Romantica Pucci, which is an awesome B&B as mentioned before. Orvieto is a bit more touristy, but not stiflingly so.
I would skip Pienza unless you like seeing the same store selling the same meat and cheese 6 times in a row.
I would skip Assisi unless seeing those frescoes detailing the life of St. Francis is really REALLY important. The crowds made it unworthwhile for both Kathy and me.
Kathy and I noticed that our happiness is directly proportional to distance from crowded, touristy areas. We left Spello this morning for Sorrento. I'm that much less happy as a result. Still having a great time, but I'm really hoping that the Amalfi coast is beautiful enough to justify the tourist hassle I'm certain we'll have to deal with.
1. They all have the following things in common: sweeping, panoramic views and construction cranes. You expect the amazing views, you expect cranes a bit less. They get in the way of the postcard-perfect photos somewhat.
2. Pucci knows what she's talking about. Pucci is the owner of Romantica Pucci, the B&B in Bagnoregio where we spent two nights. Every place she personally recommended has turned out to be spot-on awesome. On Tuesday, she recommended an amazing day trip to the lakeside town of Bolsena, with a nice (but pebbly) beach and a nice, relaxing atmosphere. On Wednesday, thanks to her, we discovered Spello.
3. Them stone walkways are pretty and old. They can also be very slippery.
Enough learning, time for HANTEI:
Winner: Spello. It's the town least spoilt by tourists. On every street we walked we saw locals sitting, hanging out, and enjoying the summer night. We overheard families eating dinner on terraces. There was scarcely any English to be spoken except at the hotels at the very top of the town.
Runners up: Orvieto, Bagnoregio and Civita. These towns retain a lot of local character. Civita, however, is dying. It's populated by about 14 people, many of them quite old. It's a tiny place, which is on a beautifully isolated hill which is accessible only via a narrow footbridge which is probably hundreds of feet off the ground. Bagnoregio is also a very unpretentious little town with two main (one-way) streets and Romantica Pucci, which is an awesome B&B as mentioned before. Orvieto is a bit more touristy, but not stiflingly so.
I would skip Pienza unless you like seeing the same store selling the same meat and cheese 6 times in a row.
I would skip Assisi unless seeing those frescoes detailing the life of St. Francis is really REALLY important. The crowds made it unworthwhile for both Kathy and me.
Kathy and I noticed that our happiness is directly proportional to distance from crowded, touristy areas. We left Spello this morning for Sorrento. I'm that much less happy as a result. Still having a great time, but I'm really hoping that the Amalfi coast is beautiful enough to justify the tourist hassle I'm certain we'll have to deal with.